The Big Easy

I never really had a great interest in going to New Orleans. J went a few years ago to Mardi Gras and loved it, but I didn’t think I missed out on much. It just seemed like a destination for drunken frat boys and the girls who dig drunken frat boys. Well, it is very much a haven for the aforementioned group, but there is so much more to it.

We left Thursday night, late, and Rob drove us straight there for the next ten hours. We hit Baton Rouge by dawn and got to New Orleans sometime around 9 or 10 a.m. As we neared our destination, I spotted a cool cemetery and took a photo. Right next to the cemetery was the RV park! I kinda knew then that this was gonna be a great trip.

Once we got situated, we went out for breakfast at a place called Petunia’s. It was decent, but better food and service would come from other eateries. I had my first true Pain Perdue or “Lost Bread”, but I wasn’t too impressed. What I was impressed with was being able to run down the block and get a frozen peach bellini and bring it back into Petunia’s to enjoy with my meal.

Next, we got shuttled out to the fairgrounds for Jazz Fest. There were so many people there, and the neighborhood surrounding the fest is so dense I couldn’t see how all these people gathered in one place. I didn’t know what to expect from the music festival (besides some jazz, of course). What I got was a unique variety of music from all genres. First, we checked out the Robert Plant/Allison Krause pairing, which featured the always beautiful song “Down to the River to Pray”. Next, we headed to see Ozomatli, which rocked, but the best part about that show was getting the most perfect sprinkling of rain while standing in the sun. The weather was a natural condensing air conditioner, and it was nice.

After just a bit of Ozomatli, we headed over to see Burning Spear. I had never heard of them before, and on approach I thought it was a drum-n-bass type band. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Burning Spear is actually the stage name of the lead guy in the band, and he is known for taking the late Mr. Marley’s throne. Everybody digs reggae, and this was pretty much the most authentic, big-sound reggae in the world today. I plan to get some Burning Spear on my playlist pretty soon, but nothing will compare to the thumping rhythm coming out of that festival stage that day.

We got some food and rested while watching Lizz Wright in a covered tent, and then headed back to wait for our shuttle. On the ride, I was in the furthest back of the van, which provided no air, and what was once a bearable headache turned into a splitting migraine. I went back to the RV and got some much needed rest before late night. I don’t have any pictures from our walk down Bourbon St. and subsequent walk alongside the Mississippi because carrying valuables at night isn’t wise. However, my camera wouldn’t have been able to adequately capture the mystery and intrigue of New Orleans at night, anyway.

The next day we decided to spend the day walking around the Quarter, shopping and meandering and doing whatever we wanted. I bought some souvenirs - voodoo dolls for coworkers and paper dolls because I hadn’t see them in 20 years - and we browsed the French Market. Sometime around four in the afternoon, the clouds decided to let go of the rain. We thought it would be just an hour or so and then we could continue on. I’m getting ahead of myself here, but we would spend the rest of the night out in the rain.

First was our trek back across the Quarter. We stopped into the Clover Grill and I had a delicious grilled cheese and a chocolate malt. It was a nice dinner to prepare me for the long night ahead. After just a few blocks walking without umbrellas, we were completely soaked. We stopped in doorways to rest and prepare for more rain-walking, but eventually we ran out of awnings and doorways to shield. The long walk across the parking lot near the RV resort solidified our plans to just stay out in the rain. We all decided to just get in the hot tub and wait it out. After at least four hours in and around the hot tub, I couldn’t take being wet anymore, so I went back to the RV to rest. Later, I woke up and joined the boys for a chat with the security guard. His impression on us - regarding Katrina, in particular - will have to come in a later post, because this one is long enough as it is.

We got packed up and ready to go on Sunday, but not before getting a nice breakfast at the Market Cafe and listening to live street jazz. I was a little disappointed to be leaving, because the trip had shown me many new things - from a beautiful historic city to a new perspective - I was sore about leaving. Now I know what they mean with “Come fall in love with New Orleans all over again.”