Greetings, my fine readers! If you see much of me on
Facebook, you must have seen that I was in New Orleans, Louisiana, over the
weekend. My friends Amanda and Tracey from Williamsburg were planning to be
there with Amanda’s boyfriend, Thomas Jefferson (yes, it’s the truth!), and
they asked me to go down and meet them there for the weekend. And you know me,
I rarely turn down an opportunity to travel, especially to a place I’ve never
been before! And this was certainly an unusual trip. Read on!
Friday morning dawned early for me, but not quite as early
as for Amanda and Tracey. Steve was in the process of driving me to the airport
when I got a text from Amanda… They had missed their flight! They would now be
arriving a couple of hours later. My flight was fortunately uneventful, and
once I checked into my B&B, I had a few hours to explore on my own before
my friends arrived. Off to the French Quarter!
Well, first it was off to lunch! I found a sushi place that
I thought would be good to try, since it’s my favorite, but as I was walking
toward it, I passed a very coastal-looking place with porches and a patio and a
big sign that said, “Seafood Gumbo Special!” Much as I love a good sushi meal,
I had to try the gumbo. I was in New Orleans, after all! I ended up with a
small bowl of seafood gumbo and a side of alligator hash—yum! It was a winning
meal and a great introduction to the city!
Ok, now on to the French Quarter!
You folks know I’m a sightseer, not a shopper, but with time
to spare and the scent of pralines all around me, I couldn’t help but step in.
I found some great things for Christmas gifts, and yes, I sampled the pralines!
Regular, soft, chocolate—you know, all the samplings! A couple of antique
stores caught my attention, so I also had a good conversation with a fellow
writer working in one of the shops. She even showed me a very cool 19th-century
writing desk with a spring-loaded secret compartment! There were just so many
pretty things!
But sadly enough, I could not bring myself to spend hundreds
or even thousands of dollars for anything, especially anything I would need to
have shipped to me! So I just turned and walked out to search for some iconic
New Orleans sights. First on the list: Jackson Square!
Jackson Square is named in honor of Major General Andrew
Jackson, who would later become President Andrew Jackson from the great state
of Tennessee! He was a really fascinating man. But anyway, it’s here in the Big
Easy because of the legendary Battle of New Orleans. You know the song:
Well, in 1814 we took
a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip’.
We took a little bacon
and we took a little beans
And we fought the
bloody British in the town of New Orleans!
We fired our guns and
the British kep’ a-comin’
There wasn’t nigh as
many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and
they began a-runnin
On down the
Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico!
Well anyway, we had to learn it in the Tennessee Public
School System way back when! It was quite the treat to see Jackson Square and
Jackson’s statue grandly placed in the middle as he waved his hat to all who
walked by.
And guess what’s just across the street from Jackson Square.
Café du Monde! I believe it means
Café of the World in English. It’s all anyone ever talks about when they come
back from a trip to New Orleans: Oh, the beignets! Oh, the Au Laits! But I’ll
tell you I took one look at it, and I nearly ran in the other direction! The
line was unbelievable, and it was certainly not something I wanted to do before
my friends got there—strength in numbers, you know!
But I didn’t have to wait long. My friends landed and I got
to meet them at their hotel, the Bourbon New Orleans on Orleans Street. It’s
beautiful! My B&B was adorable and charming, but this was really something
else! Anyway, they were a bit irritated and flustered with their day’s events,
but that’s nothing beignets and au laits can’t fix, right? Right!
Back to Café du Monde!
So there we were, standing in line, trying to figure out how
this all works. I didn’t know what to expect or think, except I thought it
would take us forever to get a seat! But no, the line only looked long. It
moved quickly, and it didn’t take long to figure out that you have to have
eagle eyes to find an open table as soon as people stand up to leave. Do not
wait for it to be cleared, just sit down! We were delighted to learn that you
get three beignets to an order, so one order would get one for each of us. I
ordered an iced café au lait, Amanda ordered a large hot one, and Tracey got a
traditional sized one. She’s not a fan of the chicory they put in their
coffee, but with the milk she said it was good. As for me, it was nice to be in
a place consistently warm enough to get an iced coffee! I usually avoid
caffeine after 10:00 am, but this is a girls’ weekend getaway after all, so I
cut loose! Amanda enjoyed hers at a leisurely pace, and a good time was had by
all… including Mr. Peabody Pembroke!
Then something very interesting happened… I posted a picture
to Facebook, and a family friend, Robin, commented, “You’re in New Orleans,
where my husband is right now!”
What?! How crazy is that? Her husband is my dad’s good
friend from college, Stan. So I asked her what his number was so I could send a
picture of the two of us to my dad! I called and left a voicemail in hopes of
meeting up with each other.
Ready to see the sites? We were! We browsed the shops for a
while and did some window shopping to see what we needed to come back for and
what prices were like. After seeing some street performers and wandering around
the antique shops for a bit, then headed back to Amanda and Tracey’s hotel so
they could change for supper.
Bill’s (Thomas Jefferson’s) schedule was a bit tricky since
he was there for a conference and at the mercy of the people in charge, and in
fact, they would be filming him and Napoleon Bonaparte that evening at supper!
Although we were quite certain we would not be able to dine with them, we decided
to take our chances and go to the same restaurant anyway. And what restaurant
would that be, you ask? Why, the Napoleon House, of course!
We planned on coming in quietly so as not to disturb the
filming, but Bill saw us and hopped right up, along with Napoleon, to greet us.
They had not started filming just yet, so we had a minute or two to chat. We
three ladies sat in the next room and enjoyed a lovely New Orleans supper. I
got the one-quarter muffaletta sandwich with a side of jambalaya.
We sat chatting and planning out the next day’s activities
for a while, but by 9:00, I was beat! Amanda and Tracey had experienced an even earlier and longer day than I had, so we said our goodbyes to Thomas
Jefferson, Napoleon, and each other, and I took off toward my B&B. I don’t
usually spend money on taxis, but my B&B was about a mile and a half away
(and through a less than stellar part of town), and I hadn’t yet figured out
the street car system, so I sprang for the cab. It really wasn’t terribly
expensive, and it was door-to-door service!
Just as I was readying myself for some much-needed slumber,
I got a text from my friend Stan! He was in town with his two brothers and
their dad, and we decided to meet up at Café du Monde in the morning at 7:00. I
made no promises because I was VERY tired, but I certainly would try!
Stay tuned for more! Our exciting trip is just getting
started!
For more pictures, click here!
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