Weekend in New Orleans with Mom Day 3

Another full day ahead of us, we picked up Brenda and headed for our Katrina tour. We were pleased and surprised to see that Joe (from the Cocktail tour) was our guide. We drove through New Orleans- seeing the Convention Center, the Superdome, the Lakeview area, Gentilly (where most of the deaths occurred), New Orleans East, St Bernard’s Parish and the Lower 9th Ward. In the Lower 9th Ward, we saw the hordes of volunteers working on Musicians Village.

Katrina facts:
* Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural disaster in U.S. history -90,000 square miles were damaged.
* 1 ½ million people were evacuated from the city of New Orleans. The 50 mile trip to Baton Rouge took over 12 hours.
* Over 5000 children were separated from their parents when they were evacuated from the Superdome and Convention Center
* 1800 people died, 400 died and have still not been identified, 500 people are still missing
* 85% of the city was destroyed. Most of the damage in the French Quarter was wind damage. * More than 300,000 homes were lost, over 300,00 cars were destroyed
* More than 300,000 people have not returned
* 60-65% of the city still doesn’t have electricity or water Note: “You loot, you die”
* Most of the hospitals are not re-opening. Most will be demolished. Today the city only has about 500 beds.
* There were 22 breaks in the levees, 26 pumps burned out
* The Corp of Engineers levees- walls of steel collapsed.
* During the hurricane, the lake backed up into the canals.
* Water levels in some places reached 30-40 feet. The watermarks on the buildings show where the water settled

* The water stayed for 3 ½ - 4 weeks. In St. Bernard’s parish, the water was 20 feet for a month. People were literally cutting through their roofs to escape the incoming water.
* FEMA – “Fix Everything My Ass”
* The ‘X’ drawn on the house detailed the date the house was examined, the state of the investigators, the number found dead in the house and an indication if they got into the house (NE=no entry)
* Until November, the entire city was evacuated.

* The Federal Government- after George’s “whatever it takes” speech- is still requiring the state of Louisiana to pay the first 10% of the recovery before they will pay anything. The 10% requirement was waived for the 9/11 tragedy.
* Lake Ponchatrain is 40 miles long by 24 miles wide, but only 15 feet deep. The bridge crossing the lake (24 miles) is the longest in the world.

Other miscellaneous facts:
* Brad and Angelina just bought a house in the French Quarter for $3.75 million at 421 Governor Nichols.
* The Mississippi River- flows through 31 states and 3 Canadian provinces.
* New Orleans is 80 miles from the Gulf of Mexico
* New Orleans is:
2nd largest port in the U.S., the 4th largest in the world
#1 port for steel, copper, coffee and rubber
#1 producer of off-shore natural gas
Provides 35% of the energy in the U.S.
* 1900 square miles of wetlands have disappeared since 1930.
* Only 1% of the royalty for offshore oil is given back to Louisiana. Other states get 30-50% back

With Tour #1 behind us, we had an hour before our next tour. So, Brenda treated us to lunch at Petunia’s. We had crawfish etouffe and had a piece of Brenda’s po-boy. MMmmm!
We had one last tour and said our good-byes to Brenda Ann and waited for our guide for the Culinary Tour.

The Culinary Tour of the French Quarter
After our lunch at Petunia’s, we weren’t prepared for a 2 hour tasting tour. We met at Antoine’s and walked for our first tasting—to Petunia’s! We tried their shrimp gumbo.

Across the street is the Hermann-Grima House (820 St. Louis Street), built in 1831, a Federal mansion. The courtyard houses the only horse stable and functional outdoor kitchen in the French Quarter. We got a tour of the various rooms used for cooking and the original tools of the trade.

We had another tour of Antoine’s. Another bit of trivia—appetizer came from the “Americans” distaste for the French word, hors d’oeuvres. Originally called “Appetite Teasers”, it was shortened to “Appetizer”.

Across the street, we stopped at Leah’s Pralines for a taste of pralines and pecan brittle.

We walked by Brennan’s (famous for Bananas Foster), K-Pauls (first Cajun restaurant started by Paul Prudhomme). We learned about the Cajun’s “Holy Trinity”- celery, onions and green peppers- used as a starter with their roux. At Le Bouchere, we stopped for a cannoli.

Then, back at the Napoleon House, we got a Pimm’s Cup and a mini muffaletta. A bit more walking and we were back at Tujagues, for a beef brisket with creole sauce (creole sauce- ketchup, creole mustard, horseradish and garlic powder) and a Sazerac.

Our last stop was at Café du Monde to see how beignets are made.

With aching feet and legs – and very full stomachs, we decided to spend our last evening at the Marriott- relaxing in our room with our bottle of wine.

The next day, we were off….time to return the rental car and head back to Florida. We had our last coffee and beignets at the airport before boarding the plane. On our 60 person flight, wouldn’t you know that the spot security check picked out Mom as “the probable terrorist” and pulled her out of line to do a full body search!

Weekend in New Orleans with Mom Day 2

Breakfast in the Garden District at Bluebird Café- huevos rancheros and migas. We tried to get the recipe- but no luck.

Our Garden District tour started at 11:00. We were the only ones on the tour. Our guide, Lloyd Sensat, told us that, since Katrina, this was typical for their tours. We walked the streets of the Garden District, seeing the homes of Archie Manning, Ann Rice, Nicholas Cage and hearing tales of the Formosa termite which is eating everything in sight- wood, asphalt…

Our last stop was Lafayette Cemetery. Since New Orleans is at sea level, the bodies are buried above ground and with limited space, the “year and a day rule” applies. Bodies are put in the crypt for a year and a day. After that time, the crypts are opened, the ashes are swept to the bottom of the crypt, making room for the next body.

Brenda arrived in the city and invited us to her gorgeous room at Harrah’s for a glass of wine and a look at the view of the Mississippi. From there, we drove to the French Quarter, parked the car and started exploring. We had a drink on the balcony of Muriel’s overlooking Jackson Square. We were the only people on the balcony and had a wonderful view of the street scene below.

After two glasses of wine, we decided to stop at Café du Monde for a café au lait and a beignet (pronounced “ben-yay”).

Very messy, but very good.

After walking through the French Market, we made a quick stop to see Pat O’Briens and their famous “Hurricane” in the courtyard bar.

We hit the streets again, walking to the Hotel Monteleone hoping to see the Carousel Bar, but it was being renovated and was closed to the public. More walking down Royal Street to find Mona Lisa Pizza. On the way, we saw a huge gathering of people at a little café, Amelie. It was a book signing for a new book on the gardens of the French Quarter. With Brenda in the lead, we decided to crash the party and get ourselves a glass of champagne. Brenda not only got us the champagne, but introduced herself to the head of the French Quarter owners association. With the brass band playing, we headed back for our quest to find the Mona Lisa.

Finally, on the 1200 block, we found Mona Lisa Pizza (1212 Royal Street). We got a bottle of wine and a Mona Lisa Special covered with Pepperoni, Italian sausage, Ham, Onions, Mushrooms, Green Peppers, Black Olives and Jalapenos.

The long walk back to the car and Brenda convinced us to stop for 30 minutes of gambling at Harrah’s (parking is free with 30 minutes of play). So, after losing $20 in the penny slots, we headed back to the hotel and collapsed! What a day!

Weekend in New Orleans with Mom Day 1

A 4 AM alarm and Mom and I were on the road by 5:10. Saturday morning traffic was blissfully light. We made it to the Park and Fly (only getting a bit lost once), dropped off the car and were shuttled to the airport. We got there with a lot of time to spare so we got a cup of coffee and enjoyed our cranberry bread. Finally, we were on our Delta commuter jet (a 60 person jet) with a flight attendant who looked like she came from high school and talked like an alien. No one had ever told her to A R T I C U L A T E and S P E A K C L E A R L Y. We couldn’t understand a word she said!

At the NOLA airport, we got our car – a bright red Chrysler Cavalier with Florida plates. We drove Uptown and took a quick tour of the area. Then, it was off to Domilise’s for a shrimp po-boy.

(Note-What makes a po-boy special is the bread. A po-boy isn't a po-boy unless it's made with good quality, fresh French bread. New Orleans French bread has a crunchy crust with a very light center. The loaves are about 3' in length, and are about 3-4" wide. Today, the German bakery, Leidenheimer's, makes this “French bread”).

We found our way to the Marriott and had a short wait while our room was being cleaned. We sat in the lobby bar and watched the parade of fashions in a wedding party group. We were thrilled to find our room- on the 40th floor.

We stopped by Jackson Square to see the place where George W. promised to do “whatever it takes” to bring New Orleans back. We barely had time to get our bearing and it was time for our first tour.

The Cocktail Tour
Joe Gendusa, our tour guide, started our tour with a bit of history of New Orleans.

Quick facts:

• In 1874 Southern Comfort was invented in New Orleans.


• The tallest building in the city is 51 stories high- and has an additional 21 stories below ground for support.


• 19 months after Katrina, 65% of the city is still without electricity
  The French named the streets of the French Quarter- alternating saints (Saint Ann Street..) with sinners (the names of the bastard children of the King).


• The original French city was burned to the ground. The only remaining French building is the old Urseline Convent. The architecture of the Quarter comes from the Spanish.
  

Our first stop was the Napoleon House. The building's first occupant, Nicholas Girod, was mayor of New Orleans from 1812 to 1815. He offered his residence to Napoleon in 1821 as a refuge during his exile. Napoleon never made it, but the name stuck, and since then, the Napoleon House has become one of the most famous bars in America, a haunt for artists and writers throughout most of the 20th century.

Their signature drink is the “Pimms Cup”. Created in 1840 in England, Pimm's still claims to be "made to James Pimm's original recipe, a closely guarded secret known only to six people." What a summer cooler!

Pimm’s Cup: Fill a tall 12 oz glass with ice. Add 1 1/4 oz. Pimm's #1 and 3 oz lemonade.Then top off with 7up.Garnish with cucumber

Just down the street is the Pharmacy Museum. About 165 years ago, an apothecary (druggist) named Antoine A. Peychaud created the first cocktail. In his shop, he dispensed his own special potion of “bitters” (adopted from an old family secret- good for anything that ails you) mixed in with French cognac. He served it to his friends (French) in the courtyard of his French Quarter business. He served it in a crockery double ended egg cup called a “coquetier” (Kak-kuh-tyay). The Americans mispronounced the French word- and the “cocktail” was created.

Sazerac, the original cocktail is made of ¼ oz. simple syrup (tsp. sugar), 3 dashes Angostura Bitters, 4 Dashers Peychaud Bitters, 1 ¼ oz. Rye Whiskey. Place in mixing glass and stir until cold. Strain into 8 oz. tumbler lined with a few drops of absinthe. Add lemon twist.

“As you sip it, you come across layer after layer of flavor -- the warmth and glowing burn of the rye, effused with the flavors of spice and honey, the bite of the bitters balanced with the sweetness of the sugar, with the subtle yet complex flavor of the anise underneath and the perfume of the lemon oil from the twist feel like a symphony inside your mouth. This is also a drink that warms up well, revealing even more flavors. Sip it very slowly. Savor it. Take your time with it.”

Then, it was on to Antoine’s (713 St. Louis Street), the oldest continually operated family restaurant, opened in 1840. The current family is the 7th generation. Their claim to fame is the invention of “Oysters Rockefeller”.

The front room of the restaurant is primarily for tourists. In the back are the Rex Room (for the Krewe Rex)

The Proteus Room (For the Proteus Krewe)

The 165 foot wine cellar with over 30,000 bottles

The Mystery Room (where alcohol was served during Prohibition – guests entered through a door in the ladies room) and the room for the Escargot Club (the table is always set for 12. The all male members can invite a guest- once in their lifetime).

From there, we headed to the Court of Two Sisters and saw the beautiful wisteria covered courtyard. Known for their buffet brunch and their signature cocktails. We tried a “Bayou Bash”.

At Pirate’s Alley Café, Mom tried a “Green Fairy”, a concoction made with absinthe (130 proof). In 1911 absinthe was outlawed. Called by many names, mixed with gin, it’s “The Obituary Cocktail”, mixed with champagne, it’s “Death in the Afternoon” and mixed with vodka, it’s a “Russian Funeral”. The ban was lifted in 1985, but it’s still not legal to buy the liquor in the U.S. Somehow, the New Orleans bars circumvent the ban.

The Green Fairy is made by pouring absinthe over a sugar cube balanced on a slotted spoon over a tall glass. It’s followed by water poured over the sugar cube. The cube is then burned and crushed into the drink. A chemical reaction ensues- causing what appears to be fairies flying through the green liquid.

Note: Absinthe is a strong-herbal liquor distilled with wormwood and anise. It can contain other aromatic herbs like star anise, anise seed, fennel, licorice, hyssop, veronica, lemon balm, angelica root, dittany, coriander, juniper, and nutmeg.

Our final stop was Tujagues, the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans(1856). They invented the grasshopper. Originally an all men’s bar, there were no chairs. The men stood at the bar (and, not wanting to lose their place at the bar, would pee into the trough under the bar). Today, the bar is still the haunt of locals. The restaurant offers a fixed price menu- starting with shrimp remoulade, soup (gumbo or chowder), beef brisket, 4 choices of entrée, dessert and coffee. We tried a “Woodland Plantation Punch” (way too sweet) and ordered a gumbo for dinner.

British Invasion Continued....

On Wednesday, it was time to head back to Florida. We did our traditional stop at Leisure Tyme in Pensacola, got our minor maintenance done and saw a bit of Pensacola. Jean and I earned big points for a morning at the National Naval Aviation Museum. With 150 restored aircraft and over 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Aviation, it was quite a challenge to stay interested while the boys wandered through this huge museum.

On Thursday, we left Pensacola, late- and didn’t get into Rock Crusher Canyon in Crystal River, Florida until dark. It was our first time parking the coach in pitch blackness. Without hand signals, I was at a loss as to how to direct John to back in the coach into our tiny site. I’m sure we woke up a few neighbors with our less than quiet directions.

After the excitement of Mardi Gras and the Cajuns, Crystal River was a wonderful break from all the action. Jean and Gordon got to experience our winter life in Florida- lunch at Margarita’s with HUGE margaritas and great fresh fish, Sunday afternoon in Homosassa at the biker bar.

And with a few days to recoup, we convinced Gordon to make his famous curry. (Jean and I did the laundry – and came back with an extra pair of men’s undies. We passed them back and forth- thinking they belonged to John or Gordon – then realized that we had picked up someone else’s briefs.

While we were shopping, the guys decided to get creative. This is what we were greeted with when we arrived back home!)

On Monday, we left Crystal River, heading towards Sanibel Island. We stopped for lunch in Tarpon Springs and wandered through the harbor-side tourist area, picking up tacky tourist trinkets and having a great Greek lunch at Mykonos.
After two weeks of living together in our 350 square foot motorhome, we thought we’d arrived in heaven when we got to Sanibel. Lani and Rich, John’s oldest and dearest friend, recently moved from their ocean front home in Half Moon Baby, California to a gorgeous home in Sanibel. They also have a condo right on the water that they use for guests and for rental. They offered us this three bedroom bit of heaven and we moved right in. Within minutes, the Brits were off walking the waterfront, checking out the pelicans and, of course, Jean got her bit of sunshine.

We joined Rich for a tour of Sanibel and Captiva Islands. We saw the effects of Hurricane Charley (2004). Captiva had only recently reopened – three years after the storm. We had lunch at the Mucky Duck and then met at Rich and Lani’s house for wine and cheese and a gorgeous sunset on the beach. Then it was back to their house for a wonderful Lani dinner. Oh, and we got to meet Burly, their new golden retriever “puppy”, for the first time.

The following day, we explored Sanibel and took the tour of the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge This 7,000 acre mangrove estuary is home to over 200 species of birds, alligators, raccoons…. The 5 miles drive through the park was gorgeous.

After lunch at the Hungry Heron (the biggest menu in the world!), we made a stop at the Sanibel supermarket to pick up fixin’s for our dinner - Shrimp fettucine a la Gordon.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back- to the Orlando airport for Jean and Gordon and back to Rock Crusher for us.

The British Invasion!!

The Brits are back! Jean and Gordon arrived in Orlando and they had enough time to get settled in the motorhome with us, down a few margaritas and we were off for our Mardi Gras Adventure. On Thursday, we got into Mobile and managed to find the Baptist Church Parking lot where Charlie and his group of American Coach friends were parked for the Mobile Mardi Gras. Leave it to Charlie to find a spot directly on the parade route. We were the “SOB’s” of the group (“Some other brand”) –the only non-American Coach in the party. But, we were welcomed nonetheless and invited to a feast in the parking lot before the parade.

This was Jean and Gordon’s first Mardi Gras experience and we were doing it all. Mobile actually claims to be the first city in America to celebrate Mardi Gras and has a full 2 ½ weeks of parades and festivities. We managed to collect a huge trash bag full of beads, stuffed animals and moon pies (those southern treats of chocolate covered marshmallow graham crackers).

The next day we were off, slowly making our way through the tight downtown streets of Mobile and on to Rayne, Louisiana for the Cruisin Cajun Mardi Gras Rally.

On Friday, the Brits finally met the Cajuns and it was a match made in heaven. The accents (on either side) didn’t seem to inhibit the conversations and before long, we had both Jean and Gordon out on the dance floor. Since Jean was turning 60 this summer, we decided to do a little pre-birthday party for her at the Friday night dance. She was the center of attention at the Cajun Birthday tradition – first, the birthday girl is seated on a chair in the center of the dance floor while all the men dance around her singing Happy Birthday. Then, she has to dance with each and every one of them.

On Saturday, the Cajuns have their own Mardi Gras Parade, complete with floats and beads. We took our trash bag of treasures from Mobile and donated to the cause. That night, we were all decked out for the Mardi Gras ball. Even the guys wore their “Mardi Gras” ties.

With their first rally under their belts, we headed to John and Brenda’s to experience life on the bayou. The parties continued. On Monday, John and Brenda gathered the group to explore the area. We saw the cemetery where Brenda’s parents are buried, then stopped at Lake Verrett to get a little local color. The little bar by the boat launch was filled with characters. Brenda introduced us to “Blob” (everyone in Cajun country has nicknames). He entertained us with stories, had us howling with his story about bringing an alligator into the bar and sitting down with his new “friend” to have a few drinks.

After seeing Mobile’s version of Mardi Gras, we had to experience John and Brenda’s New Orleans version. We headed out early, bedecked in beads, for the French Quarter. After finding a parking spot, we followed Brenda (always in the lead!) for a stroll through the Quarter. An obligatory stop at Pat O’s (Pat O’Briens) courtyard for a early morning drink. The Brits tried their first “Hurricane”, while we opted for Bloody Mary’s. After years of Mardi Gras celebrations, John and Brenda have had their fill of the traditional Mardi Gras parades. So, our next stop was to get our place at the “Bourbon Street Awards”- the gay costume contest – and the best place to be on Fat Tuesday. The costumes were absolutely amazing! We particularly loved the “Mermaids”. On our way back to the car, we met up with one of them and he invited us to their Mardi Gras ball next year! The Mardi Gras experience was something to behold. The costumes (and, in some cases, the lack of costumes – people who simply “painted” their costumes on) were fantastic. But, as the parades ended, the streets started to swell with drunken revelers and it was time for us to head back home.