New Orleans May 25-28 2012 - now with photos

[sloopjohnc]

I start to recognize that New Orleans is one of those rare places where I can feel truly comfortable in my skin.

When I was there in early May, I heard two women on the street say, "I wonder how we can move here," which is funny because I hear that comment from time to time in San Francisco too.

[Livet]

Finally home, after a delay from hell in NO airport, and a mad dash across the length of Washington airport. But we made it & so did our luggage.

Glad you finally made it home. My flight went well, but getting up at 4 am was rough and I was very out of sorts yesterday. Back at work today and busy, but hopefully I'll get to my pictures and some tales tonight.

I really had a fantastic time!

[Sambient]

I start to recognize that New Orleans is one of those rare places where I can feel truly comfortable in my skin.

When I was there in early May, I heard two women on the street say, "I wonder how we can move here," which is funny because I hear that comment from time to time in San Francisco too.

Oh we were doing that let's-move-here thing, to be sure.
There's much to be said for finding that there are places that you just feel right. Those places that you feel that who you are isn't being made to feel like you're too different or wrong. Sometimes those places are geographical, sometimes it's another crucial factor of environment that makes you feel that being yourself truly is okay. Even good.

[Walk In My Shadow]

Great pic's and travelogue so far, Sam. Keep 'em coming.

N.O. Is my fave city too. Austin a close second.

[Witchypoo]

We get home with 2 cases full of mucky clothes in urgent need of washing. Stick a load in the washer, which promptly breaks down.
So one new washer later............................




TBH the washer had been on it's last legs for a while, I'm amazed it lasted so long, but I really didn't need this on top of jet lag. Le sigh.

[Minnie the Minx]

We get home with 2 cases full of mucky clothes in urgent need of washing. Stick a load in the washer, which promptly breaks down.
So one new washer later............................




TBH the washer had been on it's last legs for a while, I'm amazed it lasted so long, but I really didn't need this on top of jet lag. Le sigh.

Oh no!

[Nolamike]

mucky clothes

Well, after hearing what I heard while sitting on the porch Sunday night, I can understand why Whore's clothes would be mucky.

[Sambient]

Ooh, bad luck on the washer. I've been attacking the same thing myself today.


---
Thursday - cont'd
Early evening Livet arrives to join the assembled at our table in the courtyard. Another happy reunion for me.
A particular Rita advantage is how tuned in she is to the foodie murmurs, and often she has places in mind. Cochon/Butcher was on her radar for the evening. And it was also something Nolamike had mentioned. Seemed closer on the map, but as we arrived, Daddy Longlegs and I noticed the Ugly Dog Saloon, that was on our radar because according to the Pinball Finder app, it has a pinball machine, was right across the street. Cochon was bustling so we were informed of a 15 minute wait. Thus did the pinball seeking duo scamper across the intersection to down Abita drafts and have a Riverboat Gambler machine deep throat our coins in rapid succession.

Turns out that Cochon was accurate in reporting the waiting time, so Martin is sent to collect us.
Overall, timing was working out very well. Mike picked us up at the hotel to take us to the Hi Ho Lounge for Stooges Brass Band. Because we're a little bit early for things to be kicking off, he wants to try to take us to Ernie K Doe's Mother-In-Law Lounge for one drink first, but an endless frieght train bisecting the area keeps us away. An attempt was made at another happening spot, but that seemed boarded up like it's been out of business. Mike assured us that wasn't the case, it was just too early. So we just start off at the Hi Ho Lounge, where we're amongst the first in the little joint and get to claim a bit of the bar for a little while. Mike asked where the booths had gotten to and it was pointed out that they'd been put outside along the facing street, where the outside version of the scene would be happening throughout the night. Right where the outdoor barbecue was smelling so delicious.
The soundcheck blistered. High pitched female sounds of delight were coming from the band only area backstage. Turns out it was the birthday celebration of the brickhouse in the red dress and tiara in attendence, and she'd surrounded herself with friends for the evening.
First set and it was everything Mike said it would be. Not being on the dancefloor, I content myself with just grooving in place where I was in front of Joe. One piece had an ongoing keyboard riff that made it seem like it bordered on prog. I'd agree, except for the fact that I'd been able to dance to it.
First of the sets is done and the crowd spills outside. Rita, Denise and Martin decide they're ready to cab it back to the hotel. Mike offers to take them and return for us, luck sends a cab while they're walking to the Mikemobile so he joins us as we're outside checking that part of the scene out.
Second set is even more loose, with additional members floating in and out of the set, even a boy child who was maybe all of ten or twelve, tops. The room is looser too and I'm pleased to find I'm not the only cougar there devoted to the beat and dancing with no shame. College boy looking types are all a-grin and dancing. It was an amazing scene. Every now and then an announcement is made to warn people who parked in the "neutral zone", the wide grassy median running the middle of the street, that they needed to move their cars. No one wants to get towed so the place empties a little more each time this announcement is made.
Mike declares he's got to turn in, it is a work day for him tomorrow. He drops us off leaving his participation for the next evening as an uncertainty. Just a request to be kept in the loop.

[Sambient]

Friday
Rum tour! The Erin Rose is the meeting place for our van. One of the many little bars that just feels good, not obnoxious. Martin and Denise arrive first, then the two of us, then Rita. The music that's been chosen on the jukebox is more BCB friendly. Iggy Pop's Nightclubbing gets me grinning.
Our tour guide collects us. Turns out the driver is also going to be our guide. He herds us in, picks up a few more people, then we're off. He tells us we will be given a cool drink when we arrive. Already a great start. The drink is iced sweet tea with spiced rum. This is a fantastic combination. The tour is entertaining. At one point when it's explained that the proof winds up getting all the way up to 185 during the process, I blurt out "And we're going to taste that, right?". As it turns out, later on we did. Just pure blinding, but palatable, hooch. After the tour we are led back to the entrance/gift shop/bar where we get to taste each of their current offerings. Which also happen to be available to purchase. The Gingeroo, one of their more recent ventures, makes everybody happy. Several of these are purchased by our crew. The Spiced Rum seems to be the other hit. Joe & I also have a few bottles shipped home. While we all got to satisfy ourselves about the 10 year old rum so rare that you can only purchase it at the distillery, the rum that survived Katrina, none of us felt that inclinded to own it. Nor did we like it a great deal.
Back in the French Quarter we wind up dispersing. I've ducked into an antiques store with Longlegs after sighting a gold ring with two dragons and a jade cabochon. Alas, prohibitively priced. And didn't fit the correct finger to be the significant ring it would be meant to be. Too big, and too ornate to be sized.
Our thoughts turn to food. We're standing on Iberville when I see Acme Oyster House. I don't know, it's just talking to me. And there's another oyster place on the other side of the street. Longlegs wishes jambalaya (no, that's not an euphemism), so I attack the Yelp app only to be given the place we're closest to anyway with a healthy star rating: Acme Oyster House. The fact that there's a small line outside during an off-peak hour seems daunting, but we're in soon enough. Seated at the shucking bar, which is the best place to be. We've ordered a few non-oyster things but then the couple seated to our left is delivered a dish reeking of savory garlic and cheese. What's that? We'll have one of those too.
Broiled oysters.

Damn. Everything was good. I mean really good. We go from rating it as a top ten experience shared to each agreeing that it might apply to our individual lifetime top ten meals.

The evening has the first bottle of Gingeroo consumed promptly at poolside.


Livet orders a pizza from the hotel bar, so we linger at our courtyard table for awhile.


We finish a second bottle of Gingeroo




We don't have a set plan for the night, so we wander in the direction of Frenchman Street.

One of the things I'm possibly thinking is that it would be a blast to get a six-pack and board one of the carriage tours. I'm imagining that the Friday Night French Quarter traffic might make it a slower process, getting us a little more ride for our money. We walk past to get to Frenchman, where there's a chunk of music venues. Nothing calls us in specifically. It's a weird time of evening where the bands that played the early evening set will be wrapping up and another act not due to come on for some time. We do notice the Stooges Brass Band is appearing, but we'd just seen them the night before. We hit a gourmet popsicle place Livet had enjoyed earlier in the day as well. And then we find ourselves back to the collection of carriages outside Jackson Square. It's toward the end of their day, but at least one guy has a little hustle, suggesting a carriage ride. "Got room for five?" Sure, get on board.
This is the action that gets me to badly injur a toe at a New Orleans jolly for the second time in a row. At least I'm consistent. And, having such a good time I don't realize how bad it is until much later.
Our guide is a riot. Fiesty fucker who is as much on about his mules as he is about explaining the sights. And it seems that he's just as inclined to give history regarding restaurants and which celeb bought which house as he is the actual history of the city. There's times I look at Livet and that megawatt smile of hers is even broader than usual. This is a piss. I fail to notice what Joe has, that our guide is also nipping from his hip flask.
After the ride we stay admiring the mules and talking more. We wind up calling it an early night. After all, the jolly proper is the next day. And the swamp tour.

[Sambient]

Saturday - The Swamp Tour
Had we realized we'd turn in early on Friday, we would have done fine to select the earlier round of swamp tour. Instead the morning had us each wandering about. I'd dressed merely to go down and grab some breakfast only to find our room was being cleaned when we returned. So Longlegs and I did the French Market, trying to score a few souvenirs. Livet did a run to one of the cemetaries.
Got back to the hotel with just enough time for a quick rinse before our tour. Sure, it's a swamp. But the bus to get there is an up close personal experience.
Our shuttle operator is giving some of the Katrina insight as we ride, including passing around a photo book. Some of the things that had struck me when we'd made this trip four years ago were still standing out, like the abandoned Six Flags amusement park. Though this time I couldn't help admire that maybe those rollercoasters etc were built out of some pretty strong stuff that they remained intact.
Because it is Saturday, the tour site is quite crowded. We exhale when we learn that the party with the crying toddlers that were in the waiting area near us were not going to be on the same boat with us.
And then we hit the bayou.
Hotdogs on a long stick can bring a young gater our way.














We've little hotdogs left when we find El Guapo, but we still get some show out of him.




Alas, unlike the gater in Disney's The Princess and the Frog, this one did not play trumpet.




We'd already decided on Maspero's on our return to town, opting to have our shuttle driver release us at Jackson Square. We were delivered directly alongside Maspero's where we waited outside. I was too fascinated by the family of albinos in front of us and no one would take the dollar I was offering to whoever would ask them if they were related to Edgar Winter.
After Maspero's Daddy Longlegs and I did our second assault on Lousiana Music Factory, where we'd already made enough of an impression that one of the guy's there said "Oh no, not you again!" as Joe crossed the threshhold.

[Sambient]

Saturday evening
After Longlegs and I close down Louisiana Music Factory for the day, I've decided to catch a short nap in advance. Daddy Longlegs goes poolside in order to not be fidgety in our small room. Livet finds him there, with ukulele, playing one of his default tunes. "You don't play that around Sam, do you?" she advises against. When he comes back to our room to get the ice tea that will be our mixer with the spiced rum he relates the story. "You were playing something from the Grease soundtrack, weren't you?" I ask.

The spiced rum goes away in iced tea. For a moment there it seemed that we'd still have some and I invited Mike to stop into the hotel before we all set out to catch Kermit Ruffins at the Rock 'n' Bowl. The bottle was empty though when he arrived. Sorry about that, Mike.


Off to the grand scale venue. Where the Hi Ho Lounge was intimate, this was a great expanse of dancehall/bar/bowling alley.

We're not there long before the band starts up. Sometimes someone will pick up and utilize a hula hoop in the audience, including the owner.






Kermit Ruffins whole band is sizzling hot. They're doing largely pandering stuff, but doing it so damn well. Kermit changes the lyric in The Sunny Side Of The Street from "rich as Rockafeller" to "rich as John Blanchard'. John Blanchard turns out to be the owner and he's allowed to do a song, mostly spoken, while removing his shirt (for what would merely be the first time for the evening). A lovely young lady is brought onstage to do vocals on a few numbers. Meanwhile, we'd been watching one hapless figure dance and realized it was an unannounced BCBer, making the rounds. I decided that I needed to dance with him at some point in the night. And just when I went to look around for him, there he was, right next to me. When I finished my dance with him (others have the evidence and I'll leave the reveal until then), Mike put another beer in my hand declaring that I'd earned it. I admit I didn't suffer that dance alone, Livet was with me. I also had Livet join me up front for a little bit of Iko Iko.
Between sets we claimed a picnic bench alongside the dancefloor. It was just such a great scene and show of characters. The band did a second set. One of my favorite parts of the equasion was the drummer who though drunk was flawless. Supernatural. A bucket of beer got delivered to side of his drum kit, though it was mostly Kermit who seemed to be tapping those. Maybe Mr. Ruffins was in the brew, but he was one hell of a performer. Mike announced he was turning into a pumkin, but the out-of-town BCBers stuck it out. I seem to recall getting it in my head at some point that I was going to try to wrangle a free shirt out of the owner. The next time he went on stage to do another tune/shirt removal, I implored from the audience that he should give me his shirt (it was the blue and black bowling style one, one of the high ticket items). He did not.
At the end of the set, Kermit announced he'd meet everybody at the bar. We saw another group of folks getting their picture taken with Kermit, so we followed suit.
This is one from Daddy Longlegs' camera.

Kermit Ruffins was very charming and lingered to chat with me. He serenaded me with a line of I Can See Clearly Now, which was unfortunate because that was one of the weakest tunes of the night, but who am I to refuse a bit of lyric aimed at me. Or was it my glasses?

[Sambient]

Pinching another one from Longlegs. This was before the swamp tour, because you just have to have your pic taken in front of the sign.

[Sambient]

Sunday

Soooo, Joe and I wound up at Acme Oyster House again for an early lunch. You know, just to make sure that the good meal wasn't just a fluke.
It wasn't. But I was becoming increasingly aware as we were out on the street that I might not be built to go the distance for the day. It was already too hot. I started questioning how I'd do the second line thing. I mean, I'd pushed it hard the night before. Had gotten to the point where I insisted on no more liquor because it wouldn't be a good idea. So I opted out while the other foursome headed forth.
A few hours later I get a text from Joe

Hi Love. Currently on foot in the "real" part of town. Solo. Waiting on a cab.

Turns out the first site published was incorrect, so while the others turned back, Joe decided to saunter on and experience. He almost met up with Nolamike.
He never did get a cab. Some folks had told him cabs don't usually come there when called. Walking and a trolley brought him back to me, overheated and sore of foot.
We made our way to Mike's via a hotel-hailed taxi.


Where he didn't hear us imploring to come in.


Rita seemed prepared to jump the fence to the yard, or at least get offered a boost over the top, but I host was able to be summoned via a phone call.






The watermelon punch, the boudrain, are two things I'm sorry to have experienced, because now where am I going to have them again before I get back to NOLA?

Mike and Meredith have one of those houses just right to make anyone envious. And Meredith's interior decorator skills are sublime.
Though in an expecting way, watching Meredith move about it was no wonder that she's in a troupe. She's got a dancer's grace. She was entertaining her parents while we were there, but Joe & I did get a chance to speak with her some. Definitely someone I'd spend more time getting to know.
And Chitlin was very charming too.






We were afraid that the table top didn't look properly jolly up enough, so I swung the iphone in Witchypoo's direction.


As the evening rolled on, we were conciencious that Rita had the earliest departure the next day, so a cab was called.

Several times.
After the fourth time we wound up out on the steps, Daddy Longlegs took out his uke, sure that would make the taxi come. It did not. But Mike didn't want to invoke the wrath of his new neighbors, so he piled us into the Mikemobile once more and delivered us to our hotel.

[Sambient]

Ah, there we go! Full picture of all the attendees, proper.
Saturday night.

L-R:
yellowjacket, Livet, Corporate Whore, Witchypoo, Nolamike, Sambient, Daddy Longlegs

[sloopjohnc]

Ah, there we go! Full picture of all the attendees, proper.
Saturday night.

L-R:
yellowjacket, Livet, Corporate Whore, Witchypoo, Nolamike, Sambient, Daddy Longlegs

Looks like Kim Fowley's shorter, fatter brother on the left.

[Six String]

Thanks for the blow-by-blow account Sam. I wish I had been able to attend.

[Corporate whore]

Great write up Sam,

My photos to follow on Friday, as I was summoned to our Solihull office for the week (sigh).

[Jeemo]

Great stuff Sam

[Belle Lettre]

Fabulous. Sigh..

[Thee Sulko Snotty Chops]

Fabulous. Sigh..

Indeed.
Looks and sounds like y'all really made the rounds.
We had a great Memorial Day weekend here, but I know what it means to miss New Orleans.