We woke up at 9:30, because yesterday basically wrote a contract with the sandman. So we got up and walked out the door, phones in a plastic bag to offset the torrential downpour that had been foreseen by the local and global weather Shamans (I looked it up- that is the proper plural form). We somehow avoided any rain whatsoever all day. Right through 11:30pm. Yeah.
Back to the day: We left by 10:30, and immediately retraced last night's footsteps, in order to compare nighttime and daytime perspectives. Also to buy some AA batteries for the small camera we had (inside the plastic bag, of course). We stumbled upon the old New Orleans Mint museum, and walked around the free downstairs exhibit for a bit, seeing old calculators and weigh stations and presses used for the 1800's coins. The museum curator, or assistant, or guard, or whatever he was handed us a pamphlet before we entered about drug awareness and told us "Here's the exhibit, upstairs is a drug awareness bit, and- oh, yeah- Don't do drugs!" The pamphlet was all about New Orleans' drug problem and what they were doing to fight it. The upstairs exhibit was a monument to lost locals and the drug war, and was filled with a lot of very scary information.
We walked out and found the French Market, where I bought a flask for my whiskey, and Chrissie found lots of fun vendors to browse. We somehow passed up the chance to eat deep-fried corn on the cob.... I'm pretty upset about that, actually. We had lunch at a tourist trap that delivered good beer and great Shrimp and Catfish Po'boys, all while a brilliant jazz troupe played to us under the covered patio while the rain fell. After that we walked out to the river to see the water, and I got totally hustled by a shoe shiner. He tried to tell me his service was worth 20 bucks, but I gave him $5. I'm still not convinced it was worth it.
After walking that far, we returned to the Inn to shower and dress for dinner. I'll let Chrissie handle the rest.
Chrissie reporting-
We drove to Uptown for drinks and dinner, which seems to be a less touristy area of New Orleans. First we went to The Bulldog. I found this place especially for Mike, because it had about 50 different beers on tap. And it was so worth it! We sat around for a while and spoke with the bartenders, Mike may have even found a venue for Oceanbeast in December.
Then we walked around Uptown, taking in the area. We stopped at another bar called Rendezvous. Afterwards, we were starved so we went to a small, local restaurant called Joey K's. I had yet ANOTHER po' boy, and Mike had braised lamb with collard greens and the best new potatoes. The kitchen was closing so we had to order FAST. I think I may have put too much hot sauce on my po' boy, but it was still yummy.
After our dinner, we drove over to the last stop of the night, Le Bon Temps Roule. Now, only True Blood fans may know this, but Bon Temps is the fictional town where the show is set. Mike and I had a bet, he thought the town was a real place in Louisiana, I didn't. It wasn't (ha! I was right! woo!). But, there is a bar by the same name. So we HAD to go there (even though we think True Blood is kinda cheesy). It was a cool place, very local, very laid back.
Let me also mention this. Right before our trip I purchased/got a free Ipod Touch. It has been so helpful! I've downloaded a bunch of applications! One of my favorites so far is the Happy Hour app. It tells us our location, what restaurants nearby have specials, and how to get there. And it's free! Really great ... Also, I've been using the Gas Buddy application, which tells us what gas station in our area has the cheapest gas price. So far we've spent less than $100 each day, except maybe today ...
Tomorrow we're headed to Austin, TX. On our way, just an hour southwest of New Orleans, we're gonna drive through Lafayette, LA and the cajun area. Very excited for that.
Until next time :)
Picture update 7/8/2010:
you can shine Converse tennie boppers?
ReplyDeleteThey were actually Nike Deltas. And yes, they lookd much better. Not really a shining as much as a cleaning.
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of that city.
ReplyDelete