We'd made a plan to drive south to the Everglades for an air-boat tour, aiming to set off early for the 2 3/4 hour drive, although Stefan estimated around 2 hours to get there. This failed more or less immediately with us struggling out of the trap for around 11.
It was a lovely drive down the gulf coast and baking hot as we pulled into airboat station, situated in about 200 sq. miles of privately owned swampland, the advantage being is that they'd set it up as a one way 'track', so no danger of hitting other boats and being able to MAX the craft across the water. The engine incidentally was a 500BHP 496 cubic inch (whatever that means) V8, meaning that maxing certainly provided a lot of thrills in our half empty boat, with the culmination in a big lake of a full throttle 360 turn. Great stuff.
The tour lasted for around 3/4 hour, unfortunately not seeing any 'gators, but plenty of other wildlife (jumping mullet, coots, moorhens and so forth) and unusual flora - principally mangroves, but a large variety. Great experience.
After the tour, we got back on the road north and stopped off for some grub - pretty standard fare (and large), but also allowed for the sampling of margheritas excepting driver B. Following this, three of us were feeling fairly tired and emotional and had a gentle snooze while our driver bore us peacefully to our destination. Upon regaining consciousness, our driver excitedly commented that she'd seen some racoons along the way that were alive and not roadkill.
Tea was planned, but we were all still so full from the afternoon lunch that it was impossible.
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Tampa - 4/2/13
The Day After The Superbowl.
It's amazing that anything happens at all in this country after superbowl sunday, as I'm sure 90% of people would have got completely wrecked. That's certainly how it felt anyway!
Today we went to St. Petersburg, home to the Dali museum. This was very interesting and made me aware of something that I was not previously: his surrealism period for which he is best known in pop culture, only lasted a few short years before he fell out with the 'organisers' of the surrealist movement. I suspect that this falling out came about at a similar time that Dali got together with his future wife & muse Gala, at the time the wife of Paul Eluard, one of the founders of surrealism.
The exhibition was excellent - he started painting at the age of 12 with his early work being very colourful and impressionist in nature. The gallery was organised in a rough linear time with a clear progression of skill and his interests, finishing up with his masterworks that around 4 meters in height and 2 1/2 wide each taking maybe a year to complete. The one technique that did re-occur throughout his middle-later work was the optical illusion - making a larger picture become apparent from lots of smaller images cleverly combined together and often only obvious when standing 20 feet away or more. A talented chap.
After this, we went for a walk in St. Petersburg, having been told that it was a place for little independants & boutiques. There were a few open, and a lot of galleries & art supply shops, but also mostly closed - no doubt due to the rigours of the previous evening.
That evening, we'd been promised a trip to Bern's Steak House. Stefan told us that all the meat that they sell there is reared on their ranch; the cutlery and cooking steel is made specifically by them for the restaurant by their steel shop down the road. All the fresh produce is also grown on their farm and all staff are apprenticed on the ranch/farm for about 4 years before they are allowed in the restaurant. This trip sounded pretty attractive. Valet service for the car with the main reception being fabulously opulent: you can always tell when somewhere is posh, pricey and good - as it's full of the well-heeled older generation.
Sitting down, cocktails were ordered and were given menus. The wine menu was about 1cm thick - all held in their cellar, as they are also famed for having over 5000 different wines, ports, brandies, sherries, you name it. In their collection is the only 2 surviving ports from 1870 in the world ($400/1 1/2 ounce measure). The steak menu (A4 sized) could only be called absolute. Any (decent) cut in sizes from 8oz to 64oz (for a party) could be ordered, and the price included a french onion soup starter, house-made onion rings, carrots, spinach and incongruously, a baked spud. B and I opted for Rib Eye, Stefan for a specially aged fillet and Joy the same. We ordered a side of creamed spinach (which wasn't as good as the Austin steak house's as it goes, but still great). Included in the menu was extensive description of how they prepared the different cuts of meat, the thicknesses and recommended cooking time. Unbelievable.
The steak was fabulous. Really, the nicest that any of us had ever eaten, with the exception of Stefan who had been there before.
After the meal, the restaurant has this scheme where they escort your party around the kitchens, which was also excellent; Stefan had arranged a special visit to the meat locker (not even the manager gets to go in there) as he knew one of the head chefs - the smell hits you first, a delicious aroma of curing meat, categorised and aging - a rough (conservative?) guess of the value in the meat there was maybe $20,000. Following the kitchen tour was a wine cellar tour - all fully temperature controlled, neatly labelled and ordered, and while being in a few rooms, we were informed that it was barely 1/5th of their entire collection. A very serious operation.
After the tour, we went upstairs for dessert. Yes, they have a dessert floor, with individual booths (complete with closing doors and period entertainment system with modern internals). B had an aged port (not the 1870 one though!) and enjoyed it very much.
All in all a thoroughly entertaining experience and surprisingly cheap, considering. Despite the excellence of the food, I think it worked out to roughly $70/head - putting the final nail in the utterly feeble coffin presented by Scammo's back in SF. Bern's was a very impressive place, and would definitely put it as number 1 place to eat for steak when we come back.
Tampa - 3/2/13
Superbowl Sunday! The game was starting at 6.30 EST, but the buildup had already started by 9am.
Attempted Daily Eats again - similar wait time today, but there was no rush so we waited. The place lived up to expectations and everything was awesome.
Back to the apartment and spent a few hours chilling (after all the driving that we'd been doing we were bent on taking it easy for a few days!) before driving to Stefan's friend's place for the Main Event.
Got there to find a table laden with food, to which we added our own, and a stacked fridge. US fridges being what they are though, there was plenty of room for our own booze and the other 20 people's that also arrived.
The game started to a packed couch, so I hovered around, standing up until about half an hour into the 1st Qtr (length: 15 minutes), when the couch emptied somewhat. Surprised, I swiftly took a place directly in front of the tv and didn't move for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, everyone else was moving around, standing in the kitchen chatting - for such a huge buildup there seemed remarkably little interest and we (B&I ) came to the conclusion that the superbowl was just an excuse to have a party. No arguments from us though!
At half time, the Baltimore Ravens were trouncing the San Francisco 49rs, and Beyonce appeared for the half time show along with Destiny's Child. Apparently the rumours of a reunion are true, I'm reliably informed by my pop gossip (B). As the game restarted, the 49rs were in need of some heavy scoring immediately but the Ravens had other ideas and executed a 109 yard running return, a superbowl record. Shortly afterwards, half the power to the stadium went out, causing a stoppage. Conspiracy theories abounded about the 49rs paying off someone or other to remove the Ravens' momentum; whatever the reason, the momentum was lost, as the 49rs scored 17 points within about 2 1/2 minutes of game time putting them in the position of needing just 1 touchdown for victory. What was seeming like a whitewash turned into a nailbiter - the final 49rs pass into the endzone which would have netted them the trophy for the 6th time in the last minute of game time was fumbled (or interfered with according to 49rs fans!) leaving the Ravens victorious. And there was much rejoicing. (Not at our party though).
B also discovered a new fave drink, called Reddes. This is an cider ale, actually very tasty.
Attempted Daily Eats again - similar wait time today, but there was no rush so we waited. The place lived up to expectations and everything was awesome.
Back to the apartment and spent a few hours chilling (after all the driving that we'd been doing we were bent on taking it easy for a few days!) before driving to Stefan's friend's place for the Main Event.
Got there to find a table laden with food, to which we added our own, and a stacked fridge. US fridges being what they are though, there was plenty of room for our own booze and the other 20 people's that also arrived.
The game started to a packed couch, so I hovered around, standing up until about half an hour into the 1st Qtr (length: 15 minutes), when the couch emptied somewhat. Surprised, I swiftly took a place directly in front of the tv and didn't move for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, everyone else was moving around, standing in the kitchen chatting - for such a huge buildup there seemed remarkably little interest and we (B&I ) came to the conclusion that the superbowl was just an excuse to have a party. No arguments from us though!
At half time, the Baltimore Ravens were trouncing the San Francisco 49rs, and Beyonce appeared for the half time show along with Destiny's Child. Apparently the rumours of a reunion are true, I'm reliably informed by my pop gossip (B). As the game restarted, the 49rs were in need of some heavy scoring immediately but the Ravens had other ideas and executed a 109 yard running return, a superbowl record. Shortly afterwards, half the power to the stadium went out, causing a stoppage. Conspiracy theories abounded about the 49rs paying off someone or other to remove the Ravens' momentum; whatever the reason, the momentum was lost, as the 49rs scored 17 points within about 2 1/2 minutes of game time putting them in the position of needing just 1 touchdown for victory. What was seeming like a whitewash turned into a nailbiter - the final 49rs pass into the endzone which would have netted them the trophy for the 6th time in the last minute of game time was fumbled (or interfered with according to 49rs fans!) leaving the Ravens victorious. And there was much rejoicing. (Not at our party though).
B also discovered a new fave drink, called Reddes. This is an cider ale, actually very tasty.
Tampa - 2/2/13
Had a lazy morning. We were taken to a place called 'Daily Eats' - were promised that it was an incredible breakfast/all day place. However, Joy had to work, and the waiting list was too long, so back home Stefan made us bacon & eggs which were delicious. Duly sated, B went shopping in the early afternoon and I did... not a great deal actually. It was great!
When B returned, we were chatting about what to do and Stefan mentioned that there was a big ice hockey match that evening - Tampa Bay Lightning Vs New York Rangers. I was pretty keen on this, as we'd failed to see hockey when we were in Canada; however it was touch and go as to whether there would be any tickets available but we got some for $50 apiece. The seats themselves were as far from the rink as possible: right in the back top row, although this wasn't a bad thing in my opinion as we got to see the entire stadium and rink with no problems at all. The Bolts (Tampa) scored first, but eventually succumbed to the Rangers at 3-2.
I was glad I'd finally got to see a hockey game - the basic rules are pretty easy to grasp, with the minutiae to cover special cases not particularly important to know for the evening. Great fun!
When B returned, we were chatting about what to do and Stefan mentioned that there was a big ice hockey match that evening - Tampa Bay Lightning Vs New York Rangers. I was pretty keen on this, as we'd failed to see hockey when we were in Canada; however it was touch and go as to whether there would be any tickets available but we got some for $50 apiece. The seats themselves were as far from the rink as possible: right in the back top row, although this wasn't a bad thing in my opinion as we got to see the entire stadium and rink with no problems at all. The Bolts (Tampa) scored first, but eventually succumbed to the Rangers at 3-2.
I was glad I'd finally got to see a hockey game - the basic rules are pretty easy to grasp, with the minutiae to cover special cases not particularly important to know for the evening. Great fun!
New Orleans - Tampa - 1/2/13
Had to get up early - this one was going to be a big one! Nearly 700 miles in one day was necessary. On the road by 8, and reached Tampa about 11 hours later, 8 pm. The extra hour came from moving through another time zone.
Pretty tired, but the drive had been relatively easy; Arrived at Stefan's house and went out for dinner with his and his g/f Joy, picked up some beers on the way home and went to bed soon afterwards.
9 1/2 hours - 659 miles!
View New Orleans - Tampa in a larger map
Pretty tired, but the drive had been relatively easy; Arrived at Stefan's house and went out for dinner with his and his g/f Joy, picked up some beers on the way home and went to bed soon afterwards.
9 1/2 hours - 659 miles!
View New Orleans - Tampa in a larger map
New Orleans - 31/1/13
Out in time to get to our meeting spot for the swamp tour pickup. The bus driver was called Rene (Rennay? not sure), and while on the 3/4 hour journey to the tour base, he was pointing out the damage of Katrina, and the rebuildilng that was still ongoing. Plenty of derelict building lots, boarded up houses and even one theme park in the distance, rusting slowly. He explained that how after Katrina hit, there were people who couldn't come back, or didn't want to due to family members and friends who had been lost in the disaster. He made you realise - whilst you might be aware of the city's circumstances - how much of it is based on reclaimed land and swamp, and how hard it must be to return to the place that was the scene of so much devastation.
Arriving at the swamp tour, we were introduced to our guide, Captain Bishop. He took us on an interesting tour of the swamp, obviously looking for 'gators', but saw lots of other wildlife such as tree snakes, wild feral pigs, turtles sunning themselves, blue herons, egrets & a red tailed hawk. After much speeding around the byways, again with an explanation as to how Katrina had changed the shape and course of the river & swamp area (filling in some areas, blowing out others, house boat & ship wreckage etc.), we eventually located some alligators. This was Bishop's 'secret' place for seeing 'gators, and we weren't disappointed. This is currently gator hibernation season as the water is still a bit cold for them - however, as it was a sunny day, we did see some sitting on logs warming up.
It is illegal to hunt alligators, unless you have a licence. The licencing works by allocating tags to people that may want them, with one tag to be used per 'gator caught - this way the numbers can be regulated in a manageable manner. The tags are apparently allocated on a lottery basis - however we did get the inkling of the political nature of tag assignment, as our guide said it always seemed to be the same people who got the tags! No change there then.
The whole tour was really good fun, and Bishop was a great guide with lots of knowledge of the flora & fauna - unsurprising as it turned out he lived in the more populated area of the swamps, with his own jetty, boat etc. all of his life. Getting back to NO around 3.30, we decided to try crawfish (boiled and in etouffe) & alligator as recommended by our Captain at a particular restaurant, entertained as seems the norm here, by a live band with a 2 hour slot. The area was starting to fill up with the superbowl crowds, but still not that busy, but you could see glimmerings of the chaos to come. [Crawfish are more or less mini lobsters, about as long as your thumb, and fiddly to eat and boiled with bay leaves which is abundant in the swamps. Although they tasted ok, the bays overpowered the flavour.]
After lunch, we checked out Cafe Du Monde, a place famous for their beignets. These are almost exactly the same as doughnuts, but in a pillow shape, and covered in icing sugar. Whilst eating these, we meandered back home absorbing the atmosphere and got home around 5pm. Beignets, while celebrated around here, weren't that exciting. They were nice, but not necessary to get from Cafe Du Monde in particular we think - european bakeries all produce cakes that are far nicer.
That evening, we walked back to Frenchman street to check out 'The Spotted Cat' which had been recommended for its music by the tourist information guy. Next door to it, there was a local craft market still open (8pm) that we had a quick wander around before popping into the Spotted Cat. Inside the Cat, there was a 3 piece playing - but we weren't really feeling this, and soon after sitting down, they finished for a break. Just across the road was Cafe Negril, so scooted over and into the old favourite. If somewhere that you visited once 2 days before could be considered 'old', that is. For those of you who watch the HBO show 'Treme', you might (or not) be excited to know that in Negril was Davis (Steve Zahn) checking out the band and eating tacos. Ordering tacos ourselves, we sat down with a beer to enjoy the 7 piece, who did not disappoint. It was getting late-ish by this point, so we left to walk home, as tomorrow was an early start and a mammoth drive.
Arriving at the swamp tour, we were introduced to our guide, Captain Bishop. He took us on an interesting tour of the swamp, obviously looking for 'gators', but saw lots of other wildlife such as tree snakes, wild feral pigs, turtles sunning themselves, blue herons, egrets & a red tailed hawk. After much speeding around the byways, again with an explanation as to how Katrina had changed the shape and course of the river & swamp area (filling in some areas, blowing out others, house boat & ship wreckage etc.), we eventually located some alligators. This was Bishop's 'secret' place for seeing 'gators, and we weren't disappointed. This is currently gator hibernation season as the water is still a bit cold for them - however, as it was a sunny day, we did see some sitting on logs warming up.
It is illegal to hunt alligators, unless you have a licence. The licencing works by allocating tags to people that may want them, with one tag to be used per 'gator caught - this way the numbers can be regulated in a manageable manner. The tags are apparently allocated on a lottery basis - however we did get the inkling of the political nature of tag assignment, as our guide said it always seemed to be the same people who got the tags! No change there then.
The whole tour was really good fun, and Bishop was a great guide with lots of knowledge of the flora & fauna - unsurprising as it turned out he lived in the more populated area of the swamps, with his own jetty, boat etc. all of his life. Getting back to NO around 3.30, we decided to try crawfish (boiled and in etouffe) & alligator as recommended by our Captain at a particular restaurant, entertained as seems the norm here, by a live band with a 2 hour slot. The area was starting to fill up with the superbowl crowds, but still not that busy, but you could see glimmerings of the chaos to come. [Crawfish are more or less mini lobsters, about as long as your thumb, and fiddly to eat and boiled with bay leaves which is abundant in the swamps. Although they tasted ok, the bays overpowered the flavour.]
After lunch, we checked out Cafe Du Monde, a place famous for their beignets. These are almost exactly the same as doughnuts, but in a pillow shape, and covered in icing sugar. Whilst eating these, we meandered back home absorbing the atmosphere and got home around 5pm. Beignets, while celebrated around here, weren't that exciting. They were nice, but not necessary to get from Cafe Du Monde in particular we think - european bakeries all produce cakes that are far nicer.
That evening, we walked back to Frenchman street to check out 'The Spotted Cat' which had been recommended for its music by the tourist information guy. Next door to it, there was a local craft market still open (8pm) that we had a quick wander around before popping into the Spotted Cat. Inside the Cat, there was a 3 piece playing - but we weren't really feeling this, and soon after sitting down, they finished for a break. Just across the road was Cafe Negril, so scooted over and into the old favourite. If somewhere that you visited once 2 days before could be considered 'old', that is. For those of you who watch the HBO show 'Treme', you might (or not) be excited to know that in Negril was Davis (Steve Zahn) checking out the band and eating tacos. Ordering tacos ourselves, we sat down with a beer to enjoy the 7 piece, who did not disappoint. It was getting late-ish by this point, so we left to walk home, as tomorrow was an early start and a mammoth drive.
New Orleans - 30/1/13
Made it to the cookery school about 20 minutes before it started - no hardship, as it was located in a spice shop, so plenty to look at.
We were called in by name by order of booking. We were the last called, and our host/cook for the next few hours introduced herself - Anne, born and bred (white)NO. She gave us a quick precis of the culinary history of NO. While this was happening, an entree of what the American's call 'biscuits' - a scone basically. Accompanying this was a sweet sauce, made from molasses and brown sugar - similar to Ruebenkraut if you know it.
The next three hours were spent learning how to cook gumbo, jambalya, pina colada bread pudding & pralines. Included, of course, was being able to sample all this delicious food. This being the US, 'sample' was more than adequate and we left full. Well worth $29! The next half hour was spent in the shop for 2 reasons - presents and because it was raining heavily.
Back out onto Decateur, we went for a walk through the French Market, which is at one end of the FQ, close to the quay, followed by catching the tram along the waterfront to Canal Street. This last road is the centre of the commercial area of NO - big store names, hotels etc.
Walking back to the flat, still feeling full for a bit of a rest. Again, eating and shopping can get quite tiring.
Around 6 we walked back into FQ and popped into Lafitte's on the way past - me with Kentucky bourbon and B with Jack & coke. Great atmosphere inside, and had the look of a really old English pub - open, crooked beams, exposed brick walls etc. Then we aimed for Mr. B's, a restaurent recommended by Anne for the best BBQ shrimp in town. While we didn't try any other BBQ shrimp, I'd be surprised if anything got close to these, as they were absolutely fantastic. Whole prawns (that needed shelling + bibs) in a roux-based pepper and bbq sauce, together with french bread to mop up the liquid, washed down with more jack and coke & bourbon.
Finished our food and jumped in a cab to the Candle Light Lounge around 8; this turned out to be about 2 hours too early, but never mind. Cover charge (entry fee) was $10, but this also included a bowl of gumbo or two if you got peckish. This place was the NO version of a social club - run for the community by the community - unpretentious and friendly.
The Treme brass band were excellent - the band leader said it approximately 1/3 of the full band (6 on stage), and treated us to a rendition of the theme tune from the HB show 'Treme'. Seeing as it was the same guys who played it on that show, it was pretty damn good, as was it all. The lead singer had a voice as gravelly as Luis Armstrong, and just as good in our opinions. B did a lot of dancing and was chuffed to bits when complimented on dancing by an old black lady. Sent her home with a grin on her face.
We were called in by name by order of booking. We were the last called, and our host/cook for the next few hours introduced herself - Anne, born and bred (white)NO. She gave us a quick precis of the culinary history of NO. While this was happening, an entree of what the American's call 'biscuits' - a scone basically. Accompanying this was a sweet sauce, made from molasses and brown sugar - similar to Ruebenkraut if you know it.
The next three hours were spent learning how to cook gumbo, jambalya, pina colada bread pudding & pralines. Included, of course, was being able to sample all this delicious food. This being the US, 'sample' was more than adequate and we left full. Well worth $29! The next half hour was spent in the shop for 2 reasons - presents and because it was raining heavily.
Back out onto Decateur, we went for a walk through the French Market, which is at one end of the FQ, close to the quay, followed by catching the tram along the waterfront to Canal Street. This last road is the centre of the commercial area of NO - big store names, hotels etc.
Walking back to the flat, still feeling full for a bit of a rest. Again, eating and shopping can get quite tiring.
Around 6 we walked back into FQ and popped into Lafitte's on the way past - me with Kentucky bourbon and B with Jack & coke. Great atmosphere inside, and had the look of a really old English pub - open, crooked beams, exposed brick walls etc. Then we aimed for Mr. B's, a restaurent recommended by Anne for the best BBQ shrimp in town. While we didn't try any other BBQ shrimp, I'd be surprised if anything got close to these, as they were absolutely fantastic. Whole prawns (that needed shelling + bibs) in a roux-based pepper and bbq sauce, together with french bread to mop up the liquid, washed down with more jack and coke & bourbon.
Finished our food and jumped in a cab to the Candle Light Lounge around 8; this turned out to be about 2 hours too early, but never mind. Cover charge (entry fee) was $10, but this also included a bowl of gumbo or two if you got peckish. This place was the NO version of a social club - run for the community by the community - unpretentious and friendly.
The Treme brass band were excellent - the band leader said it approximately 1/3 of the full band (6 on stage), and treated us to a rendition of the theme tune from the HB show 'Treme'. Seeing as it was the same guys who played it on that show, it was pretty damn good, as was it all. The lead singer had a voice as gravelly as Luis Armstrong, and just as good in our opinions. B did a lot of dancing and was chuffed to bits when complimented on dancing by an old black lady. Sent her home with a grin on her face.
New Orleans - 29/1/13
Up late(ish) for breakfast, which had been laid out for us by David. While having breakfast (provided by the owners, which included a delicious fresh blueberry loaf), David came in to tell us of some things that were going on in and around NO in the next few days. Whilst B was chatting to him, he told how Katrina had affected them - 4 feet of water in their bottom floor, so they moved somewhere else for 6 months while the house was getting sorted and upon return, chose to live upstairs. The house had originally been 2 apartments, so there were 2 kitchens, bathrooms, living spaces etc so it was easy to do; once they'd realised that they could live upstairs with no problems, it was a small step to use the bottom floor for AirB'n'B - great for guests!
After breakfast we headed for the French Quarter. This was no more than 15 minutes walk away down St. Philip's street through Treme. On the way we stopped at a house that had a plaque outside; the house it was referring to was the first one to be owned by a 'Free Man of Colour' (f.m.c.) in NO, meaning that that person wasn't a slave. As we were reading, the owner of the house, Alvin Jackson, noticed and came to talk to us about what we were reading on the plaque. He then invited us into his house before giving us an informal history lesson about the neighbourhood and the free people of colour, explained through paintings on his dining room wall that he had commissioned for the purpose. It turned out that Al had travelled a lot, and lived in Europe while in the army & his German was pretty good! We spent about an hour there, and just before we left, he suggested that we visit the 'Candle Light Lounge' just around the corner which hosted the Treme Brass Band on the Wednesday (David had suggested it as well).
Saying goodbye, we resumed the walk to the FQ. Soon after crossing the boundary into the FQ, we passed Lafitte's, a bar that Ory had said was the oldest in NO. Certainly looked that way as well, since it was made of brick (unusual around here) and leaning at a crazy angle. Next up was Bourbon Street - the most famous in NO with tons of bars, and then found Royal Street. This was more of an 'art' street - every other shop seemed to be a gallery. B purchased a lovely Mardi Gras print, which had been painted by a local artist called Mousie, it was a limited print numbered out of 200. At this point we felt the first hunger pangs and enquiries directed us to 'The Praline Connection'. This was on Frenchman Street where most of the non-touristy Jazz bars were located (if that is at all possible).
First up: Gumbo! This is effectively a thick soup with a 'Roux' base. The roux is made from flour, water and spices. Then pretty much anything else is chucked in, depending on what you want - spicy sausage, seafood, veg, rice etc. B had an 'Etouffe' - a stew with chicken and rice and I had a shrimp 'Po-Boys'. A po-boys is a sandwich made with crispy bread, similar to a baguette. I was expecting something light, but no. It was huge. Fully half a baguette with battered prawns, veg and fries. I asked for a sweet tea, but asked for the sweetness to be toned down a bit - the lady said she did, but it was still eye-wincingly sweet. It would have been undrinkable (for me) in it's fully sweetened form. All in all, perfect for our first taste of NO cuisine.
Suitably fed (actually, completely stuffed). Moseyed back into the centre of the FQ via 'Decatour Street' to the tourist info and booked a swamp tour ($49), then back to Royal for more window shopping. Arriving back at the house around 6 to take some time planning for the next day. It was supposed to rain so were looking for indoors-y things to do. Found a NO cooking school - offering cooking demonstrations (and tastings obviously!) which had spaces. After booking this we got a cab to Frenchman Street (still being unsure of the the neighbourhood after dark) and ended up in a place called Cafe Negril ('Open 363 days per year'). This was a great place - food at the back (tacos), stage in the centre and the bar against the back wall. Shortly after we arrived there was a band change, John Lisi and the Delta Funk. These guys were awesome. Good enough, in fact, for me to buy 3 albums after a short negotiation for bulk purchase.
Still being pretty full from lunch, we had a couple of tacos just to top us off, freshly made, hot and delicious. Made it home around midnight. Got the impression that the bar was only just getting going.
After breakfast we headed for the French Quarter. This was no more than 15 minutes walk away down St. Philip's street through Treme. On the way we stopped at a house that had a plaque outside; the house it was referring to was the first one to be owned by a 'Free Man of Colour' (f.m.c.) in NO, meaning that that person wasn't a slave. As we were reading, the owner of the house, Alvin Jackson, noticed and came to talk to us about what we were reading on the plaque. He then invited us into his house before giving us an informal history lesson about the neighbourhood and the free people of colour, explained through paintings on his dining room wall that he had commissioned for the purpose. It turned out that Al had travelled a lot, and lived in Europe while in the army & his German was pretty good! We spent about an hour there, and just before we left, he suggested that we visit the 'Candle Light Lounge' just around the corner which hosted the Treme Brass Band on the Wednesday (David had suggested it as well).
Saying goodbye, we resumed the walk to the FQ. Soon after crossing the boundary into the FQ, we passed Lafitte's, a bar that Ory had said was the oldest in NO. Certainly looked that way as well, since it was made of brick (unusual around here) and leaning at a crazy angle. Next up was Bourbon Street - the most famous in NO with tons of bars, and then found Royal Street. This was more of an 'art' street - every other shop seemed to be a gallery. B purchased a lovely Mardi Gras print, which had been painted by a local artist called Mousie, it was a limited print numbered out of 200. At this point we felt the first hunger pangs and enquiries directed us to 'The Praline Connection'. This was on Frenchman Street where most of the non-touristy Jazz bars were located (if that is at all possible).
First up: Gumbo! This is effectively a thick soup with a 'Roux' base. The roux is made from flour, water and spices. Then pretty much anything else is chucked in, depending on what you want - spicy sausage, seafood, veg, rice etc. B had an 'Etouffe' - a stew with chicken and rice and I had a shrimp 'Po-Boys'. A po-boys is a sandwich made with crispy bread, similar to a baguette. I was expecting something light, but no. It was huge. Fully half a baguette with battered prawns, veg and fries. I asked for a sweet tea, but asked for the sweetness to be toned down a bit - the lady said she did, but it was still eye-wincingly sweet. It would have been undrinkable (for me) in it's fully sweetened form. All in all, perfect for our first taste of NO cuisine.
Suitably fed (actually, completely stuffed). Moseyed back into the centre of the FQ via 'Decatour Street' to the tourist info and booked a swamp tour ($49), then back to Royal for more window shopping. Arriving back at the house around 6 to take some time planning for the next day. It was supposed to rain so were looking for indoors-y things to do. Found a NO cooking school - offering cooking demonstrations (and tastings obviously!) which had spaces. After booking this we got a cab to Frenchman Street (still being unsure of the the neighbourhood after dark) and ended up in a place called Cafe Negril ('Open 363 days per year'). This was a great place - food at the back (tacos), stage in the centre and the bar against the back wall. Shortly after we arrived there was a band change, John Lisi and the Delta Funk. These guys were awesome. Good enough, in fact, for me to buy 3 albums after a short negotiation for bulk purchase.
Still being pretty full from lunch, we had a couple of tacos just to top us off, freshly made, hot and delicious. Made it home around midnight. Got the impression that the bar was only just getting going.
Houston - New Orleans - 28/1/13
On the road by 9.30, destination New Orleans (pron. New OR-lins). The landscape was much different to what we were used to - now mostly swampland - but we soon got used to it again. There wasn't the sense of such a vast landscape as there has been up until now because the freeway/interstates have thick trees either side, opposed to nothing until the horizon as has been hitherto true. Occasionally there was a break in the tree line and *then* you could see water, trees leading into swamp for miles.
Nearing New Or-lins, there was a bridge built into swampland. We were on this bridge for what must have been 3/4 hour, probably nigh-on 60 miles. Then another, of similar length which led onto the southern edge of Lake Pontchatrain. Across the water, could see another bridge that is apparently the lowest in the world - can't be much more than a few feet above the surface of the lake.
Finding our accommodation in NO was more or less straight forward - we were staying in Treme, the oldest Black neighbourhood in the US - but what was pretty hard was the whole network of one way systems around there - we could see the road that we needed, but couldn't get to it.
The house was beautiful. It was owned by an older gay couple who had owned the place for 15 years, and filled it with artwork and sculptures. What we originally thought was a room, turned out to be pretty much the ground floor (bedroom, bathroom, big kitchen and living room) - they had got into the habit of living on the top floor, leaving the ground floor for guests. Great value.
David (one half of the couple) was a great host, gave us a map of the centre, and lots of numbers/ideas of places to visit/eat etc. He said Mardi Gras had started the previous week, but was currently on hold for the Superbowl. Mardi Gras would restart on Monday - how annoying!
We were both pretty tired, so decided not to do a great deal, get some sleep in readiness to explore the city tomorrow.
5 1/2 hours - 347 miles.
View Houston - New Orleans in a larger map
Nearing New Or-lins, there was a bridge built into swampland. We were on this bridge for what must have been 3/4 hour, probably nigh-on 60 miles. Then another, of similar length which led onto the southern edge of Lake Pontchatrain. Across the water, could see another bridge that is apparently the lowest in the world - can't be much more than a few feet above the surface of the lake.
Finding our accommodation in NO was more or less straight forward - we were staying in Treme, the oldest Black neighbourhood in the US - but what was pretty hard was the whole network of one way systems around there - we could see the road that we needed, but couldn't get to it.
The house was beautiful. It was owned by an older gay couple who had owned the place for 15 years, and filled it with artwork and sculptures. What we originally thought was a room, turned out to be pretty much the ground floor (bedroom, bathroom, big kitchen and living room) - they had got into the habit of living on the top floor, leaving the ground floor for guests. Great value.
David (one half of the couple) was a great host, gave us a map of the centre, and lots of numbers/ideas of places to visit/eat etc. He said Mardi Gras had started the previous week, but was currently on hold for the Superbowl. Mardi Gras would restart on Monday - how annoying!
We were both pretty tired, so decided not to do a great deal, get some sleep in readiness to explore the city tomorrow.
5 1/2 hours - 347 miles.
View Houston - New Orleans in a larger map
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