Images of beads, jazz musicians and crazies danced in our heads as we packed up our 2000 Honda CR-V yet again, and headed west to Austin, TX. As the roads stretched out and the sun went down, these images started to get replaced with picturesque family ranches and oil rigs that reminded us of old movies we’ve seen. As we got closer to Austin, we began to be inundated with music stores and music references.
… Here is a 3 minute time-lapse of our 8.5 hour drive from NOLA to SOLA (New Orleans, LA to South Lamar neighborhood in Austin, TX).
[Song featured in video: Rock This Town by the Stray Cats. Buy it here.]
The rain began. We ducked in and out of shops and bars during some of the downpours. We fancied new hats from a haberdashery, ordered the infamous Hurricane’s at Pat O’Briens, shared a table at Coop’s Place with 2 men from Houston, and found refuge at a quaint bar in Napoleon’s.
Keeping up with our tour of haunts, we went to Muriel’s and inquired about the Séance Lounge. I had heard they keep a table set for their resident ghost, Antoine. They let us up to the Séance Lounge, and again – we found ourselves all alone in a haunted place. I guess it is open anytime to people who ask about it, but they only officially open it up for private parties. The decor was amazing and it proved to be a lavish little escape from the rain for the two of us. We didn’t get a visit from Antoine the Ghost, but I did say goodbye to him when we left.
After getting ridiculously soaked on our way home, we took a break to rest and dry off. The rain finally subsided. That night, I donned a pink wig and we popped over to Bourbon Street to check out Lafitte’s, the oldest bar in New Orleans, that is lit only by candlelight. We decided to get out of the tourist-laden French Quarter and took a pedicab over to the French Marigny district to see how some of the locals celebrated Mardi Gras. Eric got another dish of big, curly shrimp at Marigny Brasserie. We peeked in at the live music coming from the Spotted Cat and The Blue Nile, and we caught some musicians playing on the street. We even spotted a Wolfman playing the violin.
We called it an early night, because we had to be back on the road by morning.
Well, Mardi Gras – We came, we saw, we ate, we partied, we jazzed, we beaded up, we conquered!
We put on our walking shoes, because New Orleans is a town of exploration that requires a lot of footwork. Stopping at the beaded staircase of the neighbor’s porch, we had a quick chat with a charming, southern gentleman sitting on his rocking chair greeting the passer-bys.
To start off our day, we went shopping at the French Market Flea Marketand I got a feather to spruce up my Mardi Gras look.
We waited in long line and Eric sampled a local favorite: a muffaletta. It is a sandwich made with salami, ham, provolone, and spicy olive salad on a circular loaf of bread created by Sicilian immigrants in New Orleans. Central Grocery Company‘s sign said it was home of the muffaletta, and we figured the long line must mean that it must be really good – and it was. However, the locals might be a little disappointed that Eric brushed off most of the olive salad on his muffaletta, and that we weren’t quite brave enough to try some of the strange NOLA menu items like alligator pie.
We took a stroll by the Mississippi River, and by many shops and eateries. Eric enjoyed some local flavor with char-grilled oysters at ACME Oyster House.
We walked from one end of Bourbon Street to the other: from the residential side, through the gay bar district, through the jazz bars and all the way to the strip club district which is the part of the French Quarter known for girls flashing their boobs for beads. Contrary to popular belief, tourists flashing for beads only happens on these few blocks of Bourbon Street. The rest of Carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations take place throughout the city, and are of a different party vibe than the Girls Gone Wild Mardi Gras we see portrayed on TV.
Bourbon Street has many personalities, and with it comes different experiences as you walk along. We ordered Captain and Cokes at both ends of Bourbon Street, with completely different results. At Fritzel’s, we got a small glasses and were surprised by the $18 bill for the two drinks. (In their defense, there was some awesome free live jazz music.) On the seedier side of Bourbon Street at Bourbon St Blues Company, we ordered a Captain & Coke and a Miller Lite. We were given a big-gulp sized cup with 100 proof Captain’s in it and 3 beers – because beers were 3 for 1. Again, the bill came to the same $18. Wowza! The side of Bourbon Street closer to Canal Street is definitely easier on the pocketbook, and a little tougher on our livers!
We took our monstrous drinks to go and waited for a parade on Canal Street. We watched the Krewe of Hermes parade as we found ourselves slowly morphing into every other idiot at Mardi Gras – jumping around and going crazy for beads and throws.
We walked back down Bourbon and popped in and out of bars with live music. Since catching bead-fever during the parade, we begged for and caught a few beads being thrown from balconies. And because I know you are wondering – My need for beads had a limit, and I decided to keep my shirt on.
We caught Big Al, who puts on a great blues show at The Funky Pirate. One of my favorite jams from him was “Take Your Drunken Ass Home.”
It was getting late into the night, and I had a feeling we should listen to Big Al. So then we did just what he said.
Eric & I, along with our car full of luggage for 6 months of traveling, arrived in New Orleans around 5pm.
Tired from a day of driving, we eased into “Nawlins.” We practiced our attempts at a Southern drawl and added a few “y’all’s” into conversations. It backfired once when someone asked if Eric was Canadian. (Eek! Do we stick out that bad?!) Onto some eats, Eric sampled some Bubba Gump Shrimp, but I think he liked the Forrest Gump memorabilia more than he liked the meal.
We walked on Bourbon Street to get a peek at what we were in for over the next couple of nights. They’ve even got little stations with Beer To Go. Thank you open container law for making this walk a little more fun – and giving these thirtysomethings a little buzz to help take in all the chaos and imagine all the trouble we would have gotten into if we had come here when we were 21-year-olds.
We stopped in at Fritzel’s for some amazing jazz. The drinks were a little pricey, but the Fritzel’s New Orleans Jazz Band was worth it – and they only ask that you buy one drink per set. Don’t be fooled by the innocent looking piano player, because when he opens his mouth to sing, he’s got a hint of deep soul like Louis Armstrong. This was a great introduction to New Orleans.
Tired from our long drive and our introduction to The Big Easy, we headed back down to the Bend of Bourbon to sleep and rest up for all the craziness NOLA would have in store for us.
Day 44: Beaded Lamppost @ Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA 2-17-12
When my sister was in college, she took off on an impromptu New Orleans adventure. Each year in college, I had the same inkling that “one of these years I would just pick up and go to Mardi Gras” and experience this grand party of all parties that I had heard so much about. But, each time it rolled around, it seemed to catch me by surprise – and I always seemed to have a handful of excuses (er… responsibilities that couldn’t be dropped on short notice). It repeatedly got pushed off to a possibility for the next year… or the next. Until now – a little over a decade later- when I am no longer that crazier 21-year-old partying version of me, but a married thirty-something ready to finally take the Mardi Gras plunge.
This time, Mardi Gras on the calendar also caught us by surprise. We had our main stops on our road trip booked and we were looking for a place to stay to break up the drive between Savannah, Georgia and Austin, Texas. It wasn’t until we started looking at hotels and vacation rentals in New Orleans and we got that funny feeling when we saw they were all booked. A peek at the calendar confirmed that we would be stopping in New Orleans on the big Mardi Gras weekend just before Fat Tuesday, and we felt excited (and a little dumb for not realizing this sooner). It took some scavenging, but we found a great vacation rental available for the days we needed, right where Bourbon Street ends and transitions into a quiet, historic residential neighborhood. We were right at the Bend of Bourbon, as made famous by A Streetcar Named Desire. We were walking distance to the French Quarter and other districts to experience all that Mardi Gras had to show us.
Our vacation rental was a room above someone’s garage behind their house, complete with a queen bed, bathroom, mini-fridge, and microwave – everything you need for a few nights to rest up in between exploring and partying. As soon as we parked our car and our feet touched New Orleans ground, Carol (the owner) greeted us with a plethora of information on the inside scoop on the best eats and unique stops to fit in during our stay. She really helped us get the most out of our quick, few days in New Orleans. (We highly recommend this vacation rental. Click here for more info.)
At first glance, New Orleans was just like we had imagined: homes with brilliant colors, dramatic shutters, lofty balconies and a hint of Southern charm in the air. Mardi Gras added another dimension to this, with a whirl of excitement that was abuzz in the city.
Hello, Mardi Gras. We finally meet.
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–Stay tuned for a blog post on our adventures at Mardi Gras.–
After one last walk out to the beach and a dip of our toes in the Atlantic Ocean, we said goodbye to Tybee and hello to the open road. We were sad to leave, but excited for the next part of this adventure.
It was time to trade in the small-town beach life for some Mardi Gras beads, and all the craziness that comes along with it. Here is a time-lapse of our 11 hour drive from Tybee Island to New Orleans.
We drove through Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi on the way to Louisiana. The highlights of the drive: a lot of swamp, unpronounceable places like the Tchoutacabouffa River, bugs of unusual size splatting on the windshield, cheesy country songs about the Chattahoochee, an overnight stop in Marianna, FL, a cool tunnel, excitement over Louisiana being “The Pelican State” (after my newly developed admiration of pelicans), and the song “Moving Right Along” from the Muppets that we just couldn’t get out of our heads.
Time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans!
[Song featured in video: Why Don't You Go Down to New Orleans by Ingrid Lucia & The Flying Neutrinos. Buy it here.]
Three nights in New Orleans over the weekend before Mardi Gras was a great introduction to the charm and chaos of The Big Easy.
