Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! Day 4 - final day

Day 4 - November 16, 2008

Our last day in the Big Easy! We had already decided that we would do breakfast out, but we had to get up, pack our things, and get checked out first.  Got our bags loaded into our vehicle, then we were off! We strolled through the French Market again, looking at more souvenirs, even though we had decided to wait until we were on the way back to purchase anything. On our carriage tour, we had passed a restaurant called the Old Coffeepot, which our guide had given rave reviews, so we were planning to try that for breakfast/brunch. Made our way to it, but found that it was a long wait, with no place inside to get in from the cold. I am sure the food was great, but the dining area was very small, and the patio was not being used – again, too cold – and we were on a time schedule. Had a long drive ahead of us! So, we split up in search of more timely options. M and C went off to look while I waited for a while with D and S. After a bit, I went off in search of M and C, and met C heading back our way. We had passed a café on our way to the Old Coffeepot, and they were open and available to seat immediately, so that was where we decided to go – Café Pontalbo. M and C had already gotten us a table, so we were able to order before too long, and soon (at least sooner than if we had stayed at the Old Coffeepot) we were partaking of a great breakfast! Good thing, too, because I think we were all starving at this point!

After eating our fill, we headed back to the French Market to purchase some souvenirs. I don’t know what everyone got, but I bought some crazy jester hats and a small alligator skull for the boys. S got a mondo-sized alligator head for her house! It was so big it was kinda scary….ha ha! I think M got some bracelets for her girls. Someone else bought T-shirts, I think. Anyway, we each got our respective souvenirs, and headed back for a last look and picture of our wonderful Hotel de la Monnaie (thanks again to M’s parents!). I highly recommend it if you are looking for a place in New Orleans that is removed from the chaos, but still close to the heart of the French Quarter. Perfectly lovely! 

Back to the vehicle, and away we go! It was close to 1:00 which was, truthfully, earlier than I thought we would leave. But we still had a long day of driving ahead of us, so I was sort of glad to get underway. S took the wheel, and we said goodbye to New Orleans. A lovely ending to a lovely trip! Or so you might think…but the story isn’t over! 

A few hours of uneventful driving – we were noticeably more quiet on this return trip than at the beginning of our weekend. D was in the far back seat, working on a paper she had due. C and I were in the middle, and M was up front with S, helping navigate. We had the GPS on, and that might have been a mistake. Not sure. I just know we ended up on what seemed like a lot of minor roads. There has to be major interstate between New Orleans and Little Rock, but it didn’t seem that we ended up on much of it! I guess that isn’t entirely accurate, we did drive on interstate…I guess. Ha ha! All I know is that when we decided we needed to find somewhere to eat dinner, it seemed we were in the middle of nothing but little towns, with hardly any restaurant options, at least none that kept us close to our chosen route. We were trying to avoid getting too far away from the highway we needed. Finally found a little Mexican restaurant that was actually really good. Reminded me of Las Palmas in North Little Rock, but I digress. Finished eating, and got underway again. I think, at that point, M took over the wheel for a little while. 

We needed to stop for gas in short order, which we did, and everyone took a bathroom break. M wasn’t feeling well, so I took over the wheel at this point. M had been driving a little slowly for our tastes (sorry, M!!) so I sped things up a little. I still didn’t drive as fast I normally would have, but it wasn’t my vehicle, and I wasn’t familiar with the area. Didn’t want to chance a speeding ticket! And, it was starting to get dark, and I wasn’t familiar with the roads. Speaking of which…at one point we ended up on a road that I was sure was leading us to nowhere, and that was going to become a dirt road at any second! Have you seen the movie “Vacancy?” I felt like we were in some dead zone, caught between “Deliverance” and “Vacancy.” Nothing around for what seemed like miles, nothing but our paltry excuse for a road and the night. No way in h*ll I was going to stop that vehicle for anything! It was a little scary. As it turned out, I guess the GPS was taking us on some sort of cut-across to a major interstate, but I didn’t care for it! 

Whew, back on a major thoroughfare, finally! All was fine then, until we got close to our destination. I think I was on autopilot by that time and just took the direction I would normally take to go home…which, of course, wasn’t the way we needed to go! I realized it immediately and got back on going the right way. No problem. Got to the church parking lot around 10:00 that night, I think. But wait, the story doesn’t end there! We all got out and got our luggage into our respective vehicles, and M was off like a shot. Guess she was tired of us! I hung around for a bit to say goodbye, then C and I both got into our vehicles. I was just about to leave when I saw C get back out and say something to S and D. I got out to see what was wrong…her battery was dead! Thank goodness I had jumper cables, because no one else did! S pulled up in front of C’s truck, and we prepared to hook up the cables. S’s battery was weird-looking to me, and we were uncertain where to connect the leads. We were discussing it, when a young man pulled up and got out to help. We could have managed, but I was happy to let him do it! We got everything taken care of, thanked the nice young man, and each headed home. 

I had a great time, as I think did everyone else. Things didn’t go perfectly, but who wants that?? It makes the story much better to tell if there is some excitement along the way! Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! Day 3

November 15

Everyone got up, ate breakfast and was dressed and ready to go pretty early. After some discussion of what to do for the day, we decided to drive ourselves to the garden district and do a tour of the beautiful homes that line the streets. C wanted to see the home of author Anne Rice, so we made that a priority. We found it pretty easily. Anne Rice no longer lives in New Orleans, so the house is up for sale. Still, C was excited to see the house, and we got some pictures. There were lots of other great houses to see, and we got out a few times to read placards and look at things. The tree roots that line the sidewalks are enormous, and I was very intrigued by them.

While driving, we came upon one of the many cemeteries in New Orleans, and decided to get out and walk through it. I love looking at old headstones, reading the dates and trying to figure out the connections between people. The cemeteries in New Orleans are different from most I have seen, in that people are mostly buried in above-ground tombs. I vaguely knew the reason, but I did a little research to be sure. This practice is the remnant of a necessary solution to the problem of burying wooden caskets, filled with air, in an area where water could be found less than two feet below the surface. In the early days of New Orleans, it was often necessary to bore holes in the caskets, and load them with rocks and sand bags so they would stay put. Even so, a good New Orleans rain would cause some of them to pop right out of the ground. So, the practice of above-ground tombs was put into use, following the Spanish custom of using vaults, and stacking coffins one on top of the other. New Orleans burial plots quickly became known as "Cities of the Dead." But how can you bury more than one family member in each vault? How can a tomb hold all of those coffins? According to a local ordinance, as long as the previously deceased family member has been dead for at least two years, the remains of that person is moved to a specially made burial bag and put to the side or back of the vault. That coffin is then destroyed and the vault is now ready for the newly deceased family member. What happens if a family member dies within that two year time restriction? Generally, local cemeteries are equipped with temporary holding vaults and the newly deceased family member is moved into their final resting place when the time restriction is met. Pretty interesting! We saw inscriptions of dates that spanned over 100 years sometimes. Some were easy to decipher, obviously the burial place for a husband, wife, their children and their spouses, and in some cases, grandchildren. One crypt was for an orphaned boys’ home. It was sobering and sad to see so many graves of children. I said quiet thanks that I have three healthy, robust children.

After the cemetery, we drove around some more, deciding what to do. D and M wanted to drive to the outlet mall, about an hour or so away, and get a start on Christmas shopping. S, C and I weren’t really interested in shopping, so they dropped us off back at the French Quarter, and headed off to Outlet Mall Mecca. Ha ha! S, C, and I had already talked about where to eat lunch, so we headed off to find Antoine’s. According to the web site, Antoine’s was founded in 1840, is the oldest restaurant in New Orleans, and holds the distinction of also being the oldest restaurant under single-family ownership in America. An institution! The menu seemed a little pricey, but since it was lunch, we hoped it wouldn’t be too expensive.

We found Antoine’s and, though we worried about how we were dressed (very casually!), we went in. They seated us, no problem. There were only a couple of other tables occupied, and we weren’t the only ones in jeans, so we didn’t worry anymore. We decided to do another prix fixe menu, and placed our orders. I noticed that the November special included 25 cent lemondrop martinis. Of course, we had to try those! Oh. My. Heavens. Probably the most wonderful thing I consumed the entire trip!! But I cannot let the yummy drink get me sidetracked! The food was also pretty darn good. I chose a trio of soups that included Alligator soup, a bisque and a gumbo, I think. The bisque was really yummy, and the Alligator soup was very good, too. Very interesting. The alligator was ground, and had a very interesting flavor and texture. Reminded me a little bit of a mild chili. I would definitely eat it again. The gumbo was fine, but no better than gumbo I had eaten at home. Frankly, I am not clear on what else I ate. It was another trio from the prix fixe menu, and I want to say it was a crawfish cake (like a crab cake), a trout dish, and something with shrimp. I do know that it was really good. But the martinis were by far the highlight of the meal (and probably why I cannot remember what I ate)! They were sinfully delicious, and so good that it was my dessert. Or should I say, three desserts! Yes, one is normally my limit, but these were so amazing I had three!

We had read about the snooty service at Antoine’s, and we did see some of that. Our water server was rather snotty, but our regular waiter was nice, if a little slow. He seemed like someone who had probably worked there for the last 40 years, and was probably ready for retirement. He forgot a few things, but he saw to it when we gently reminded him. We did see some drama, though! A woman at the table next to us – a regular, it seemed, as she called our waiter by name – had a little altercation with one of the managers. We didn’t notice anything until a young female manager went over to the table next to us and asked what the problem was. From what we could glean, when our waiter took the lady’s credit card to run, he forgot to bring her the slip to sign. The young manager couldn’t find the slip, so she back into the kitchen and immediately begins berating our sweet little waiter in the open doorway, in front of all the customers. He seemed flustered by the whole thing, and tried to find the slip, but it was not to be found. So manager-girl goes back to the desk/register area, which is in the middle of the restaurant, and proceeds to yell across the restaurant that she needs the last four digits of the lady’s card so she can just reprint the slip. The lady then tells her that she still has her credit card, and manager-girl then argues with her about it, again from across the room. Finally she realizes that she does, indeed, still have the lady’s card, so she walks over, tosses it on to the table in from of the lady, and walks away. Not very quietly, the lady sarcastically says, “You’re welcome.” Manager-girl then says to the older manager beside her that she doesn’t know what the problem is or why the lady said that - which, of course, we all heard, including the lady at the next table. She them explains to manager-girl that it was because she was so rude in throwing her credit card on the table. Manager-girl then gets all upset and leaves the room, going in the back and complaining so loudly that we can all hear her in the front. The older manager takes a book of Antoine’s to the lady and tries to smooth things over, apologizing for the young girl. Not sure if it worked, but he at least tried to make things better. Manager-girl has a lot to learn about running a restaurant, and customer service!

We were still drinking our scrumptious martinis so, of course, we were there for the whole thing. After the lady left, manager-girl came out with a simpered smile and apologized to us along the way. She should have apologized to the lady who already left, but whatever.

We finished up our drinks and left, determined to walk off some of the food and martinis. It was quite a bit cooler on this day than previous days, and I was glad to have my leather jacket! We did some window shopping, and went into a couple of shops to make some small purchases. I bought a couple of souvenirs – chickory coffee for my husband, and an ornament for me. Whenever I travel, I try to buy an ornament for the Christmas tree as a souvenir. S bought an ornament, too, I think. There were a number of funny, off-color - waaaaaaaay off-color items that made me laugh, but nothing was appropriate for having around three boys who want to know what EVERYTHING means! So, coffee and an ornament. Good, solid, unquestionable souvenirs.

Just like Bourbon Street is a must on a trip to New Orleans, Pat O’Brien’s and a hurricane is something that must be done! We couldn’t find it at first, having gotten turned around while wandering around the streets. Finally S noticed a woman in a bright green blazer, and asked her where it was. Lo and behold, we were just a couple of doors away from it so, in we went! We entered through a carriageway with crossed muskets overhead. Not sure what they represent, but they looked cool! I meant to point them out to S and C, but I don’t think I did. It was rather cool and windy, but we sat on the patio and had our hurricanes. Just had to do it! We enjoyed our drinks and the atmosphere – lots of noisy people having a good time. In the middle of the patio is something you don’t see very often, a large water fountain with fire emerging from the top! We didn’t really notice it until we went inside and upstairs to the ladies’ room. From a window that overlooks the patio, the Flaming Fountain is hard to miss!

More walking around – all of us wearing more sensible shoes this time, of course! At some point we passed a restaurant with the most incredible aroma wafting out of it! We immediately stopped, checked out the menu and the name of the place – which I now cannot remember – and made mental note to try there for dinner. More window-shopping, people-watching, and cold. So, what else to do but find Jean LaFitte’s Blacksmith Shop?? We first heard of LaFitte’s from our carriage tour guide, and it sounded interesting. Perfect for a cold day, so off we went in search of one of the all-time favorite tourist attractions of the New Orleans French Quarter, located on the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Phillip Street. It was built sometime before 1772, and is one of the few remaining original "French architecture" structures in the French Quarter. According to tradition, the Lafitte brothers operated this blacksmith shop as a legitimate appearing business, serving as a front for their privateer enterprises. One of the brothers was the infamous Jean Lafitte, Privateer, and co-hero of the Battle of New Orleans. Apparently, he came to the aid of one “Angie” Jackson, received a presidential pardon of his privateering, and disappeared into the mist forever. Today, LaFitte’s Blacksmith Shop is a bar and grill that retains all of its Old World charm and character. Inside is dark and small, with a massive stone fireplace taking up much of the front floor. Perfect place to have an Irish coffee! Nice, and warm, just what the doctor ordered. (Oh, and just to be clear, LaFitte’s Blacksmith Shop is not to be confused with Café LaFitte in Exile, voted best gay bar by Zagat. A fine establishment, I am sure, but not the one we visited!)

Back to the streets for more walking, heading back in the direction of the condo. The afternoon was wearing away and we needed to slowly make our way back and get in touch with D and M. We had to figure out the plan for dinner which was, after all, the next important event of our day! We ended up walking back up toward Jackson Square, where there were quite a few more artists, fortuneteller and vendors out than the day before. Up to the street where the carriages wait, and looked at more of the artwork lining the sidewalk. I thought about purchasing a piece or two, but restrained myself. We noticed a large group of people gathered across the road, at a sort of pseudo-ampitheater just below what is called the Moonwalk. There were four or five men, doing some street dancing and joking with the audience. We sat down to watch and laugh at their jokes. I have to say, they were probably laughing at all of us too. We were a crowd of mostly white people, laughing at their jokes on how our contributions were going to keep them out of two places: “the poor house, and your house!” Also, the jokes about one of them not being gay – “not today!” You get the idea. But they were funny, and very talented! All kinds of hip-hop dance going on, head-spinning, jumping, etc. Toward the end, they were looking for volunteers to come down and join them. C was pointing at S, but they came and got C instead! They lined up all these people, and then went around in a dance line, and then made them get down on all fours – you can imagine the jokes then! After a couple of false starts, one of the performers took a running leap over their backs! A good finish to a fun show, and off to the condo! On the way back, we went by a restaurant called Montrel’s that had some good-looking items outside on a table. Filed it away for a potential dinner spot.

It was good to get back to the room, take off our shoes, and rest a bit. Made contact with the mall shoppers, who weren’t far away. So we settled in to wait for them, and discussed our dinner options. We got online to look up the first place, still cannot remember the name, and right on their website it said, “the tantalizing smell of the fresh garlic bread will draw you in,” or something to that effect. Had to laugh, because that is exactly what happened with us! Remember, though, it was Saturday night, and getting later. Probably hard to get in. We called anyway, to find that they only took reservations for 20% of the restaurant, and those were taken for the night. The walk-in tables were all taken, and the lady on the phone said probably a two-hour wait. Ummm, no thanks. The aroma was good, but not that good! We were getting to be some hungry women! We also looked online at Montrel’s, which got high marks for food, but not so high marks for service. We decided to chance it. D and M arrive, everyone gets dressed for dinner, and we head out the door to the streetcar. It was so convenient having it stop almost right outside the condo! Also convenient, Montrel’s was located near Jax Brewery, just outside another streetcar stop, so not a lot of walking involved to get to dinner. That was a good thing! It was cold, and we were hungry. Did I mention we were hungry? Oh, and that it was cold? Just checking.

Get to Montrel’s, the patio is empty, of course. Go through the door, the restaurant is empty, too! Looks like they are closing up shop. We went back and forth on what to do, which gave the hostess time to come over and say they would love to serve us, and please sit anywhere. D was especially reluctant, given the fact that it seemed as if all the staff had gone home and there was probably no food left, but the hostess assured us the chefs were still there and would love to serve us. So, we stayed, against D’s better judgment. Our poor waitress, it seems, had been hiding in the back, and came out to greet us with her coat on! Maybe she had already left, I don’t know. Poor thing. But we were nice to her. And the dinner turned out to be fabulous, with great service! I don’t know how much it had to do with us being the only customers there, but I had no complaints about anything. The food was great, the staff was nice and friendly, high marks from me all around. I think even D was pleasantly surprised!

Our last streetcar ride, back to the condo. We sat around chatting for a while, and again, I have to admit to dozing off. Sorry, ladies. Eleven years of sleep deprivation. What can I say? Nothing but, off to bed!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! Day 2 November 14, 2008

I got up around 6:30. M finally seemed to be sleeping, although still rather fitfully. She had taken something for the nausea, so the vomiting at least had stopped. C and I were the only ones up for a while, then we were joined by S and D an hour or so later. M got up around 8:30, groggy, looking a bit worse for the wear, but feeling a little better. We sat around talking, ate some cereal, poured some mimosas - none for M, though. Finally around 10:00, we started getting ready to venture out. It wasn't our intention to begin the day so late, but that's what happened! It seems that while we were chatting, it started raining. During the course of getting ready, it began to rain really hard! So we waited for a bit to see if it would abate, and then decided to leave. We had discussed doing some tours, but decided the swamp tour was out, as were the walking tours. We tossed around the idea of doing a carriage tour, but didn't make any set plans before we left. We all ended up with our own umbrella, which was nice because we were able to stay pretty dry. Did get splashed a couple of times by rude car drivers, but nothing terrible.

We walked across the street, past the Federal Mint Museum that was across from the condo, aptly named Hotel de la Monnaie, and window-shopped our way through the French Market (read: flea market-style setup with booths), got ideas for souvenirs to take back to our families, and then spent some time wandering down the streets, looking into the myriad shop windows, checking out restaurant menus along the way. As it was late morning, we decided to eat first. Go figure! Hard to make a choice, but we finally settled on a little corner place - Cafe Beignet. This was a little cafe, where you place your order at the counter, seat yourselves, and they bring your order out. Nothing fancy, to say the least. But still good fare. I had a ham and cheese croissant with a cafe au lait. The food was very good- but the service. OY! The attitude that came rolling off the woman who took our orders...I have grounded my children for far less attitude than she was dishing out, no pun intended!

C and I had already placed our orders and went to wait for our food. C had put two tables together to accommodate the five of us, and immediately the woman is sassing her about putting them back when we were finished. Had we not already paid, I would have suggested leaving right then.

S, M and D placed their orders, and D went down the street for a different flavor of chips. S sat down and said she heard the woman complaining that "all those b*tches, not a one left a tip!" Now, there was a tip jar on the counter, but I was planning to leave a tip on the table. Not happening after that!

Anyway, we all enjoyed our food, except for the perpetual attitude - although the man who actually brought us our food was very nice - put our tables back where they went, and left. I did not tip, but I think M had actually placed her tip in the tip jar, so Attitude Wench was wrong. Ha! We were going to get some beignets there at Cafe Beignet, now dubbed Cafe Attitude, but obviously we weren't giving them any more of our money, so away we went.

Because it had been raining, and was supposed to continue, we decided to take a carriage tour. Just outside Jackson Square we found a line of carriages, all wanting to give any one who walked by a tour. We checked the price on one, compared it to the next one and found them to be about the same. So we decided to hop on the second carriage - covered, thankfully, as it began to rain again during our tour. I cannot remember our tour guide's name, but the mule was named Dixie, and she was an old pro! Our tour guide was pretty good, entertaining and informative. (We ended up eating at a couple of places she recommended later on our trip, and tried to eat at least on other, but it was too crowded.) One thing about our guide - she had an annoying way of saying "Andrew Jackson" so that it came out sounding like "Angie Jackson." We joked about that the rest of the trip. One funny story she told us - Tennessee Williams had a place in New Orleans, and every year there is a "Stella!" yelling contest. Last year, one guy actually yelled, rather than "Stella" - "FEMA!!" Everyone thought it was so funny, he won! A good story....

Our tour ended back at Jackson Square, so we paid, and headed into the square. The first thing you see is the grand statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback, tipping his hat. Beyond that is the grand St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest active cathedral in the US. I had been there before, but it had been years, so I was eager to see it again. The interior was even more beautiful and serene than I remembered! What a gorgeous building. The original marble floor down the center of the sanctuary, the dramatic murals, the glorious stained glass windows, the beautiful wooden pews and confessionals, the amazing organ, the marble, Latin-inscribed tombs of early prominent parishioners, the candles...I could go on and on! I bet it would be amazing to sing there...but, I digress!

Jackson Square is flanked by rows of shops, and after we left the cathedral, we wandered past the shops on one side. Because of the rain, there weren't as many vendors in the square as I have seen in the past, but there were a few fortune-tellers, and a few vendors selling portraits and other things. It had mostly stopped raining by now, but things were still pretty wet, so there weren't that many artists out.

We meandered out of the square and back onto the sidewalk lined with carraiages. Everyone was ready for a snack by then, so we ran across the street to Cafe du Monde for some cafe au lait and beignets. Cannot go to New Orleans and not have beignets! For those who might not know, beignets are a light square doughnut, served hot and with powdered sugar on top. Messy to eat, but yum! When eating beignets, be careful not to breathe out, or inhale, for that matter, as you take a bite. Powdered sugar everywhere! Cafe au lait is half coffee with chickory and half hot milk. A perfect accompaniment to the warm beignets, especially on a rainy day! (Come to think of it, I pretty much drink my coffee at home the same way, minus the chickory....)

There is always some sort of street music happening in New Orleans, much as in the New York City subways. At Cafe du Monde we heard a small band playing for the patrons, with one of the players doing some singing, too. Sometimes the patrons sang along. Throughout the weekend we heard guitar players, at least one violin players, other small bands, drums, and of course, more singing. All pretty good, too! Something else we saw on practically every street corner - mimes. They were covered in either gold or silver body paint, with matching gold or silver clothes. I guess you would call them mimes. They would freeze in some pretty tough-looking positions, and you had to watch for quite a while sometimes to see one of them move. Hard way to make a living....

After our treat, we walked around some more; window-shopping, people-watching, just enjoying ourselves. Because you have to experience it at least once each time you go to New Orleans, and because one of our group had never seen it, we ended up on the chaos that is Bourbon Street. Whew! I had forgotten just how wacky it is. It is amazing how different the French Quarter is depending on where you are. Alternate realities existing at the same time! Bourbon Street means loud bars, street performers, hand grenade stands, drunks, topless/bottomless spots, pictures of nude women in compromising positions, and it wasn't even dusk yet. (Night time on Bourbon Street is a whole other world, and I am not going there....) Walking down the street, we passed a 'performer' standing outside an all-nude place, wearing a yellow bikini and some funky shoes I didn't really see, just heard about from D. From across the street runs some guy, drunk, I am sure, waving five bucks and yelling, "Titties, titties!" So for his five bucks, the 'lady' pulled down her top and gave him a look. Quick, easy five bucks! Thanks, but no thanks.

Not two streets over is another world altogether. Quiet, charming balconies with window boxes, and then if you go too far you are in the ghetto. Talk about a melting pot.

We did some more walking, and then decided to go back to the condo, rest, pick a place for dinner, and get changed. It was nice to be on our schedule, and not our kids' schedules! After some rest and research, we decided on The Court of Two Sisters. I know the jazz brunch is a big favorite of tourists, but we opted to experience Two Sisters at dinnertime. Everyone cleaned up and changed, and away we went! We took the street car, which had a stop just outside the condo, so we didn't have to walk that much in heels.

I had eaten at Two Sisters years before, but I didn't remember that much about it, except the jazz and the food were great. This night the food lived up to my memory, and then some! We were able to sit outside, thanks to the rain stopping. We were covered by a gorgeous canopy of vines, and were graced with a falling leaf every once in a while! It just added to our salads. There was also a nice fountain, but no jazz playing that night, at least none that I heard.

We had a great waiter, very friendly and helpful. I think we all decided on the prix fixe menu, which was a good amount of food for a pretty reasonable price, I thought. I had a salad, turtle soup, duck confit, and pecan pie. The food was delicious, especially the turtle soup and duck. M ordered the veal, and she and I shared our entrees. The veal was also delicious! The pecan pie was good, but not really any better than I can make at home. But that was okay, I love pecan pie, good or bad. S and C each had the Bananas Foster and Cherries Jubilee, so we got to watch the show, and then got to sample!

We had a lovely, leisurely meal, although there was some confusion at the end of the meal regarding our tab. According to our waiter, it was worked out, so I guess everything was okay. I still think we ended up not paying the tax on our meal, but I tried to bring it to his attention. Oh, well....

After such a great meal, we had to walk it off, so we ended up strolling up and down the streets, looking into shops, going into a couple to look at the (overpriced) jewelry. S got at least one proposition - an older gentleman wanted to know if she was married. He took her affirmative answer very graciously and left her alone. Later, another guy yelled at her, "Amazon!" We ended up in the Gay District, where a drag queen wanted to know if we knew what HBIC meant. We were wracking our brains when S blurted out, "Head Bitch In Charge!" Who knew she was so hip?!! Now, I want a shirt that just says HBIC.

Long walk back to the condo, with me cursing my shoes the whole way. I think a couple of the other ladies weren't happy with their footwear by this point, either. Sucks getting old, sometimes!

We got back to the condo around 11:00, I think, and spent the next couple of hours chatting. I am chagrined to admit that I did doze off periodically during the chatting, but I don't believe I was the only one. I have never been much of a night owl. I tried, but just couldn't stay awake! Off to bed....

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! Day 1

On November 13, 2008, I went with four other moms from my Mothers of Multiples group to New Orleans. (Since we all have different initials, I am going to refer to the other moms as S, M, C, and D.) We had a great time! We left Thursday morning and spent the day driving. We took our time, stopping for a bathroom break, stopping to eat, stopping for a bathroom break, stopping for a bathroom break...let me just say, we were all mothers who had delivered twins plus a singleton. You moms out there know what just one delivery can do to a bladder!!

It was dark by the time we got close to New Orleans, and I was driving. We decided to stop at a grocery store for a few things like cereal, milk for coffee, a couple of bottles of wine, OJ and some champagne for mimosas. We had also brought along some snack items, so we were pretty set for what little time we would be spending in the room.

We had a GPS helping us, but it kind of turned us around a little bit once we got close to our destination. Not badly; we found it pretty quickly. But we did start calling her "Special K" due to her somewhat backwards directions, at least they seemed that way to some in the group. Sorry, "Special K" isn't very PC, is it?

M's parents have a condo in New Orleans, and they were generous enough to let us use it. That really helped on the budget! We had a living room area with a queen sleeper-sofa, two bedrooms with queen-sized beds, a bathroom, and a small kitchen area with a mini-fridge, microwave and stove. We only used the fridge and coffee pot. We weren't there to cook! Ha!

After getting our bags in and settling in a bit, we ordered in some food and decided to stay in the condo that evening. It was, after all, getting late, and we were tired from driving all day. The food that night was okay, but nothing any better than what we could get here at home. Not very promising at the time, but turned out not to be an issue!

We spent the evening eating, talking and laughing. We also watched the movie, "About Polly," which I had never seen before, but first we had technical difficulties. The remote wouldn't work the DVD player, so we called down to the front desk. The very nice desk guy came up and worked on it with us. First he pointed out we were using the wrong remote, but that didn't fix the problem. He and C finally determined the DVD player wasn't hooked up correctly, and unhooked it and hooked it back up properly. 

The movie was very funny, but funnier still was watching S laugh herself to tears. We finally all went to bed around 1:30, I think. C decided to sleep on the sofa bed, since she felt like she would be the earliest riser. She was right, incidentally, but I usually wasn't far behind, even though I didn't always get up right away. S and D shared a room, and M and I shared the other room. I woke around 4 am, probably due to some noise. I always have trouble going back to sleep, so I was still awake at 4:30 when M started stirring, saying she didn't feel well. Poor thing spent the next hour and a half throwing up and not feeling well, and sleeping very fitfully on and off. I felt bad for her, and wished I could make it better! Come to think of it, the last time I was in New Orleans, my roommate spent the night throwing up, but for different reasons. Must be the city!

So, that is the first day of our retreat, mostly spent in travel but, still, a lot of fun with good friends. Lots of laughter and talk, and getting to know each other better. I will get to day 2 soon, hopefully!