Mardi Gras 2008

I will share more later. But I had to get the carnival started! Aiyeeeeeeeee!

The King Cake is out, albeit a little disheveled. When the kids get home, we'll make our first cut. I wonder who will get the baby this year. The teenager got it last year, I think. He took all my beads to school today so I'm a little bare. Oy.

We're just warming up. I have had our Mardi Gras XM station tuned in and mom and I have been doing our dancing off an on.


This is guaranteed to get ya movin'!


This one too!


This is one of my favorite Mardi Gras songs . . . but the video is a tad boring. (I'm still looking for a goodie to share!) But, if you're ever in New Orleans, Mardi Gras World is a must. This is where most of the Mardi Gras floats are made. It's an amazing place.

Mo' NO

Here's some mo' pics from New Orleans. Still loving that Spanish Moss.

This was a lady at Aunt Sally's candy shop in the French Market making pralines, excuse me Creole pralines. Yum. The cuz and I said we were going to stop back by and pick some up but we never did. Grrrr. Oh well.

While in New Orleans . . . have to get a Hurricane! (I forgot what cocktail Raphi ordered, but it sure was colorful!) We went to Mulate's for supper, an old establishment that has live zydeco and a big ol' dance floor. The cuz and kid went out for the chicken dance and MY SON left her on the dance floor. I had a talkin' to that kid. "Never, ever leave a young lady on the dance floor alone!" Geesh. Raphi saved her and finished the dance out. It was hilarious! Guess the chicken dance is a world-wide phenomena! I forgot what drink Raphi ordered, but those colors sure were pretty. Grin.

Of course, I ordered red beans and rice to start. Duh. It was delicious. For supper, Raphi had the gator and I had blackened shrimp. Everything was very, very good.


After supper, we strolled back to the hotel. The kids wanted to go swimming again and Raphi wanted to see Bourbon Street in it's glory--at night. When we arrived at the hotel, we were walking through the lobby and I noticed three guys talking to the concierge that looked straight out of a rap video. We made it to the elevator and I told the cuz that they were rappers; her being up on today's music and all. She immediately saved the elevator for them and low and behold they came in. I was trying to contain myself after my Hurricane (well, maybe it was two) and one was going on and on about not being put in the top-floor penthouse. "I can't believe they put us on the 22nd floor!" the one kept on saying, over and over. Of course, I had to pipe in, in all my ghettoness, and say "Aw man, they only put us on the 17th flo'!!" hehe. (Again, picture Lucy.) The guy in charge was like "Man, naw, it just ain't right." I think Raphi and the rest of my homies were just about dying by this time. The guy goes "I'm gonna send you up a bottle of champagne, send her up a bottle" talking to one of his homies. I was like "Aight."

Of course, it was then time to get off the elevator and we said our take-it-easies and he goes "Do you know Lil Wayne?" I turned back and grabbed his hand to shake it saying "I knew you was a rappa!" He said "What do you like to drink? We're going to send you up a bottle of Moet Chandon, what's your room numba?" I gave it to him and the door closed. My peeps and I could barely contain ourselves until we made it to our room where we all jumped on the bed in a burst of laughter! Lord have mercy. Then it hit me. Who was this guy I just gave our room number to??? Either he was going to send us a bottle of bubbly or send his squad up to kill us all for acting the fool! At any rate, we were all on cloud nine. It was absolutely hilarious. Of course, I had never heard of Lil Wayne. Had to call the teenager. Apparently he hangs with Lil Jon, king of crunk, who I do know--well not personally, mind you (hey, I have kids, ya know!). The cuz called her mom because she was so excited. Mom looked Wayne up on her computer and played some of his music. We're talking hard-core rap. Oh dear. lol. (Cuz's mom probably wondered about my adult supervision about that time.)

Each time we heard a noise, Raphi would run to the door to see if it were our champagne. We finally decided to go to the pool and left Raphi in charge of signing for the bubbly. After a bit, Raphael showed up at the pool--with a sad face. There was to be no champagne that night. Pout. But the excitement of the possibility just made the trip that much more special. Since I had given our room number out to some strange rapper, we decided against going to Bourbon Street for a quick jaunt and leaving the kids alone in the room. Hey, I'm not completely irresponsible!

When we made it back to Riverside and had access to a computer, we all looked up Lil Wayne. It definitely wasn't Lil Wayne we were hanging with in the elevator but probably one of his boyz, I suppose. After I thought about it, he never did say he was Lil Wayne, he asked me if I knew Lil Wayne (which I never did admit to him that I did not, Lord forbid). Whoever the guys were, they sho did make for a fun elevator ride. You just never know who you'll run into at the W Hotel. And you never, ever know what's gonna come out of my mouth!

Them's Gators in That There Water

Yes, we went on the swamp tour. It was a blast! I recommend the Airboat Adventures tour to anyone who visits New Orleans. I have always wanted to do it and just never have. A MUST, I say! Be careful though, there are a lot of "swamp tours" that aren't as good as this one. The guys who run it are so personable and gracious. (They thanked us profoundly for taking the tour. These guys are hurting, I tell you. Our captain lives right on the swamp and knew everything there was to know (at least the questions we asked). It was just us on the boat and he made the tour worth every penny!

Guess what they fed the alligators? Marshmallows! Is that wild or what? As soon as they would throw some in the water, one or two would come up. This one was one of the smaller ones.


The swamps were gorgeous. Just what I imagined. It was just like a painting with the beautiful sky as a backdrop. The cypress and magnolias were just lovely with the Spanish moss draped from their limbs. You know I have a thing for that stuff. It's just so, well, Southern! Did you know that Henry Ford used Spanish Moss to stuff the seats of the first Model Ts? Yep. Learned that on the tour.

The captain showed us several nests. One mother was docile while the next was totally protective of her mounds. She hissed and guarded it like a momma should. The captain let the cuz use the paddle to show how aggressive she was. Amazing. She then crawled up to the nest to make sure we weren't going to bother her eggs. It's amazing how still they can be, even with their mouth wide open ready to strike.


What amazing creatures they are up close in their own environment.

It was very hot in the sun on that water, so the cap took us over to a little shady spot for us to cool off. He then whips out this baby gator for us to see! Said he caught it the day before. This one was less than two years old. The kid and I did not hold it, Raphi and the cuz did, however. Does Raphi look American or what?

It really was a lot of fun. A storm was forming in the distance so we headed for the shore. I would definitely do this again.

Back From Nawlins

Saint Louis Cathedral

As you can see from the pic above, New Orleans is in need of some real visitors. Although the rooms were cheaper than normal and not having the crowds was nice, it still saddened me to see how quiet the town was. (Albeit, we didn't go to the French Quarter at night; so it could still be hopping there as far as I know.)

It took under three hours to get there from Riverside. I think it took more time trying to find the "spa" we were dropping Rootie off at. Lordy, they don't put numbers on buildings here--or at least, not like they should--and we drove round and round back and forth trying to find the place. It took literally an hour to finally find the kennel. Not the way you want to start a trip. I'm used to it though, I'm always lost. We made it through Mississippi and hit Louisiana. You could instantly see the wrath of Katrina. I had never driven into New Orleans by car (only when I was a teenager with my family) and I was amazed at how much water there really is down in those parts. They are still working on getting the roads and the causeways fixed. It really hit home when you get closer to New Orleans and you see the now totally destroyed and abandoned Six Flags amusement park. So very sad. And as you roll into town, to see the Superdome is quite a jolt back to those horrible days and weeks after Katrina hit. It brought tears to my eyes as we passed.

Since I was familiar with the W Hotel, which is where we stayed last time we were there pre-Katrina and it's away from the French Quarter, I chose to stay there with the kids. I absolutely LOVE W Hotels! So much fun, and tres chic as Raphi would say. Here is the entrance--too funny. Yes, this bed is in between the lobby and the entrance. (I had to borrow these pics from their website as I had to delete the "unimportant" photos from my camera as I ran out of room in the swamp!) If you remember my last trip, the hotel also includes a great library you can sit in and relax. Of course, there was no time for that this time with the kids. It was run run run! So much so, I got blisters on my feet--from my Birkies! The ones I wear every day!! Geesh.


As soon as we put our things in the room and got Bella settled, we left for lunch. We were all starving. Oh, to be in NO and hungry. Is there a better place to be? Not many, I tell you! I thought I would introduce the kids to a true NO staple, the muffuletta. We strolled along the Mississippi to the French Market.








Above is the Immigrant Memorial right on the Mississippi River. It was a beautiful day, the clouds were magnificent. And yes, it was hot and humid. Thus the blisters on my feet, I suppose.

We made it over to Central Grocers (circa 1906) is located--the home of the muffuletta. It was well worth the walk. It's literally a small grocery store that also makes muffulettas. You order the sandwich right at the cashier. There are two long narrow booths with stools you can belly up to one you get your sandwich. Like I said, on a pre-Katrina day in NO, there were be lines out the door getting muffulettas and definitely no were to sit. We were able to walk in, order our whole muffuletta (a quarter for each of us--they are that big!), sit down and have a leisurely lunch. The picture above is of a half! Raphi is shown eating a quarter of the mammoth sandwich. Mmmmmm, it was so good. My stomach is growling just thinking about it! Sure wish I had one now! Afterwards, we crossed back over to Cafe du Monde (dating back to 1862), and home of the beignet. Oh yes. How could we not finish our perfect lunch with a perfect sweet? YUM! Teamed up with an iced coffee, I was in heaven. The kids weren't complaining either.

When the bellies were way too full, we mosied on over to the French Quarter and Bourbon Street which Raphi was dying to see. Of course, it was calm in the daytime but the kids still had to shield their eyes from some of the store fronts. (I'm not a prude, but towards Canal on Bourbon is a tad raunchy. I wish they would do away with the stuff and bring Bourbon back to just clubs you can stroll through. Rant off.) The first shop we came to as we turned onto Bourbon was Marie Laveau's Voodoo Shop. Now, take a closer look. Look at the mist!! How strange is that. It's not the camera because the shots before and after are crystal clear. Raphi took one about the same time, perfectly clean. How strange is that??? Mmmmwwwaaaaaahhaaaaaaaa! I didn't go in--Raphi did. (By the way, I had such bad blisters on my feet, we had to cancel the ghost tours--two hours long on foot! Ouch!)

I will post more a little later on the rest of our New Orleans trip. Oh yes, there is more to come.

Mardi Gras 2007

This photo was taken in 2005, pre-Katrina, on Bourbon Street. It's one of the old buildings' eves with all the beads hanging. I thought it was so pretty (even with the barbed wire), I couldn't resist capturing it on film.

I'm not doing my usual red beans and rice tonight. I've had the painter here all day and have been unable to get out. I think I'll make some other New Orleans' specialty that doesn't take all day to cook--seeing that it's already almost 4 in the afternoon, I guess so. You can see how light I'm going. The darker is the old paint. Too light? I always go through this. Do I like it? Don't I? Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

Well, tonight we feast for tomorrow we shall fast. I'll update this later when I decide what we're having.

Bleary-Eyed Dusk in New Orleans

I've had New Orleans on my mind recently and after reading a recipe for Banana's Foster on a favorite blog the other day, I thought I would go ahead and write about the hub's and my trip there last year around this time. We had the absolute best time, of course. Who goes to New Orleans and has a bad time? I'm saddened to think about the destruction of Katrina. I'm hoping that it will come back even better than before. We'll have to plan a trip there this year, if for nothing else but to help the economy. Perhaps a weekend jaunt while we're in Alabama during Spring Break is in order.

I had visited New Orleans many years ago with my family when I was about 11. Each summer, we would pack up the car and head South from DC. Our first stop was always to see my mom's side of the family in West Georgia including Aunt Mary and Aunt Nita. We would stay there for a couple of weeks between houses and then head further South to see Dad's side of the family in and around Dallas. For some reason, dad got a wim to go through New Orleans in route to Dallas. It was the first time he gave me his Minolta camera to take pictures all summer long. The novice I was, I loaded the film incorrectly and it didn't catch and wind--not one picture from New Orleans the summer of 1972.

I remember distinctly the Spanish moss growing on big oak trees, afternoon showers each day and the wonderful sounds of jazz filling the streets in the evening. During that time, there weren't the "girly" shows in every other entrance of today and it was ok for a family to enter an establishment to listen to the jazz playing there while the parents enjoyed a beer or two. It doesn't seem that long ago, but I guess it was a different era. Guess I'm getting old being able to say that. It was here that I was first reprimanded for asking for ketchup for my steak. My father, a true Texan, appreciated a good steak when one was to be found. I'm sure it was the finest steak house in New Orleans where I asked the waiter for some ketchup. My brother Jim, aka the "food snob," let into me. "A good cut of beef doesn't need a condiment to cover up it's flavor," he stated at the tender age of 13 out of embarrassment. I'll never forget it. That was the very last time I ever put ketchup on a steak (in a restaurant) and I relay that message to the boys today.

The hub had a business trip there last year and of course I had to jump on the bandwagon and go with him. He booked us at The W on Poydras (not the one in the French Quarter--too loud there!). I love, love, love W hotels. They refresh me with their new-wavey decor and sounds. This one was especially nice with a wonderful library in the lobby, right next to the "lounge." Our first night out was quasi business, so we ate at Galatoi's on Bourbon Street. Oh, how delicious that was. I had the crevettes a la creole, shrimp over rice with a creole sauce. We ordered several vegetables to pass around, but I remember the Pommes de terre soufflees (fried potato puffs) the most. Every thing was absolutely heaven to the taste buds. You don't go to New Orleans to lose weight, that's for sure. It's all about eating and drinking.

We started our first morning with beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde at the Riverwalk. I knew it would be the only "morning" we would get up, so we went for it. The beignets were out of this world--after they finally cooled down, ouch. That afternoon, we strolled across the street from The W and ate lunch at Mother's.

Again, needless to say, it was gastronomical. The hub didn't want to wait in line, but I was determined to try this place. (My dad always said, "If there are a lot of cars in the parking lot, it has to be good." Well, a line of people has to say the same thing, right?) It's such a quirky little joint, crowded, sometimes sharing a table with a stranger or two and always quite loud. You wait in line and you kinda feel like you're in line at the Soup Nazi's in New York City--a little intimidating once you get through the door. "You want to do this right," I was told the night before by an acquaintance on Bourbon Street (there will always be "acquaintances" after you enter the French Quarter). Be prepared, as best you can, to place your order once you get up to the cafeteria-looking counter. This is where one out of the three or four people behind it ask you what you want. It happens very quickly, so, again, be prepared. You're then given a copy of your hand-written order and proceed over to the cash register, kinda cattle-runnish. Now it's time to find a seat and wait for the abundance of whatever it is your ordered to arrive. Let me tell you, it is well worth the wait and the hustle and bustle of getting through that line. Once you sit down, you can relax and enjoy your meal. It's quite fascinating. One of us ordered the "Debris" sandwich. It was enough for two--chunks of roast beef with gravy on a bun. Yum. I think we strolled back to The W and took an afternoon nap, we were so full. Oh the joys of being on vacation without the kids.....

That night, we ate at a large bistro named Palace Cafe on Canal Street. I don't remember exactly what I ordered, but I think it was a mix of two of their appetizers because I was still full from Mother's. I do remember it being outstanding in presentation. And, "while in Rome" we had to order Banana's Flambe, cooked tableside, for desert. I thought I took a picture of the waiter preparing it for us--must have been the martini taking the pic cause I can't find it! Oh well. It was splendid. The rest of the night was pure Bourbon Street. 

This was our night/morning on the town. We hit several "music" venues with a couple of drinks in tow for each. (If you haven't been, you're allowed to take your drinks on the street with you as you depart. How fun is that!) We ended in a blues club listening to the sounds of The All Purpose Blues Band. Finally, we stumbled back to the hotel to rest our aching heads.

We awoke in the afternoon the next day; and the funny thing is, when we greeted other folks in the elevator with a "good morning," they replied "good morning" too. It was well into the afternoon! They must have tied one on the night before, also. That day, the hub and I went our separate ways. He went off to the D-Day Museum. 

The girly girl I am, I had no interest in that. So, I jetted off to the Canal Street Ferry to shuttle me across the river to Old Algiers and home to Mardi Gras World. 

I've never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, so I wanted to see some of the floats up close and see how they're made. I had a nice stroll along the Mississippi. At each street crossing, there was a lamp post dedicated to a famous New Orleanian. It took me longer than I thought to walk to the place, so I missed the last tour. They were nice and let me wander around by myself until closing time. The abundance of floats and float parts was amazing. It's a definite must-see! I really enjoyed it on my own, but I bet the tour would be outstanding.

Our last evening was spent living-it-up Cajun style. We went to Mulate's on Julia Street. They had live music--Jay Cormier & Cajun Country--with a big ol' dance floor right in the middle of the tables. It was such a hoot to watch all the amazing two-stepping and waltzing on that dance floor. 

It made me want to try another go with the hub at dance lessons (a WHOLE other story there!). I had the les haricots rouge (red beans & rice, my favorite) with a side of seasoned haricots verts (green beans). I have no idea what the hub got, I was so enthalled with my own plate and watching the dance floor. It was such an amazing night. We retired early that evening. We had satisfied every sense.

Such an amazing trip. Now I really want to go back, and soon.