Mardi Gras Mask - They’re everywhere!
It’s hard to put into words what our experiences in New Orleans over the past week have been like. We ended up spending most of our time in the French Quarter. It was something of an assault on all our senses and I mean that in both a good way and a bad way.
First the smell...
Imagine you have to pee real bad so you break down and walk into one of those portable toilets they have at outside concerts or festivals, after hundreds of people have used it, at about 3 pm on a sunny, hot, humid day. Did you just screw up your face and think “gross”? Perfect, you got it!
Now imagine you walk by a restaurant where something that smells really good is cooking, then by a garbage can, full of god knows what, baking in the heat.
Seriously, some parts of the French Quarter smell like one big outdoor toilet, ( I’m sure that’s just what happens when the partying really gets going on Bourbon Street), and other parts smell absolutely terrific.
That being said, once you’re in it for a while, you don’t notice the smell anymore. Kinda like the time I went to work thinking I didn’t smell like a skunk anymore but according to my co-workers I did! But that’s another story...
Anyways, once you get past the smell, you look and you listen. The people watching is phenomenal. There’s freaky looking locals just sitting/standing there doing absolutely nothing, making tons of tip money because tourists want to take their picture or have their picture taken with them. The performance artists range from individual street musicians, bands, break dancers, magicians, to soloist drummers. With all the provocatively dressed women, both those that work in the night clubs and the tourists, there is no lack of cleavage staring you in the face whether you want it there or not....Dave had no complaints about that scenery! And ladies, believe me there was plenty of eye candy for us too!
Music...besides the clubs and the bars, it can pop up anywhere on any street. One afternoon, we listened to an amazing trio of guys in front of the cathedral & Jackson square. They all sang, one played the banjo, another the guitar and the third, he played the spoons on the park bench. Not exactly sure what style of music it was but just about everyone in the crowd was head bobbing, tapping their feet and smiling like crazy. Then there was this drummer on Bourbon street....not only was he easy on the eyes, he was excellent! What made him unique were his drums, they were only plastic buckets. Who knew they were instruments?
Of course you need nourishment to keep up your stamina while exploring the city and there’s no shortage of places to eat and drink. Unfortunately they’re all fairly expensive but “that’s how they get you!”. So yes, we ate and drank lots...way too much but I think you kinda need to do that to really get the feel of the place. In fact, the last afternoon we were in town we got off to a bit of a slow start in the drinking department so when we got back to Bourbon street that evening, the smell and the incredibly loud music gave us both a headache and we thought we might have to leave. Like going to Oktoberfest sober. Once the advil kicked in and we consumed a couple more 3 for 1 rum and cokes, it was all good. Thankfully, Pontchartrain Landing, the RV place we were staying at provided a shuttle to and from the city so no driving to worry about.
This RV park even had it’s own bar so once the shuttle brought you back home, you could continue the party with your fellow campers, the staff who worked there and the bartender. Dangerous but fun! One night, after an already full day of drinking in the quarter, multiple rounds of Irish Car Bomb shooters (Baileys, whiskey & Guiness Beer) were bought for us and lets just say I was pretty much a wreck the next day. God I wish I was 20 at times like that!
So our routine this week became:
Day 1 - go to the city, walk, explore, eat, drink lots of alcohol and party
Day 2 - stay home, sleep in, detox, drink lots of water, fish
Repeat 2 more times.
After 3, crazy, fun filled days in the city, we’d had enough. Time to get back to our “normal” routine so we’re heading west.
If you’ve never been to New Orleans before, I hope these pictures give you an idea of what it’s like. And, if you have been here before, I hope that these pictures bring back some good memories...that is assuming you can remember your visit there :-)
Enjoy the New Orleans Album!