Updates - Wednesday 2/3
8 Mar 2005 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
karohemdThe weather was very nice to start with, clear blue skies and sunshine but the clouds came around lunchtime and it also got colder. Not that I mind, it's a lot easier to walk around when it isn't hot. Good thing I packed warmer stuff for Boston, though.
7:30
- Got up, had breakfast at 8 and headed out
- Walked a bit to a supermarket to pick up a VisiTour Pass (3 days unlimited use of public transport for $12). While I walked around, I found a house that could have been the house Lestat hid in in Interview With the Vampire, i.e. old colonial style but dilapitated with an overgrown garden. BTW, Anne Rice's house is on my agenda for Friday and I'll try if I can find Trent Reznor's house, too. ;o)
- Took the St. Charles Streetcar West until a bit after Riverbend and back again. Some nice houses there, some of them for sale. New houses in the area are quite expensive, I saw one advertised for $800K+.
- As someone on an LJ community and many guides recommended it, I went to Uglesich's (can't remember URL, google for it) for lunch and it was indeed gorgeous. Taking the advice I was given, I was there early and at 11:15 managed to snatch the last table. After me, the queue started. It's completely unassuming from the outside. They definitely don't need to advertise their place with good looks of the exterior, they make their business off their regulars. There were six or seven square (i.e. four person) tables, one of them seated six, I think. A bloke behind the bar shucked huge, fresh oysters pretty much continuously. The waiter must have been one of the quickest, friendliest and funniest ever, despite the severe stress he was under. I don't think he has to go to the gym, he gets his workout at his job. ;o)
Looking at the menu, I was spoilt for choice so I peeked to the next table where someone was just served "Oyster Shooters" (four giant oysters in their shell, cooked in flavoured oil with garlic, herbs and stuff) so I was immediately sold on that and for mains I wanted to order the catfish plate but the waiter recommended the "Muddy Water" Catfish (deep fried in a flavourful sauce that looked like the water of the Mississippi but tasted delicious with a side of fried new potatoes and garlic bread). Everything was wonderful, especially the oysters. I'm considering going there every day for lunch but $30 isn't really in my budget every day. It's just going to be a po-boy tonight, I think. ;o)
- Took the streetcar East to the end where the French Quarter starts. Walked along Bourbon St which is a peculiar mix of old houses, thrift and souvenir shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, adult entertainment establishments (anything from strip/table dancing clubs to full on sex on stage...). Pretty much a tourist trap but some of the souvenirs and tshirts are actually quite good and reasonably priced ($15 for a dark tshirt with full colour print). There's so much stuff I could buy for people without hurting my wallet too much but my problem is that I won't have the luggage space. Hm, I need to go back to the post office and ask about shipping costs for parcels. A couple of tshirts, souvenirs and cDs shouldn't be too expensive...
- Took Decatur Street back, had a coffee at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville bar, and then walked alongside the The Old Muddy. I had expected it to be wider compared to what it's like in St. Louis but it isn't that much wider, actually. Bought a ticket for a steamboat harbour cruise tomorrow, ignored the IMAX and Aquarium (I'll visit museums and such should the weather get worse), bought 11 CDs at Virgin and walked along Magazine St. and up to the Contemporary Arts Center which has a netcafe with free internet access if you buy some drinks/snacks. Took the streetcar back (the nearest stop from my B&B is just one block away)
:
Dr. John - Dis, Dat or D'udda
Marcia Ball - So Many Rivers
Rosco Gordon - No Dark in America
Hubert Sumlin - About Them Shoes
Clarence Gatemouth Brown - Timeless
Sunny Landreth - Grand Street (live)
Clifton Chenier - Louisiana Blues and Zydeco
Various - Zydeco-The Language of New Orleans Vol. 5
Various - Rough Guide to Zydeco
Various - Rough Guide to Cajun Dance
Various - Blues Lounge (electronica remixes of Blues classics, sounds heretic but is superb, I've grown up...)
Note: Except Dr. John and CCB, I didn't know any of the artists above, I just picked them up from the New Releases listening stations (yes, in NOLA you have about 20 Blues and Zydeco/Cajun CDs (each) to listen to, and not at a specialist shop but the large Virgin at the Jax Brewery).
Due to the fantastic buy 10, get one free offer the kind shop assistant pointed out to me when I wanted to pay for my nine CDs, I got another two (she even was so kind to make the most expensive one the free one), I paid about 9 quid per CD and except one all of them were regularly priced, the cheapest being 12.99, the most expensive 18.99. I love this exchange rate!
- Another great thing about NOLA is that you can do many things on foot, it's all relatively close together and not that big. If I hadn't been on my feet all day, I could easily have walked to my B&B in about half an hour or so from the French Quarter but as public transport doesn't cost me more regardless how many journeys I take, it's convenient. Just on the way back late at night, it's advisable to get a taxi.
Entry started at Wednesday, 0:30
Tonight, I had random (because it started raining) dinner (smoked sausage po-boy with Jambalaya) in Chartres and then went on to Frenchmen St. The Spotted Cat was the first stop where a quintet (t, s, d, g/p, b) played cool Jazz and then a few doors south to the Apple Barrel where a trio (washboard, rusty National guitar, harp) played zydeco-y Blues. Both bars were quite small, the Cat with seating for about 30 and the Apple Barrel even fewer, maybe 20 but that wasn't full. Both were frequented by locals/normal people rather than tourists, so exactly the places I wanted to find. Just one guest at the Barrel stood out: Cream plastic Stetson, face like Iggy Pop, long hair in a single braid down his back to his belt, small diamond stud in his left ear, purple suit, an in the poor light unidentifiably coloured (somewhere between burgundy and orange) collarless shirt, a tiger striped tie/scarf, huge silver rings on every finger of his left hand and alligator skin cowboy boots. To top it off, he smoked a huge, expensive (because it smelled nice) cigar. Pure class. ;o)
After having had quite a bit of cheap alcohol (two beers, two Screwdrivers) I felt a bit tired so I took a cab home.
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robinbloke, you'd love the Screwdrivers (Vodka Orange) here. At the Apple Barrel, a generous (i.e. half and half) one with Absolute Citron was $6 incl. tip, so only a bit over £3.
Generally, prices are pretty much the same as in the UK, that is the same numbers, except wine by the glass which cost from $5 upwards.
7:30
- Got up, had breakfast at 8 and headed out
- Walked a bit to a supermarket to pick up a VisiTour Pass (3 days unlimited use of public transport for $12). While I walked around, I found a house that could have been the house Lestat hid in in Interview With the Vampire, i.e. old colonial style but dilapitated with an overgrown garden. BTW, Anne Rice's house is on my agenda for Friday and I'll try if I can find Trent Reznor's house, too. ;o)
- Took the St. Charles Streetcar West until a bit after Riverbend and back again. Some nice houses there, some of them for sale. New houses in the area are quite expensive, I saw one advertised for $800K+.
- As someone on an LJ community and many guides recommended it, I went to Uglesich's (can't remember URL, google for it) for lunch and it was indeed gorgeous. Taking the advice I was given, I was there early and at 11:15 managed to snatch the last table. After me, the queue started. It's completely unassuming from the outside. They definitely don't need to advertise their place with good looks of the exterior, they make their business off their regulars. There were six or seven square (i.e. four person) tables, one of them seated six, I think. A bloke behind the bar shucked huge, fresh oysters pretty much continuously. The waiter must have been one of the quickest, friendliest and funniest ever, despite the severe stress he was under. I don't think he has to go to the gym, he gets his workout at his job. ;o)
Looking at the menu, I was spoilt for choice so I peeked to the next table where someone was just served "Oyster Shooters" (four giant oysters in their shell, cooked in flavoured oil with garlic, herbs and stuff) so I was immediately sold on that and for mains I wanted to order the catfish plate but the waiter recommended the "Muddy Water" Catfish (deep fried in a flavourful sauce that looked like the water of the Mississippi but tasted delicious with a side of fried new potatoes and garlic bread). Everything was wonderful, especially the oysters. I'm considering going there every day for lunch but $30 isn't really in my budget every day. It's just going to be a po-boy tonight, I think. ;o)
- Took the streetcar East to the end where the French Quarter starts. Walked along Bourbon St which is a peculiar mix of old houses, thrift and souvenir shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, adult entertainment establishments (anything from strip/table dancing clubs to full on sex on stage...). Pretty much a tourist trap but some of the souvenirs and tshirts are actually quite good and reasonably priced ($15 for a dark tshirt with full colour print). There's so much stuff I could buy for people without hurting my wallet too much but my problem is that I won't have the luggage space. Hm, I need to go back to the post office and ask about shipping costs for parcels. A couple of tshirts, souvenirs and cDs shouldn't be too expensive...
- Took Decatur Street back, had a coffee at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville bar, and then walked alongside the The Old Muddy. I had expected it to be wider compared to what it's like in St. Louis but it isn't that much wider, actually. Bought a ticket for a steamboat harbour cruise tomorrow, ignored the IMAX and Aquarium (I'll visit museums and such should the weather get worse), bought 11 CDs at Virgin and walked along Magazine St. and up to the Contemporary Arts Center which has a netcafe with free internet access if you buy some drinks/snacks. Took the streetcar back (the nearest stop from my B&B is just one block away)
:
Dr. John - Dis, Dat or D'udda
Marcia Ball - So Many Rivers
Rosco Gordon - No Dark in America
Hubert Sumlin - About Them Shoes
Clarence Gatemouth Brown - Timeless
Sunny Landreth - Grand Street (live)
Clifton Chenier - Louisiana Blues and Zydeco
Various - Zydeco-The Language of New Orleans Vol. 5
Various - Rough Guide to Zydeco
Various - Rough Guide to Cajun Dance
Various - Blues Lounge (electronica remixes of Blues classics, sounds heretic but is superb, I've grown up...)
Note: Except Dr. John and CCB, I didn't know any of the artists above, I just picked them up from the New Releases listening stations (yes, in NOLA you have about 20 Blues and Zydeco/Cajun CDs (each) to listen to, and not at a specialist shop but the large Virgin at the Jax Brewery).
Due to the fantastic buy 10, get one free offer the kind shop assistant pointed out to me when I wanted to pay for my nine CDs, I got another two (she even was so kind to make the most expensive one the free one), I paid about 9 quid per CD and except one all of them were regularly priced, the cheapest being 12.99, the most expensive 18.99. I love this exchange rate!
- Another great thing about NOLA is that you can do many things on foot, it's all relatively close together and not that big. If I hadn't been on my feet all day, I could easily have walked to my B&B in about half an hour or so from the French Quarter but as public transport doesn't cost me more regardless how many journeys I take, it's convenient. Just on the way back late at night, it's advisable to get a taxi.
Entry started at Wednesday, 0:30
Tonight, I had random (because it started raining) dinner (smoked sausage po-boy with Jambalaya) in Chartres and then went on to Frenchmen St. The Spotted Cat was the first stop where a quintet (t, s, d, g/p, b) played cool Jazz and then a few doors south to the Apple Barrel where a trio (washboard, rusty National guitar, harp) played zydeco-y Blues. Both bars were quite small, the Cat with seating for about 30 and the Apple Barrel even fewer, maybe 20 but that wasn't full. Both were frequented by locals/normal people rather than tourists, so exactly the places I wanted to find. Just one guest at the Barrel stood out: Cream plastic Stetson, face like Iggy Pop, long hair in a single braid down his back to his belt, small diamond stud in his left ear, purple suit, an in the poor light unidentifiably coloured (somewhere between burgundy and orange) collarless shirt, a tiger striped tie/scarf, huge silver rings on every finger of his left hand and alligator skin cowboy boots. To top it off, he smoked a huge, expensive (because it smelled nice) cigar. Pure class. ;o)
After having had quite a bit of cheap alcohol (two beers, two Screwdrivers) I felt a bit tired so I took a cab home.
robinbloke, you'd love the Screwdrivers (Vodka Orange) here. At the Apple Barrel, a generous (i.e. half and half) one with Absolute Citron was $6 incl. tip, so only a bit over £3. Generally, prices are pretty much the same as in the UK, that is the same numbers, except wine by the glass which cost from $5 upwards.
