NOLA Bound!

Thanks NOLA from SoCal

(our message on the chalk wall)

January 23

We woke up to pouring rain! We all enjoy the rain, but it kind of put a damper on our plans. Pun intended! Rain be damned... we went ahead with the plans anyway. Katrina would be guiding us on our morning adventures.

There are all kinds of tiny museums in NOLA; today we visited the Historic Pharmacy Museum. Some of those instruments are pretty barbaric, not to mention the "medicines" and other remedies that were used. We saw and read about gold and silver coated pills that some wealthy customers wanted. Problem with those pills was that gold/silver do not dissolve, so none of that medicine did any good! It was fascinating.

Since we were back in the French Quarter, we tried the po' boy shop again - Nancy got a ham and pimento-cheese po' boy and loved it! From there we walked through Jackson Square on our way to Café du Monde so Nancy could get their famous beignets. Theirs are crispy on the outside, and rather hollow on the inside; she liked them as well. Lea thinks Café du Monde's beignets were worse than Café Beignet's.

Katrina's friend Kaitlyn met us at the café and gave both of us a steel sculpture of a koulouraki that she had forged, and glazed with an egg wash - to make it "authentic." An important detail we forgot to mention - Kaitlyn is part Greek. She had a class assignment to create a "currency" that reflected her culture; knowing how much we Greeks like our koulourakia, that became her currency. She wanted to make sure to share her koulourakia with people who would truly appreciate the symbolism. We fit that bill.

Katrina and Kaitlyn indulged us and granted our request to see the river. We walked up to and along the Mississippi River for a bit - in the pouring rain. Lea hadn't found a single rock this entire trip, so she was on a mission today. Surprisingly, rocks are just not very plentiful here. At least none that would be safe to collect. Nancy valiantly climbed down from the walking path to the rocks to retrieve the "perfect" one that Lea spied from the walkway. Turned out to be a piece of foam! Another, similar looking "rock" turned out to be foam, also. We walked along the path a while more, then found some real rocks of an appropriate size to bring home. Two of them, in fact. Mission accomplished!

A quick trip to an herb shop, where Katrina shops. There we met yet another of Katrina's friends, Sabrina. We then went on to a grocery store so Nancy could get some Chicory coffee. As soon as you walk in to this particular market is a small boat filled with fully cooked crawdads where you can serve yourself all you want!

 On the way to the airport, Katrina drove us through City Park, a large park with an equestrian center, botanical gardens, a small lake where folks can ride swan boats, a Story Land, and lots of beautiful space and walking paths. Katrina spends a lot of her time there, walking the dogs and just enjoying the space and we could see why. As we drove, Nancy yelled, "Oh, that's a Chihuly!" It was a pink crystal sculpture just outside of the entrance to the botanical gardens. We would have enjoyed meandering through the park and all it has to offer.

One final adventure faced us... getting through security at the airport. But first things first, we had to stop in at the beignet store just inside the airport entrance.

Lea went through security first and set off the alarm. Here we go again! But the agent mentioned that it was "random," and proceeded to do a hand swab. Got the all-clear, only to have the luggage flagged. Not just the suitcase, but the canvas bag, too! The foil-wrapped food in the bag and the beans were the culprits. All was fine. Of course, Nancy breezed through. We walk almost to the end of the terminal looking for "D" and realize there is no "D" in that area. We walk back toward security and find out that we have to go out, then go back through another security check point in order to get to our gate! This time, Lea got through fine. Too bad the baggage didn't. But this time, Nancy's suitcase got flagged, too! The agent opened Lea's bag and his inspection of everything was beyond thorough. Yes, it was the beans again (which he swabbed), but also some pastries in boxes, and a couple of bags of spices that we bought as well. He took samples and tested them for drugs. Of course, they were fine. Then he found a small bottle of balsamic reduction purchased from the Tabasco Store. It was 5 oz, so the choice was toss or check the bag. Such a dilemma! Checking the bag would have meant going back to the front desk, then going through security again - not happening! When he got to the canvas bag, he actually wanted the aluminum foil packet opened so he could see the food inside. It was half a sandwich, and the remnants of a nibbled King Cake.

The poor guy must have experienced deja vu when he got to Nancy's bag! At least he was consistent; he swabbed her beans and took samples of her spices, too. To his credit, as he meticulously inspected our things, he was very friendly, and even understanding about what a pain it is to have to deal with the process. At last, we got to go through!

After a short, easy flight, we arrived in Houston. That is a HUGE airport! Did we mention that before? Naturally, we had to literally walk from one end of the terminal building to the other. OMG! The number and variety of shops and eating places here is unbelievable - it rivals some malls. Nancy noted each eating place we passed, and wondered aloud where she should get something to eat. She was most intrigued by the fried chicken place, though. We got to our gate with the hope of a little time to work on the blog, and Nancy could go find her fried chicken from a place we passed waaaaay back in the terminal. Funny how things with the two of us never seem to work out the way we think. Within a few minutes, the boarding call was announced. Feeling confident that Nancy would be back shortly, Lea calmly started getting her bags ready, and texted Nancy the news. In bold letters. With many exclamation points (because Nancy was a little tardy getting back to the gate in New Orleans). A couple minutes go by, still no Nancy. A call to Nancy yielded no answer. A few more minutes, still no Nancy. Another call, no answer. There was growing concern that Lea might be heading back home alone! Somehow, Lea got hers and Nancy's baggage and paraphernalia (purse, bag of pastries and a full cup Starbucks coffee, and suitcase) gathered, and with some difficulty, schlepped it all over to the gate counter. Still no Nancy. Another phone call, still no answer. So, Lea scanned her boarding pass and asked if she could leave Nancy's luggage right there. Nope. Still no Nancy, and yet another call made with no success. When the gate looked completely deserted except for the gate crew, they turned and wondered aloud if Nancy would really be back. Now that was the million dollar question! Minutes ticked by, still no Nancy. Another call, another no answer. One woman huffed and puffed up to the gate, then a couple of other passengers rushed up, but still no Nancy. One more call, one more no answer! When the gate crew made the announcement that this was a final call for boarding, Nancy checked her phone and found a desperate text and several missed calls. It's important to note here that she had her phone on silent! Literally sweating from running through the airport, finally here comes Nancy at the gate! But... she had her bucket of chicken! (Ironically, that "fried chicken" place didn't offer fried chicken!!) One of us was doing lots of head-shaking as we boarded.

Happily, we are on our way home!

           

A "yard-art spider" near Katrina's house.         Go Saints! in the French Quarter.               Boat full of crawfish.

                                     
                           Nancy's po' boy.                             Café du Monde beignets. Yum for Nancy, not so much for Lea.

                   

At the Historic Pharmacy Museum.

           

The mighty Mississippi River.

      
The Dale Chihuly sculpture in City Park.

    

At the airport, Nancy ordering and enjoying another batch of beignets! 

Lea and Katrina at Jackson Square.

January 22

The weather today was much more mild; mid-60s and breezy. Perfect for walking around and exploring.

First on our agenda was to go to the Bywater Cafe for one (or two!) of their famous King Cakes. They make all kinds, even savory. Lea got a piece that was stuffed with artichokes and spinach - very much like the dip. Yum! Both of us got a full-sized Carnival King Cake for taking home.

Katrina took us on a driving tour of The Bywater; many beautiful homes, and loads of interesting street art. One of the artists, Brandan Odums, is well-known around here. (he has a FB page if you are interested) Along the way, we stopped by The Music Box Village; a music venue, but it's also filled with larger-than-life-sized instruments that can actually be played. One of Katrina's friends (Kaitlyn, who came to dinner the other day) actually helped build it. We didn't have time to go in and explore, but we did see the outside. We also saw a place that is very special to folks who live here called "The End of the World," which is actually just a levee that ends at the Mississippi River. But it has a special significance and the folks here are very protective of this place!

Katrina also took us on a quick tour of The French Quarter so we'd be better able to find our way around. We dropped her off at work, then commenced our French Quarter adventure. While searching for a parking spot, we saw the Jazz Museum and decided to visit. Since buying admission to two or more museums got us a 20% discount, we got a ticket for the Presbytere Museum, too. The Jazz Museum also houses a US mint exhibit. The most interesting thing in there was the mold for minting counterfeit coins! The rest of the small museum focused on jazz greats, both men and women. We enjoyed reading about and seeing photographs of so many of the early jazz greats. The Presbytere Museum had a huge exhibit on surviving Hurricane Katrina, as well as several other hurricanes predating Katrina. But then the other part of the museum focused on Marti Gras, Carnival, and the masked paraders (the name of which neither of us can remember!). We thought it was pretty odd how the museums organized/paired their exhibits.

Parking around the French Quarter is pretty challenging. IF you can find parking, there is a 2 hour limit. We were vigilant about watching the time and made sure we got back to the car with time to spare. Imagine our surprise and displeasure when we found a parking ticket on the windshield! At one point during our exploration, we saw a parking enforcement officer, so Nancy asked her how we could remedy this injustice. Her solution was that Nancy should send it in and forget about it! Not sure if that's just a NOLA thing, a Southern thing, or what... Katrina will be taking care of that part for us.

We tried to go to lunch at one restaurant only to find it closed on Tuesdays. We did have success in finding Café Beignet, though! We were amused at their motto: "Beignet, done that!" While we waited for Nancy's beignets, we got samples of a couple of frozen beverages at the bar; frozen café au lait and Southern Comfort mango. Both were delicious! Nancy happily munched on her beignets as we continued to explore. These beignets were much better that yesterdays - bigger, lighter texture, and better tasting.

There are many street performers throughout the Quarter, and on Bourbon Street. Along the way, we passed a street singer who had trained his dog to collect donations from people. If you waved your paper money, the dog would run up to you, gently take the money and run back to her master. Brilliant ploy! Lea fell for it completely.

Katrina works at an African restaurant in the Quarter called Bennachin, so we met her there for dinner after she was done with her shift. It was nice to see where she works and meet the owner and the other folks who work there, plus the food was great. The cuisine is from Camaroon and Gambia. We had something called "foo-foo," which is smashed cassava. It tastes a bit like mashed potatoes, but the texture is more like polenta. It paired nicely with the spinach, and black-eyed peas we ordered. Nancy got gumbo, too, and we had black-eyed pea fritters for appetizers. Sam met us for dinner, and afterwards, we went off to Brennan's for drinks in the Roost Bar. A friend of Nancy's recommended she go there to have a Milk Punch - a decadent drink that tastes very much like liquid cremé brûlée. Lea just had a little Irish whiskey. This is a very fancy restaurant and bar, but the wait staff in the bar were a riot - very friendly and playful. We all had a fun time there.

As we strolled back to our car, we were approached by a man carrying beads asking us questions and gifting us with beads. He assured us that we did not have to show our boobies for the beads! Once we all had beads, he asked for a donation assuring us that he did not do drugs. We felt obligated, of course, and gave him some money. I guess that's just how it goes!

Our last night in New Orleans with Katrina and Sam was wonderful - and memorable! We are packed and ready to go, but tomorrow we'll be having one more opportunity for adventure with Katrina  - and one more opportunity for Nancy to eat beignets, before heading for the airport!

     

Some of Brandan Odums' street art

 

 A Mardi Gras homage to Professor Longhair.    A very cool pyramid of cymbals.

      

A variety of unusual street drums.                Louis Armstrong's first coronet.

    

                                                  Pete Fountain (in wax).               Mahalia Jackson with Duke Ellington.

                

        Nancy with her beignets.                             Lea being conned by a dog!                         Dog and singer who trained her.

        

                                            This guy was "frozen" there.                   Bathroom doors in the Presvytere 

                                                                                                                    Museum Marti Gras area.

    

                                                             Nancy's Milk Punch.        At Pat O'Brians - well, just outside.

January 21

The city seems a bit subdued today. Not sure if it's because of the MLK holiday, or that the Saints lost the game yesterday. The weather has also been unusually cold for New Orleans. Several locals complained to us about the low temperatures these last couple of days. It was not nearly as cold today as yesterday, though. Thankfully! And tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer.

New Orleans is home to a beautiful World War II Museum. We wondered why it would be located here, and found out that it was because the Higgins Boats (these were vital to the amphibious operations in Normandy) were designed, tested, and built here. The museum is expansive and has many great, multi-media and interactive exhibits. It is the third most popular museum in the US, and the many people visiting today was proof of that. The museum is designed to engage visitors of all ages, and you can get a dog tag to follow an actual soldier, sailor, airman - any branch - through their military career to life after the war. It's a great way to make a more personal connection to what our country went through during that time.

Nancy had to get her coffee fix before we really dove into the museum, so we walked a few blocks and found a great little coffee shop, The French Truck Coffee Shop. They told her about another shop where she could fine beignets. Believe it or not, she hadn't had one before today, and her goal was to have beignets at least once a day while we're here. When we finished up at the museum, we headed right for the beignets. Nancy was very happy. Lea took one bite, and that was more than enough!

Now that Nancy is a grandma, she keeps finding onesies to buy for her grand baby. So far, the count is 3 from New Orleans, and we've only been here 2 days!

On the way home, we had to make another market stop. In addition to what we needed, Lea came home with a couple more pounds of Camellia brand beans. You can't find this brand of beans, and even the type of beans (Creamy Lady Peas),  anywhere else except here in the South. Well, and maybe Amazon. But you gotta get authentic stuff from their native locations. Hey, Nancy buys onesies, Lea buys beans... to each their own! (Nancy also bought beans!)

Today is also Red Beans and Rice Day, so we went to a vegan restaurant and had our red beans and rice. Also, okra gumbo, jambalaya, greens, mac & cheese... all good comfort food!

We had picked up Katrina after work, and as we were driving to the restaurant, a man on a bike approached the car, tapped on her window, and indicated that her registration is expired. She acknowledged and waved her thanks. We figured that was the end of it, but we were wrong. He crossed the street, and caught her attention again, showing her some kind of papers. We had no idea what was going on, but Katrina knew; she told us he was offering her fake registration papers!

A great visual representation of numbers in military service

for Japan, USA, and Germany at the end of WW I.

     

Having a moment with FDR. 

Nancy savoring her first beignets.

January 20

Today is Sunday, so as is our custom when we travel, we went to the local Orthodox church. New Orleans is home to Holy Trinity Cathedral, the first Greek Orthodox church in the Americas. Although this is not the original building, the community celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2014. The simple exterior belies the beautiful interior, with practically every possible space on the walls and ceiling bearing icons; 53 in all, including stained glass windows. There weren't too many people in church today, and even the priest acknowledged the sparse attendance was due to the big game. The few people who were there were friendly and welcoming. We didn't stay for coffee, though.

We started our adventure shopping for dinner ingredients. Katrina, Sam, and one of Katrina's girlfriends were coming to dinner this evening. And, because it's been so cold (actually, "record low" temps in NOLA today!), something to keep Lea warmer was also on the shopping list. When you're in a place that is known for their beans, of course you buy beans to take home as souvenirs! We bought red beans, black-eyed peas, and Lady Cream Peas which look like mini Black-Eyed Peas. Neither one of us has ever heard of them, but we liked the name, so we got them.

There is a charming book and spice shop here called Kitchen Witch, so we stopped in for a bit. It's a kitchy place with all kinds of new and vintage cookbooks, cooking tools/implements, and original spice blends. Of course we both had to get some of those spices.

It was finally time for our King Cake class. Katrina dropped us off a little early, as we were told to make sure to be there on time. (NOLA has a very laid-back sense of time!) Once in, we were led up a very narrow staircase to an upper room, which is usually used for their "Shrimp Boil."This leads out to a "gallery," not to be confused with a balcony. Mr. Gregory pointed out that the building next to us has a balcony, but we were standing on a gallery. They look exactly the same, but... a gallery has columns underneath that go to the ground, a balcony is just hanging from the building.

Mr. Gregory's class was fantastic! He demonstrated making a traditional Parisian style King Cake called Galette des Rois. This one is made with puff pastry and is filled with almond paste and creole cream cheese. While we waited for the cake to bake, we were treated to a mini-muffuletta, wine, two other types of King Cake, and champagne. Both of those cakes were good; actually, we thought the first one was just OK - just a glorified cinnamon bread with fancy icing. The second one was fabulous! A dry brioche-type dough filled with an enhanced whipped cream and fresh fruit. The Gallette des Rois was also delicious, and was served with a chicory caffe au lait, also very delicious. At the end, we got to choose our "feve" to take home. The feve often represents the baby Jesus, but it is also for good luck. The person who gets the feve is "crowned" king or queen for the day, and/or is responsible for bringing the next King Cake to the celebration. Interestingly, "feve" comes from the word for fava bean; originally, King Cakes were made with a fava bean baked inside because it was believed they were magical. 

On our way home, Katrina drove us through a neighborhood around Lake Pontchartrain near the Greek church. This lake is one of the many bodies of water that flooded during Hurricane Katrina. It's an affluent neighborhood with lots of big, beautiful homes. We figured the ones that had whitewashed exteriors, columns, and blue trim were owned by Greeks!

Our dinner with the kids was great. We shared stories, laughs, and just had a nice relaxed evening. I think the kids were a little taken aback when Nancy decided to roast marshmallows over the flames in the heater. She'd been brewing this notion since yesterday when we first lit them, and talked all day about buying the marshmallows and skewers today. We did get the marshmallows, but she decided the forks would do just fine... Sometimes, you just have to shake your head!! Roast marshmallows she did, and with great success. And truth be known, she was definitely not the only one who did so!

 

this weather needs warmer clothes!

              

Armstrong Park archway.              A party bus covered with stickers!    

                    

               Mr. Gregory's Gallette des Roix.       The other bakery cakes; the tilted one is 

                                                                  the cinnamon cake, the other one is 

                                                         the yummy cream-filled cake.

          

Mr. Gregory's finished Gallete des Rois.

    

                            Billy, Mr. Gregory's assistant.       Us with Mr. Gregory on the gallery. Nancy told us to 
                                                                                   sure to keep our eyes opened... obviously we didn't!

               

                                           The porcelain feves from which            Nancy liked the bathroom decor.
                                                       we got to choose.

                       

Roasting marshmallows in the wall heater!

    

January 19

Our adventure began at John Wayne Airport. Lea had packed avocados, lemons and beans for Katrina. Who knew beans would set off the "danger" alarm at the security point? Lea did not personally have to be inspected, but her suitcase did! Once inspected, the security agent felt confident that there was no security threat. Whew! Nancy's luggage went through without a hitch.

The first leg of our journey took us to Houston. With about an hour layover, we thought we'd have a leisurely break and time to get a snack between flights. Why would we ever think that?? Houston Airport is so huge, it seemed like we walked a mile to our next gate! We got there with only a few minutes to spare before boarding began.

Finally in New Orleans, Katrina and Sam (Katrina's boyfriend) picked us up. Sam is adorable; quiet, but warm and friendly. Katrina looked great. And we enjoyed meeting their dogs, Andre and Alanis. First order of business was dinner - we decided on Ethiopian at Abyssinia. Great choice!

We are now settling into our New Orleans home. It's an old, drafty place, but not without charm. That being said, what would an AirBnb experience be for us without its challenges? The pictures will tell that part of the story.

And just for the record - it's freezing here!

                                                                                        

               Our yummy dinner - served family style.                               If these guys are here, who's watching the city?

Our home away from home.

             

charming view upon entering.                                     cozy bedrooms                                                     hmmmmm...

               

old-house heating system... it's still cold!

January 18

Tomorrow Nancy and Lea head south to New Orleans to visit Katrina and explore "The Big Easy." Neither of us has been there before, so the "virgins" are at it again. We have few set plans, except Nancy wants to taste everything, and to eat beignets every day!  Lea is already full thinking about it.

So... we just found out that we'll be arriving in time for a HUGE football game: the Saints vs Rams! OMG!! what have we gotten ourselves into?!?!