Ok, so I knew it was a lot, but when my girlfriend %26amp; I did the math on the flight home, we were a little surprised to see that we had visits to 28 different establishments for food %26amp;/or beverage with a few repeats for a total of 32! (Though I don%26#39;t think our tummies %26amp; livers were all that surprised.)
DAY 1 - We headed out of the Le Pavillon Hotel %26amp; headed on Poydras Ave towards the river (we were told that it was the Mississippi) %26amp; popped into the Whitney Hotel to sneak a peek at a restaurant called Lil%26#39; Dizzy%26#39;s Cafe. The hotel %26amp; the cafe itself are located in a former bank, so the tables are mixed within the huge columns %26amp; one is even in the vault. All in all, a pretty cool looking spot. We just wondered what would happen if an unsavvy bank robber came in - what would be his take? A dozen muffins %26amp; a handful of coffee creamers??
From there, we walked over to Canal St %26amp; down to the river. We walked the path along the river through scenic Woldenberg Park. Being a Sat morning, crowds of people started to grow. We headed up to Decatur St to get our first glimpse of Jackson Square %26amp; a rather lively street statue performer. Being a beautiful, sunny day, what would be our first food %26amp; drink in New Orleans? Beignets %26amp; cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde, of course. Let%26#39;s just say, ';Yummm.';
Next, we walked through the French Market where one could find all sorts of crafts %26amp; goods being hawked by locals. Our favorite spot was an older Chinese gentlemen who used his fantastic artistic ability to create a mix of calligraphy art %26amp; picture drawing to write the names of patrons. We stood for about 10 minutes watching him draw dolphins %26amp; lighthouses as parts of the alphabet.
I happened to pop into the restroom of the market at that point. Oh my. One of the top 5 worst smells that I have ever smelled in my life. I was hoping that someone would walk in %26amp; throw up as that would have been an upgrade in smell. Oh well, all part of the charm.
From there, we headed up to the corner of St Philip %26amp; Bourbon to the famed Lafitte%26#39;s Blacksmith Shop. Now, the blacksmith wasn%26#39;t in, but thank goodness the bartender was! This place didn%26#39;t disappoint. Both the hurricanes %26amp; the Bloody Marys were the very best we had all trip. The BMs left a little burn in the back of the throat that was just right. And the string beans that accompany the drink were fabulous. We played a couple of tunes on the jukebox %26amp; enjoyed the view of the street from a window table. (This would not be our last visit to Lafitte%26#39;s.)
With drink in hand, we then did our 1st walk of Bourbon St. Certainly a street w/ its own unique style, but not our favorite in the Quarter. We stopped in for drinks at the Old Absinthe House. $6 for an Abita draft? We would do better later on. But I did leave my business card in the throngs of cards adorning the wall. You know on a future visit, we%26#39;ll have to see if it is still there.
After quick pop into the Famous Door for a vodka tonic, lunchtime brought us to the Napoleon House where we got a lovely spot in the courtyard. Here we were not only introduced to the tasty muffaletta, but the fabulous Pimm%26#39;s Cup! And then a second Pimm%26#39;s Cup!
A short walk back to the hotel %26amp; a journey up to the cool rooftop pool %26amp; hot tub. Did we really need a margarita while in the hot tub? No...but when in Rome....
So what does a hurricane, a Bloody Mary, an Abita beer, a vodka tonic, 2 Pimm%26#39;s Cup, and a margarita equal? If you said, ';A 3 hour nap,'; you would be correct!
Around 9:30 pm we trekked the length of Decatur to have dinner at Coop%26#39;s Place. A very cool hole-in-the-wall type of place with super food. We sat at the bar %26amp; were warned that food may not be quick as they were down a cook that night. However, we still got our food within 25 minutes or so as we chatted it up with a local college professor next to us. My fried chicken atop rabbit %26amp; sausage jambalaya was delicious, though my girlfriend%26#39;s fish special was sort of miss as there was way too much butter. Still, a place we would definitely return to in the future.
We ended our first day walking down Bourbon listening to music coming from places like Fritz%26#39;s European Jazz %26amp; the Funky Pirate w/ Big Al Carson. We circled back on Royal St to the famed Pat O%26#39;Brien%26#39;s on St Peters. All in all, a pretty impressive place with its assortment of bars %26amp; beautiful courtyard. After we purchased our obligatory hurricanes (a little sweeter than Lafitte%26#39;s), we were walking through the crowd when our path became blocked. I looked at the man in front of me, he looked me in the eye, says ';Hi'; and extends his hand. I say ';Hi,'; shake his hand %26amp; start to move forward. It wasn%26#39;t until that point that I realized I had just shaken hands with a billionaire. It was Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban, who apparently was in town a night early for the Mavs-Hornets game the next day. I did have to chuckle, though, to think that it%26#39;s nice to know that a guy with a billion dollars has no better plans for a Saturday night than I do!
On that note, our first day in New Orleans was complete. Time for bed. Day 2 a little later.
28 different stops in 4 days! Day 1 report
Great trip report!! Can%26#39;t wait to read the rest :)
28 different stops in 4 days! Day 1 report
Very entertaining! By the way Lil%26#39; Dizzy%26#39;s at Poydras and Camp (former Whitney Bank branch) has great fried chicken. Also those going to Lafitte%26#39;s blacksmith shop..don%26#39;t forget to check out the piano bar way in the back. You never know who you might see in New Orleans from sports people to movie stars..
You tell me about the fried chicken at Lil%26#39; Dizzy%26#39;s NOW?? Uggh. Oh well, I guess next time!
And from the photos on the wall, it looks like Nicholas Cage gets his mail at Lafitte%26#39;s.
Hobnobbin%26#39; with a billionaire. Pretty cool.
Napoleon House is one of my favorite courtyards, although I opt for a Sazerac and Abitas rather than a Pimm%26#39;s cup. They are very good, as you know, however.
Lafitte%26#39;s are my favorite hurricanes. Glad that you sampled both, that way you can taste the difference.
And, I am disappointed with Old Absinthe House. They are vastly overpriced on EVERYTHING.
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