We head home today but our flight scheduled for 6:40 pm has been delayed twice (current departure time is 8:53 pm) so we have time to do some more sightseeing. Last night we had an incredible dinner at the Pelican Club (312 Exchange Pl, New Orleans, LA 70130). It was recommended by her friend, Ellen. Patrice had the Cioppino and I had the Red Fish. This trip I learned that I love Red Fish (aka Drum).
This morning we trekked to the French Quarter to have Beignets and Cafe Au Lait at Cafe Du Monde, a New Orleans tradition. We could have gone to their satelite outlet at a nearby mall but that would not have been the same.
How can you go to a recent add-on when there is so much tradition with this place.
After that we walked back to the hotel during a light mist of rain. Before I forget here are some travel tips for NOLA that might help you in other areas.
As previously stated don’t trust the taxi drivers in NOLA except for trips to and from the airport. Walking is a great option but bring an umbrella and jacket no matter how warm it is. It can get very cold very quick here. Next is a great tip from my son, David. Pack this incredible backpack. It has tons of pockets for all sorts of goodies (I used it in the conference to bring my laptop, phone charger, ear phones, glasses, etc.) Also as you can see it folds up to a very. tiny size that is very easy to stuff in your luggage.
Backpack ready to be filled. This is what it looked like when I slipped it into my luggage.
Also, don’t look like a tourist. See below.
What? Does wearing a hat that says Portofino, holding a city map, and a cup from Cafe Du Monde look suspicious?
Now for some photos that I found interesting. Some need no explanation, some need a few words, and some are beyond my comprehension.
Southwest now has these huge overhead compartments which are very convenient for storage but very hard on the head. I banged mine getting into my seat and on my way out. Hopefully I will remember and not do it on the return flight.I saw this sign upon arriving in New Orleans. I had to investigate the Pet Relief area.I found this room, equipped with fire hydrant. It also had a sink in case your pet wanted to wash its hands. I mean paws.This speaks for itself.Love this slide of a doctor counseling a patient about colon cancer screening. Check out the doctor’s left hand.Patrice and me posing at the ACP sign. For those of you who didn’t believe my story of the song “Father and Daughter” here is a list of the final songs slated to be played. By the way, I am not crying now. [Patrice here: Yes he is.]Even the police sell souvenirs.Of course I had to buy Patrice something as a souvenir of the trip.
But she opted for this instead.
And finally in honor of Eric.
Carrot Sticky Toffee Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream from Peche (where we had lunch today).
That’s all for this trip. Speak to you in May when we go to ………………
Last night was very special. We took an Uber to the Saenger Theater. By the way don’t take a cab here unless it’s from the airport where the fee to and from the city is a fixed rate. We’ve taken 3 cab rides here and not one taxi had a meter. It’s as if they make up the charge on arrival (With the exception of the airport rides). For instance last night we took an Uber to the theater and paid $10. Yesterday we took a cab to the same place to buy the tickets and the charge was $20.
Oh well, let’s concentrate on the happy thoughts. The show was at the Saenger theatre which was built in 1927. It has housed performances by Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Seinfeld and many others. Broadway shows have also been featured including Chicago, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and next week Hamilton. The theater is gorgeous. Before the show we had a chance to tour around this beautiful theater. We met an usher who had been on the job for only 2 days but was born and raised in New Orleans and it was obvious that the theater had been a big part of his life. He filled us in on the history of the theatre and gave us a list of the songs and the order in which they were going to be played.
Look like we are having fun?A variety of statues adorn the walls. There is a night sky decoration on the ceiling.
Simon came onstage at 8:15 for a show that was scheduled to start at 8. I was disappointed looking at the song list because “Father and Daughter” was not included. Although not his most famous song it has been special to me since I made two music videos using the song. Each honored one of my daughters Lindsay and Erica (I also made one for David using “Let’s Hear It For the Boy”. A better choice for obvious reasons). Simon finished the show and then came back for his encore with the songs listed as “The Boxer” and “The Sounds of Silence”. He started to talk about his daughter Lulu and then much to my surprise he started playing “Father and Daughter”. By the time he got to the last line (“There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you”) I was in tears. [Patrice here: The big baby was in tears just writing this sentence.]
It was a special night but the 83 year old soon to be 84 didn’t quite sound the same as years ago.
This morning I started off thinking it was time to hit the gym and get on the treadmill. I kept procrastinating until Patrice woke up and said “Let’s go to breakfast”. We took an Uber to Who Dat Coffee Cafe (2401 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70117) which was recommended by our friends Alan and Becky. We shared the special of the day Oysters Benedict. I said to the server that it sounded very healthy to which he replied “They don’t call us the heart attack capital of the world for nothing.”
Oysters Benedict with Grits instead of fruit (Why try to be healthy?).Your happy travelers in front of Who Dat Coffee Cafe.
After breakfast we took a short walk to the nearby Jamnola museum. Jamnola stands for Joy Art Music New Orleans Louisiana. It was a small but fun museum with lots of creative exhibits.
I thought we were in an M.C.Escher painting. We offered an alligator some tasty Californians.
We thought we would then cruise the neighborhood but heavy rain with thunder and lightning convinced us to just chill in the museum a little longer.
Crawfish (also spelled Crayfish) making Robert EtouffeeHe changed his mind and we played a duet instead.Patrice showing off her muscles.
They had a number of costumes and accessories that people have worn at Mardi Gras celebrations including the outfit below.
A guide was asked if it weighed about 100 lbs to which she say, “No, somewhere between 95 and 105”.
Then it was off to lunch. It was still raining quite hard so a walk to burn off some calories was not going to work so another Uber ride was upon us. We decided to return to Muriel’s for another amazing meal.
Crawfish and goat cheese crepes.Blackened Redfish with some broccolini (added to make you think you are eating healthy).
I think Muriel’s might be our NOLA favorite.
Sorry, I need to stop for now. My book group meeting is about to start. Dinner will be late so I will leave you until tomorrow.
This morning I planned on attending a 7 AM lecture for the 3rd day in a row. I awoke at about 4 AM and decided rather than playing Duolingo, Wordle, and checking emails I would close my eyes for one more second. When I next opened them it was 6:58 AM. At that point it was unlikely that I would make it to the 7:00 AM lecture so I just closed my eyes again and smiled. What a wonderful feeling it is to get a good night’s sleep. I finally got my act together and made it to the 8:00 AM lecture and those that followed. Today was a good day in which I learned all sorts of great tips that will help my patients and me.
Mid day we met for a quick lunch at the nearby Mulate’s (201 Julia St, New Orleans, LA 70130) so I could get back to the conference. The main courses were okay but the highlight was the dessert. So here at the request of Eric is a photo of a dessert: beignets filled with Nutella.
Worth every calorie.
The highlight of the meeting occurred today when Patrice and I saw a UCLA Health VIP. Yes, Janet, one of the high level doctors at UCLA Health was at the conference. We chatted briefly then Janet told Patrice that I was a UCLA superstar. How could I not love that?
That’s all good news but I’m sure you are asking “What is the great news?” Turns out that one of my sister’s high school classmates is in town and we will be seeing him tonight. Many years ago I recall looking through my sister’s high school annual. I was curious to see what she looked like when she was 18. I wondered if she looked anything like what I remembered. After finding her I looked at the other students. Suddenly I stopped and yelled out, “ANNETTE, YOU WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH SIMON AND GARFUNKEL?”. As I recall she said, “Who?”. So tonight we will be seeing Paul Simon perform. Much to my amazement we could buy excellent seats at a very affordable price. We looked online and saw that balcony seats for his performance in Los Angeles cost far more than we paid for seats in the orchestra section for tonight’s performance.
Yes, Paul Simon in New Orleans.
Home now. Too tired to write more. I’ll tell you all about the concert tomorrow.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 