Sunday, April 12, 2009
Down the Mississippi, Down in . . .
As promised, here's my report on New Orleans!
First, I really like New Orleans. I'm from Vegas, so I'm qualified to talk about fun places to visit. New Orleans is that, and no doubt. In fact, New Orleans reminds me of Las Vegas in a number of ways. For instance, there was a list of warnings in the hotel room. It said, amongst other things, that "if it's illegal in your home town, it's probably illegal in New Orleans." Did you know that nudity is always illegal in New Orleans? Even during Mardi Gras? Of course you did, you rascal you! Just as with Las Vegas, people apparently visit New Orleans thinking that they can do whatever viceful thing they wish without any worries. Nope, not so. Prostitution, as in Las Vegas, is quite illegal as well.
One thing you can do legally in New Orleans that you can't do in Vegas is drink in public. You can walk right down the street, Bourbon Street or any other street, drinking whatever you'd like, so long as it's in plastic. No cans or bottles allowed. For instance, there was a sign displayed on Bourbon Street at night that said, and I quote: "Huge Ass Beers to Go." Yowza! I don't drink a lot of beer in my old age, so I don't know how big they were, but I did see people with alcohol in hand wandering freely in front of the police assigned to keep a semblance of order on a weekend night.
Also in New Orleans the bars often have video poker machines. Not to the extent that Nevada bars do, with the machines built into the bar, but still, they're in there, and that made the place seem homey. There were no such devices in drug or grocery stores, however. (Sometimes in Vegas I think they're about to install them in church.)
So, what did we do? Well, we took a ride in a mule-drawn carriage around the French Quarter, which is a small but picturesque area by the river. We also took a ride on a riverboat, a stern wheel steamboat no less. We ate the best creole and Cajun food I've ever tasted (and I'm going to find out how to make gumbo.) We visited with my daughter Kate, who is there with Americorps helping get people back into their homes by cleaning and fixing the structures. They do a great job. She took us through the lower ninth ward, which is pretty sad to see. Lots of lots, and not that many houses. Some people are back, though, and some of the rebuilt homes are really pretty. Other sections of the city have recovered further, but still need a lot of work. The areas near the river did not flood.
That's because the river is the highest point in the city, at 11 feet above sea level. The city itself averages 6 feet below sea level. The river actually backs up from running into the gulf, 100 miles downstream, so what it seems should be a quiet estuary is actually the place where the river drops lots of sediment, and it actually has a channel above the surrounding swamplands. The floods were not due to the city filling up with water from the storm so much as from the failure of pumping stations and levees in one part of town. A tragic tale of human error, in fact. So, seemingly paradoxically, the riverbanks stayed dry while the outlying areas furthest from the river flooded out.
Back to our adventures. We also toured a creole sugar plantation, a tour rated tops by Lonely Planet, and for good reason. It's called the Laura Plantation. Unlike the tour I took at Mount Vernon there was no talk of "servants quarters." They were referred to as "slave cabins," and so they were. The owners, as our tour guide liked to say, made "boucoup d'argent," which is to say a lot of money. Many millions, and that was in the nineteenth century. Sugar really is gold, apparently.
We rode the St. Charles trolley to the end of the line and back to see the fancy houses. We ate a lot of food, including some great barbecue at VooDoo BBQ on St. Charles. We walked around the French Quarter and bought things. We saw two Easter Parades with people throwing small plush bunnies and beads. It was, all in all, a heck of a lot of fun.
Since I'm back, I can say that the thing I miss the most is the food. Our first night there my daughter took us to the Gumbo Shop on St. Peter Street in the French Quarter. Gumbo has been my favorite soup for a long time. It was my favorite food prior to eating the Crab Stuffed Lemon Sole at the Spice Buffet at the Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood.) It is a very close second. The Gumbo Shop served the best Gumbo I've ever had, almost good enough to be called a tie with the stuffed sole. I also had some decent jambalaya, and crawfish etouffe, which is also more or less a soup with rice. For breakfast on my last day I went out for some beignets and coffee. Yummy. I bought them at the Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street. A beignet is sort of a cross between a sopapilla and a doughnut. They are served hot, greasy, and with powdered sugar. They are much better than mere doughnuts, however, and I miss them.
To recap quickly: I really liked New Orleans. I hope to go back and eat some more of the food. I highly recommend the city to anyone wanting a good time, especially people from Las Vegas who want a different over the top experience. And remember, What Happens in The Big Easy . . . . . . . all too often makes the national news.
Steve
First, I really like New Orleans. I'm from Vegas, so I'm qualified to talk about fun places to visit. New Orleans is that, and no doubt. In fact, New Orleans reminds me of Las Vegas in a number of ways. For instance, there was a list of warnings in the hotel room. It said, amongst other things, that "if it's illegal in your home town, it's probably illegal in New Orleans." Did you know that nudity is always illegal in New Orleans? Even during Mardi Gras? Of course you did, you rascal you! Just as with Las Vegas, people apparently visit New Orleans thinking that they can do whatever viceful thing they wish without any worries. Nope, not so. Prostitution, as in Las Vegas, is quite illegal as well.
One thing you can do legally in New Orleans that you can't do in Vegas is drink in public. You can walk right down the street, Bourbon Street or any other street, drinking whatever you'd like, so long as it's in plastic. No cans or bottles allowed. For instance, there was a sign displayed on Bourbon Street at night that said, and I quote: "Huge Ass Beers to Go." Yowza! I don't drink a lot of beer in my old age, so I don't know how big they were, but I did see people with alcohol in hand wandering freely in front of the police assigned to keep a semblance of order on a weekend night.
Also in New Orleans the bars often have video poker machines. Not to the extent that Nevada bars do, with the machines built into the bar, but still, they're in there, and that made the place seem homey. There were no such devices in drug or grocery stores, however. (Sometimes in Vegas I think they're about to install them in church.)
So, what did we do? Well, we took a ride in a mule-drawn carriage around the French Quarter, which is a small but picturesque area by the river. We also took a ride on a riverboat, a stern wheel steamboat no less. We ate the best creole and Cajun food I've ever tasted (and I'm going to find out how to make gumbo.) We visited with my daughter Kate, who is there with Americorps helping get people back into their homes by cleaning and fixing the structures. They do a great job. She took us through the lower ninth ward, which is pretty sad to see. Lots of lots, and not that many houses. Some people are back, though, and some of the rebuilt homes are really pretty. Other sections of the city have recovered further, but still need a lot of work. The areas near the river did not flood.
That's because the river is the highest point in the city, at 11 feet above sea level. The city itself averages 6 feet below sea level. The river actually backs up from running into the gulf, 100 miles downstream, so what it seems should be a quiet estuary is actually the place where the river drops lots of sediment, and it actually has a channel above the surrounding swamplands. The floods were not due to the city filling up with water from the storm so much as from the failure of pumping stations and levees in one part of town. A tragic tale of human error, in fact. So, seemingly paradoxically, the riverbanks stayed dry while the outlying areas furthest from the river flooded out.
Back to our adventures. We also toured a creole sugar plantation, a tour rated tops by Lonely Planet, and for good reason. It's called the Laura Plantation. Unlike the tour I took at Mount Vernon there was no talk of "servants quarters." They were referred to as "slave cabins," and so they were. The owners, as our tour guide liked to say, made "boucoup d'argent," which is to say a lot of money. Many millions, and that was in the nineteenth century. Sugar really is gold, apparently.
We rode the St. Charles trolley to the end of the line and back to see the fancy houses. We ate a lot of food, including some great barbecue at VooDoo BBQ on St. Charles. We walked around the French Quarter and bought things. We saw two Easter Parades with people throwing small plush bunnies and beads. It was, all in all, a heck of a lot of fun.
Since I'm back, I can say that the thing I miss the most is the food. Our first night there my daughter took us to the Gumbo Shop on St. Peter Street in the French Quarter. Gumbo has been my favorite soup for a long time. It was my favorite food prior to eating the Crab Stuffed Lemon Sole at the Spice Buffet at the Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood.) It is a very close second. The Gumbo Shop served the best Gumbo I've ever had, almost good enough to be called a tie with the stuffed sole. I also had some decent jambalaya, and crawfish etouffe, which is also more or less a soup with rice. For breakfast on my last day I went out for some beignets and coffee. Yummy. I bought them at the Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street. A beignet is sort of a cross between a sopapilla and a doughnut. They are served hot, greasy, and with powdered sugar. They are much better than mere doughnuts, however, and I miss them.
To recap quickly: I really liked New Orleans. I hope to go back and eat some more of the food. I highly recommend the city to anyone wanting a good time, especially people from Las Vegas who want a different over the top experience. And remember, What Happens in The Big Easy . . . . . . . all too often makes the national news.
Steve
Labels: Reviews
