New Orleans, Part 2.
—or—
Noms & Dranks, of course.

A preface:

New Orleans is a touristy place. As someone who is from a touristy place (Asheville) I understand just how miserable it can be to deal with tourists. I try to never act like a tourist even when I am one.

It is also worth noting that I pretty much ALWAYS look like I’m on vacation. I wear bright, bold, tropical colors, lots of beads, big earrrings, boho bag bedecked in dangling key chains, and I carry a fan. I’ve been at this as long as I can remember. {Also, since when did tourists start carrying fans? Dang jerks have copped my doom-hippie style. I digress.} It’s okay to be a tourist. It’s NOT okay to go to place that is not yours and expect it to cater to your needs. If you want “normal food” just go to Applebee’s. Don’t get wasted-face and act like you’ve never been to a bar before. Over-tip your servers, even if they seem distant–they’ve likely been dealing with jerk tourists.

There are like one millions great places to eat and drink in New Orleans. Just ask someone–they will tell you their favorites.  Ain’t nobody got time for Pat O’Briens. You ARE allowed to go to Cafe DuMonde. It really is worth it. (FYI just grab a table–DO NOT stand in the stupid line!!!) Unless you’re going to LaFitte’s Blacksmith Shop you can pretty much bypass Bourbon Street. Or you can walk down it to gawk at those 8 blocks of horror. Anyway… I’m going to tell you about some places that I love. If you go there, you better not act like a jerk. Okay? Okay. Now take notes because you’re gonna want to remember these.

[Don’t forget, all text in BOLD ITALICS is a clickable link to more info!!!}

❤

LaFITTE’S BLACKSMITH SHOP:

It’s the oldest bar in America. You should go there.

Get a margarita or a Purple Drink. Don’t ask, just do it.

BUD RIP’S

Located in the Bywater.

Kinda hipster but welcomed my mom and people with dogs.

Great daily drink specials ($3-$5) and fresh flowers on the bar.

Free oysters {and set ups!} on Saturday afternoons.

HANSEN’S:

{photo credit, MOM <3}

Here is what my mom posted on Facebook after her first Sno-Bliz:

“There Are No Shortcuts to Quality” is the motto of Hansen’s Sno-Bliz. Today was the day I had my first sno-ball ever. It was fluffy. It was pink. The softest shaved ice ever. Cream of nectar syrup, crushed pineapple, vanilla ice cream buried in the shaved ice, marshmallow fluff. The “Jr Atomic” looks like a mushroom cloud and is perhaps an immature thing for a woman my age to order, but I will do it again…and again…given the chance! Oh, and a cherry on top. (This was a recommendation from The Book.)

I would wax poetic about this but really just go to their website and read their story. Then at your very next convenient moment, you should go there. Like, drive from Texas or North Carolina or Oregon and don’t even stop at your hotel, just go immediately there. Get the Junior Atomic with Nectar. If you tell them it’s your first you *might* get a tiny American flag tooth pick and sprinkles on your. Or maybe I just looked like such a tourist fangirl that I got those things.

Southern Food & Beverage Museum 
also home of the Museum of the American Cocktail

This museum has a little section on food from all southern states.
You can get a drink at the bar and drink it while you browse.
You encouraged to TOUCH a lot of the gadgets/items on display.

There were even DOLLS, y’all.

You may (probably not, LOL) remember the doll on the left from this post. I tried to buy a doll just like this and had drama (click to read about if ya wanna). At least now I know “who she is” and can try to buy one someday! The doll on the right is a Chiquita banana promotion. Aren’t they both just dreamy?

There is also a pretty major cocktail napkin collection (way more than what you see here) and y’all know how much I love paper napkins.

 

CENTRAL GROCERY
Muffulettas y’all.
HOT TIP: you can get them without meat–hooray!

Now let’s talk about Po-boy’s.

There are two places that I have had magical po-boys. It is possible that I was spoiled/warped by having the sandwich at these two places early on in my NO tenure. I’m sure there are other great places out there, but after several very mediocre experiences I would rather just get to the source and bypass sadfaces.

If you want to take the sandwich to eat on the grass by the river:
VERTI MART
{FUN FACT: I love this sandwich so much I have considered naming a child Verti}
The fried oyster seems a bit pricey but you will not regret it.

If you want to eat at a table with a plate:
COOP’S
I’d advise to go early or for lunch (they get slammed and there’s a line).
It’s worth noting that you gotta be 21 to enter, even to just eat.

 

A couple of more places you might want to check out for drinks:
In the Quarter:
Molly’s at the Market: cold AC, cheap drinks, across from the market (obvs)
Erin Rose : cheap drinks, superior juke box, po-boys (heard they’re good)
SoBou : fancy but great happy hour, sometimes pool is open to public

In the Bywater:
Mimi’s: restaurant with bar menu & “trust me” order option, great happy hour
Marie’s: cold AC, CHEAP drinks, old bar flies

And if you need some PIZZA—->Pizza Delicious…lawdy.

AND 2 MOARRRR THINGS:

There are two places I went on this trip that were pretty random but SUPER fun. One was a gourmet soft drink store and the other was a giant mardi gras bead warehouse. The soft drink store is called Rocket Fizz and is a chain that sells weird drinks and candies. My doll club likes to get strange soft drinks to sample so this was a gold mine of delight. Once we drink the ones I bought I will report back on the flavors I got–they included: Churro Burro, Faygo Rock & Rye, Peanut Butter, Grass, Ranch, and Fog. Yup. You read those right. I took some suggestions from a little boy who was about 8 years old who had come in several different times with his family. He seemed like an expert.

The other place was called The Mardi Gras Spot which is a GIANT warehouse of all kinds of beads and stuff to throw in parades. If you love beads and parasols you gotta get there. A lot of store warehouses like this charge admission just to go shop (like $15 >:P ) so this one is a great place that you can go for free. The prices are very reasonable and CHEAP when compared to out of town shopping. They also carry glass beads!

WHEW!
That’s a LOT of info but I hope you enjoyed it!

Be sure to check out New Orleans, Part 1. and my YouTube Amtrak video!

See you soon with the last post about the trip:
New Orleans, Part 3: For Mr Smith

New Orleans, Part 1.
The train, “The Book”, and the Trinity.

As you know from THIS post, I recently took the Amtrak to New Orleans to vacation with my mother. The last time I took a long train ride like this was in 2004 when I went with my mom from PA to NYC after I graduated from college. So it had been a minute since I traveled this way.

The picture below doesn’t really do justice to JUST HOW WEIRD IT WAS to go at 2:30am to what seems like an abandoned train track and feel like it was either a murder in the making or an episode of candid camera. Big props to Mr. Smith for taking me there, staying with me, and not being too weirded out! After the boarding time came and went with NO TRAIN, I checked the Amtrak website and discovered the train was delayed by an hour. And sure enough, pretty much right at 4:15am, a GIANT train with at least ten cars stopped in Gastonia for just little ol me.

It felt straight up like the Knight Bus in Harry Potter.

The train trip was AWESOME. I absolutely recommend traveling this way if you have some flexibility in your travel time (ie, don’t need to get somewhere in a short amount of time). The trip took about 17 hours (that went SO FAST) but would have taken at least 11 by plane (with the tickets that I could afford–one way tickets were over $400). The coach seats were VERY big and reclined way more than the 1.5 inches on a plane. The staff was really helpful and friendly. The bathrooms were a little gross, but so are most public bathrooms, right? I’m calling it $135 very well spent. When I travel this way again the only thing I will do differently is to pack some sneaky beverages of my own and more food from home. As long as you eat in your seat and not the dining car, they don’t mind you bringing your own noms. I’ll also check for delays before I leave home.

Let’s talk briefly about what has become known as “The Book.” This is not to be confused with “The Good Book”– it is a delightful love letter to the food and drink of New Orleans and the people who make it possible. I stumbled upon The Book on an end cap at the public library in Gastonia. The cover caught my eye and the book flap blurb sounded like it might be worth a read.

In all honesty, I get nervous about books that have to do with New Orleans, and really, Louisiana in general. Cliches abound and are both powerful and painful. The Book, Gumbo Tales ended up pleasing me in a way that only James Lee Burke has in recent years. My nerves quickly melted in to relief as I read and knew that author Sara Roahen “got it”. That’s all I will say about The Book besides that if you are a n00b or a native, Roahen is likely to show you some places that will make your face, taste-buds, and tummy smile.

Carrying on!

Besides the obvious food & drinks, my favorite parts of New Orleans can be described as The Trinity. Graffiti, cats, and people are probably my other favorite things about New Orleans. They are everywhere and they are like no where else. Here are some pictures and snippets of The Trinity from this trip.

GRAFFITI:

There were a few tags that my eye kept seeing all over town. While I didn’t get pictures of any of them they’re still worth a mention so you can look for them if you’re around. DUKY (while I wish it was pronounced “Duckie” like my cat, I imagine it’s “dookie” like Green Day but whatevs), REZNOR (again with the 90’s ref), ACHOO and READ. I’m not sure if it’s by the same person as the READ around town but you gotta check this out—–>  This piece is freaking huge–seriously, click here to see it.

Now for some I saw and documented!

I kept seeing these wonderful clusters of koi all over the Bywater.

CATS!

Y’all all know how much I love puds, and to be totally honest, I thought I’d end up bringing a batch of swamp kittens home with me. Mr. Smith better be glad I didn’t find any! Unfortunately, the pictures I got of the Bywater cats are pretty far away. These are definitely feral cats that wouldn’t let me get ANY closer. I gave them plenty of space and they seemed to enjoy being talked to.

While feral cats give me little bit of a sad attack, I was glad to see that in most of the groups I saw at least a few had notched ears (a sign on spay/neuter). If you don’t know much about TNR (Trap/Neuter/Realease) and feral populations you really gotta check out The Kitten Lady. She is one of my s-heroes and her outreach has helped me feel better about ferals.

I circled all the cats in yellow so you could find them! If you don’t see them in the circle it’s because they were behind posts. The red circle is a pile of leaf trash and not a cat 🙂

I DID get to pet this cat! Doesn’t she look like she could be Patti Smith’s sister?

PEOPLE:

While I don’t take pictures of too many people, I do love the less obtrusive art of watching/hearing/seeing/smelling them. Not everyone is friendly all of the time, but most people are helpful, even the street car drivers. Once people can feel your affection for their city you are likely to be brought in to the fold–I won’t wax poetic about all that–if you know it, you know it. Speaking of, it was so good to see my old pal Hedges who is a transplant from Chicago but has been a tour guide down in the quarter for years.  Be sure to check him out here! He will let you in on lots of interesting facts AND the best places to eat and drink. You’ll want to put him on speed-dial…wait, is that even a thing anymore? Oh yeah, he also does plays.

Stay tuned for the next installment of my New Orleans adventuring. I’m trying to convince my mom to do a guest post or two telling about her nearly month long adventure down there. What do you think? Wanna hear from her? Comment down below!

If you CLICK HERE you can see my Instagram account where I posted a BUNCH of pictures from the trip. I’m trying not to re-post the same stuff across all these accounts, so definitely go check out the stuff I have posted there.  Also, I am WORKING HARD at trying to edit a little movie of video footage I took so stay tuned for that, too!