Nowhere like NOLA

New Orleans, no place I've ever been quite like it. This post is NOT for school children, Ms. Bredin. Fortunately, she has now relieved me of the editorial responsibility to keep this G-rated, so hereforth expect more candor, snark, and hopefully some insights and pokes at racists
all more worthy (and perhaps characteristic) of my style.

Checked into the Courtyard Marriott downtown which is right in the French Quarter, conveniently located for anyone wanting to arrange to stumble home from a night on or around Bourbon Street. Taking teenagers down Bourbon St. btw is quite a trip, with hawkers calling guys into strip clubs for "Daddy Day Care" and women amazing both my 14 y.o. boy AND my 15 y.o. girl!  Beale Street in Memphis was like a walk through the Holyoke Mall compared to Bourbon Street.  The music was awesome, and we enjoyed a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's as one must.

Streetcar out St. Charles St. showed us the gorgeous homes and greenery of the Garden District, and then we had a great walk through Audobon Park down toward the river where we caught a bus back. The bus driver was the highlight - friendly and offered us what turned out to be the best eating tips - po-boys at Daisy Dukes or Johnny's, and Gumbo at The Gumbo Shop. Daisy's, as it turns out, had $8 bottomless Bloody Mary's. The waiter didn't take us seriously when we said "no" to a refill to-go, and brought back this:

Which is understandable since apparently EVERYONE walks around with a drink in their hand in the French Quarter, at all times of day.

Couldn't manage to link up with Bucknell buddy Bill DeTurk but spoke by phone and got a shout-out later that morning on WWOZ during his weekly show. Looking forward to a return trip to party with the guy who writes on booze and music for local publications and has a New Orleans music show on the hippest station in town.

On the way out to our Cajun Encounter (below) in Slidell, we stopped by the elementary school integrated courageously by Ruby Bridges, and then the other school integrated by four other children. Both were in the Lower 9th Ward where homes were devastated in 2005 by Katrina, and it is remarkable how uneven the recovery appears there - rebuilt homes adjacent to still crumbling and moldy ones. The bus driver I mentioned told us the city is still down 170-180,000 people who haven't returned. We could see it here.

Headed from there to Slidell where Scotty motored us and 16 others around on an open flat boat none of us would have been pleased to fall out of.


Scotty, after kissing the gator, said he was afraid of snakes and spiders. Uh-huh. He did have all his fingers (we looked), if not all his teeth. Let's make that snakes, spiders and dentists, Scotty...