Do you ever have times in your life where you stop and think, “This is a moment, one to capture and remember”? Well, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, because this weekend was full of moments for me, moments that seemed like a still from a movie or a paragraph from a novel, and yet they were real and fun and will never be forgotten!
Because these moments are like photographs, captured in a freeze frame, that’s how I’m going to share them with you; as still-life scenes. But, to give you a little bit of background, this past weekend I went down to what we in the South call “Nawlins”—the Crescent City, New Orleans! I visited a friend from A&M, David, and experienced all the city has to offer. And if you’ve ever heard any stories, read any books, or seen any movies about New Orleans, then you’ll know exactly why these moments are so special—they capture the quintessential city; the joy of jazz and blues and live music and Creole culture and a city that does sleep, but only in the daytime. (No wonder vampire legends have come out of NOLA—everyone sleeps all day and stays out all night!)
So without further ado, join me on my trip to and through Nawlins.
In the early evening on Friday I finally exited the main thoroughfare of I-10 (which up until that point had been pine trees, pine trees, and more pine trees, as anyone who has driven I-10 through Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi could tell you) and headed South. All of a sudden, I came across a giant expanse of water, Lake Ponchartrain, and knew I was getting close. My GPS showed me driving over islands among the lake, all interconnected by the Interstate. Finally, as I drove up and over more of the bridge, I saw the Crescent City laid out in front of me, sprawling by the shores of the Mississippi. I was hot (even through the air conditioning of my car), I was tired from driving 6 hours, but all of a sudden I got a race of adrenaline—I made it to New Orleans.
David lives near the Tulane campus, in and around the area called “Uptown,” where the houses are eclectic (but all seem to have wrought iron SOMEWHERE on them) and the streets are shaded by giant oak trees and blooming crepe myrtles. At one point my first evening there, we took the streetcar (no, it wasn’t named Desire) down St. Charles Avenue, watched all the mansions go by, and laughed about the Mardi Gras beads hung EVERYWHERE—over the streetcar wires, all over telephone poles, and even in the stately old oak trees. It’s Mardi Gras year-round in NOLA!
A lot of our trip became about the phrase “When in Rome,” which we amended to “When in NOLA.” First things first when I got to NOLA, I needed Cajun food, and I needed to see the French Quarter, ASAP. We drove to the riverfront and parked near the Jax Brewery, and then we began walking through the French Quarter, where, all of a sudden, I had my first encounter with Bourbon Street. I won’t go into detail about a lot of the things I saw as we walked along, but my impression was of crowds of joyful people, lots of smells (good and bad), and neon everywhere. To sum up, I can truly say that the people-watching along Bourbon is the best in the world, hands-down. We ate dinner at Felix’s Oysterhouse, where I had the best crawfish etouffee I’ve ever had, and then we went back to Bourbon to grab a drink. Soon David’s roommate and a mutual friend met us out for the night, and we enjoyed the live music (not only did we request some songs from the Tropical Isle Bar’s in-house band, we also got to experience Pat O’Brien’s dueling pianos!) and, again, the best people watching in the whole world.
Saturday was the day to truly experience the Quarter. We began with lunch on Bourbon Street, of course, and people-watched our way through some delicious cheesesteak. We walked through the French Market and looked at all the wares for sale. Seriously, everything exists there, from fresh seafood to Cajun spices to Venetian masks to Mardi Gras beads—anything you could think of to make your stay in “Nawlins” more enjoyable. We walked along the Mighty Mississippi riverfront and watched the steamboats go by, and then made the stop I was waiting for—Café du Monde.
Café du Monde was one of the most perfect moments during my time in NOLA. The Café is New Orleans’s premiere beignet shop. If you don’t know what a beignet is, it’s hard to describe except that it’s HEAVEN. But really, it’s a French pastry (a little larger than a donut hole and with an almost cake-like consistency) that’s topped with mounds of powdered sugar. Like I said, Heaven. Café du Monde is also famous for its café au lait, which I got frozen (because of the extreme heat—and I complain about Tallahassee’s humidity; NOLA was a million times worse). Café du Monde was one of my quintessential New Orleans moments, made even better by the street band serenading everyone, who started to play—bet you can’t guess—“When the Saints Go Marching In.” It was like something out of a story! (Or out of “The Princess and the Frog.”)
After the Café we walked across the street to Jackson Square, home of some of the best street artists in the world, a gaggle of fortune tellers and entertainers, and the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral, where we enjoyed the quiet serenity of an old church (and its air conditioning!). After that we braved a voodoo shop or two (you can’t go to New Orleans, ESPECIALLY the quarter, without at least exploring one of these shops. But don’t touch ANYTHING, just in case!).
On Sunday, after a typical Nawlins summer rainstorm, David and I decided to be real tourists and went to the Audubon Zoo! The ticket booth worker warned us that the animals might be hidden in their habitats because of the rain storm, but we decided to go anyway, and I’m glad we did. We saw lions, elephants, bears, a jaguar, giraffes, zebras, alligators (lurking in the “Louisiana Swamp” exhibit; very creepy), and even had a close encounter with a peacock just walking around the zoo! It was fun to be in a different part of the City, one much more family-oriented than Bourbon Street (you’d be surprised how many kids there were walking around the Quarter—NOLA isn’t exactly my idea of a family vacation!).
That evening, we met up with a mutual friend of ours, Kristina, and her family, who were all in the Crescent City for the Fourth of July. We went out to a lovely dinner in the Quarter, and then David, Kristina, and I went to Bourbon Street to grab a drink, listen to some live music, and catch up. That evening had more movie-moments, especially when everyone in the street—and I mean at least 50 people in the middle of Bourbon—broke into the Wobble.
Going to Nawlins really was like watching a movie, or reading a story. There were the tappers, the street musicians, and the artists, all trying to express themselves and earn a buck or two; there were the neon lights and lampposts of Bourbon Street; there were the wrought iron balconies and overflowing flower boxes of the French Quarter; there was delicious food and irresistible music and people just wanting to let go, have fun, and let the good times roll.
While on this trip, I was reminded of a few things. First, that I love exploring new places, especially ones with history. It was amazing to turn a corner and to see a building that had stood for 300 years (and especially the ones that made it safely through Hurricane Katrina!). Another thing I realized, less about myself and more about the world, is that friends really can make a journey special. It was wonderful to spend some quality time with my friend David, who I hadn’t spent more than an hour with since I graduated from A&M, and it was great to catch up with our friend Kristina as well, and to all experience the city together. Although I would enjoy traveling by myself, it was also nice to be able to rely on friends, especially David, who has lived in the city for about a month and has picked up on how a lot of things work in the City.
I’m especially thankful for my journey because, after such a full and busy weekend, my homecoming to quiet Tallahassee was especially sweet. I met up with fellow Florida State employees to cook out and watch the fireworks for the Fourth of July. We played tailgate games and sang patriotic songs and “ooh”ed and “aah”ed with the best of them. Coming back to Tallahassee felt right and restful, and sleeping in my own bed was just beautiful. Even though I went to a new and exotic town, another sweet memory and snapshot was waiting for me right at home.
