Quick Trip Report of a Quick Trip

We made a fast trip to New Orleans this weekend, and we were in the city less than 24 hours, so this report will be rather short.

We drove from Lake Charles to Slidell Friday afternoon so we could catch Bag of Donuts at Daquiris and Creams Friday night. We%26#39;ve seen them a couple of times at the pool parties at L%26#39;Auberge, but this was our first time to see them in a small club. What a great show band! They%26#39;ll be at L%26#39;Auberge this Thursday but we%26#39;re going to skip the pool party. After seeing them in a small venue, we feel that we%26#39;d be disapponted with another outdoor performance.

We spent Friday night at the home of a friend in Slidell, then came into New Orleans Saturday afternoon. Afer checking in at the 1896 O%26#39;Malley House, our ';home away from home,'; we hurried to Electric Ladyland on Frenchmen St., so we could keep out appointments. As we were taking our turns ';under the nedle,'; the rest of the party camped out across the street at the Apple Barrel and took advantage of happy hour prices.

When we were walking back to our car, which we had parked near Washington Park, we heard music coming from the Spotted Cat, so we stepped inside. We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours listening to Washboard Chaz and his band, and drinking $3.50 beers. None of us had ever heard this guy before, but we all thought he and his band (harmonica and acoustic guitar) were great. We even left with a couple of CDs. You can check him out at www.washboardchaz.com.

By the time we got to Irene%26#39;s, the wait time was 2 hours, so we walked over to Royal and down few blocks to Mona Lisa, where we had a wonderful meal (Meatballs and Spaghetti, Lasagna, Veal Parmigiana X 2) . Dinner for four, with a glass of wine for each of us, including tax, was $72. The portions were rediculously large. On our next trip, we%26#39;ll only order two entrees, with two extra plates and extra salads.

After a few stops (The Golden Lantern, Lafitte%26#39;s, the bar at the Monteleone, and a couple of pubs), we headed back to the O%26#39;Malley House for a rather early (for New Orleans) end to the evening.

Sunday morning was spent eating breakfast at the B%26amp;B, visiting with the hosts, Brad and Larry, and then driving back to Lake Charles.

This was our first trip to New Orleans in 10 months. We were heartened by the improvement in the appearances of many parts of the city, and by the number of people in the French Quarter. Canal Street, from Rampart to Carrollton, looks much better that it did last September. Likewise for Esplanade, between North Rampart and Carrollton. The neighborhood around the O%26#39;Malley house had 6 feet of water after Katrina, and it%26#39;s almost back to pre-storm condition. All of the restaurants, wih the exception of Christian%26#39;s, have reopened. The people who haven%26#39;t already completed repairs to their homes are hard at work, and there are only a very few properties that have essentially been abandoned. There%26#39;s still a long way to go, but it%26#39;s encouraging to see visible progress.

Quick Trip Report of a Quick Trip

RodinLouisiana...must have missed you at the carousel bar at the monteleone..we were there from about 8pm to 9:30 on saturday night.

Quick Trip Report of a Quick Trip

OK, don%26#39;t keep us in suspense!

What did you get this time at Electric Ladyland?

Christy

my friends want to get tattoos there in October...did you like the place? I%26#39;m nervous, I%26#39;ve never gotten ';ink';

Cajunyank, we didn%26#39;t get to the Monteleone until around 10:30. The place was slammed and we were unable to find a spot where we could all sit together, so we didn%26#39;t stay long. That was unfortunate, as we would have been content to hang out there for quite some time.

Christy, my latest is an eagle with a banner in its claws, with U.S.A. on the banner. It%26#39;s on my upper left arm. I%26#39;ve wanted something patriotic for some time, and I%26#39;ve also wanted something I could see without my having to take off any clothing %26lt;smile%26gt;. I%26#39;m quite pleased with it.

Tanya, Electric Ladyland is as clean as a clnic. Annette LaRue (the owner) and Cameron Sweet have been there for years. I can%26#39;t speak for the talents of the other artists, but those two are top notch. Annette runs a reputable establishment and always has. I%26#39;ve seen her turn away people because they were obviously intoxicated, and I%26#39;ve seen her become irate and turn away a young girl who wanted Annette to pick out a tattoo for her. The gist of Annette%26#39;s response to the girl was that she (Annette) wasn%26#39;t going to pick out something that the girl was going to wear on her body for the rest of her life.. We have tattoo studios here in Lake Charles, and the fact that I%26#39;ll drive over 200 miles to get a tattoo should indicate my high regard for Electric Ladyland.

Rod, Nice report. Thanks. Looking forward to our trip to N.O. on Saturday %26amp; to listening to some great music.

You mentioned a couple of our favorite places: Mona Lisa on Royal, delicious food, cool atmoshpere, %26amp; very friendly, competent staff %26amp; on-site owners; %26amp; the Carousel Bar with it%26#39;s magical ambience.

We haven%26#39;t been to The Golden Lantern yet, but since it is across the street from Mona Lisa we will stop in for a pre-dinner cocktail this visit.

Always enjoy your posts. Keep %26#39;em coming!

Phil, The Golden Lantern isn%26#39;t everyone%26#39;s cup of tea, although we enjoy stopping in for a few drinks and some conversation. Since this is a local place, the drinks are potent and are reasonably priced There are always some very interesting characters around the bar and it%26#39;s usually quiet enough that you don%26#39;t need to shout at each other in order to make yourself heard. The noise level last Saturday was pretty high because of the drag show, but you could still carry on a conversation. Best wishes for a great trip.

Rod, A former neighbor of our%26#39;s in the Lower Qtr. told us a little about The Golden Lantern. We had hoped to go there with him, but he has since moved away. Sounds interesting, worth a drink or two ;-) Another local bar is Cosimo%26#39;s on Burgundy, but haven%26#39;t been there since last August.

maur (the other/better half :-)

We%26#39;ve grown used to spending most of our time on the other side of the Quarter and I had completely forgotten about Cosimo%26#39;s. I used to be a frequent visitor there........35 years ago.