N'awlins

Shit, I didn't think I'd dig this city. drunk ppl everywhere, fried foods, over-hypedness... but i do love it. I do!

we have possibly the best days of the trip here. When we first get to the guesthouse for the night. we know we're in for a treat. The nighttime check-in guy is AMAZING!!! and he has us laughing like little school children in no time, only he doesn't mean to be. The whole experience just keeps getting better, from him showing us how to use a lock on the door from the inside (you turn the knob) to asking if we need help with learning how to use the heat (plugging a portable unit in to a socket) to the initial laughter of asking what kind of room we want, a B2 or B3 (we have no idea what that means and it just means the room # but how would we know what the differences between them are? this is something that in writing doesn't translate as well) In the room we immediately make friends with the dead cockroach in the corner, and then decide to go down to bourbon street for drinks and dinner.

After walking around a bit on bourbon street, we (k jill found it, not me) stumble into this spot for oysters. truth be told, i didn't want to go there for some reason but am so glad we did. the place is well known for their oysters and they were DELICIOUS!!!!! we head back out to see some more things but also want to go back as we'll have a long day the next day.

I wake up early to plan our last full day together. I want it to be good, no better than good, GREAT! so i sit in the lobby to use internet as it's hard to get in the room. I am shortly met by the daytime concierge whom we will refer to as Ignatius as he reminds me SO MUCH of the character from "a confederacy of dunces" He is over weight and over opinioned. I listen to him talk, and his advice and I realize that i am listening to what he is saying, but him not to me. I suggest this one B&B that I've found and ask his thoughts, he does not like it, mianly because he never heard of it. So I listen to him more about other place, but for some reason this place is calling me. It is a little more than I wanted to spend but I really want to have an amazing evening. And I want to lavish Jill with all the best things. It's the last night of our trip and everything has really just been great (something i think we were both thinking may not be the case). I want her to go home even more happy and so i aim to make the last day and night the most romantic and perfect. This place sounds like a beautiful historic plantation looking spot in the garden district, and they have whirlpool and nice robes in every room. so i book it. it turns out to be even better than i hope, and because the owner had tickets to the game and asks to trouble us to check in early he then bumps us to the nicest room in the joint. and it is BEAUTIFUL! We started the day out by going to Cafe du Monde for their famous beignets and coffee and while waiting for the trolley downtown we ask the guy next to us for a recommendation. He turns out to be the concierge for the Ritz Carlton and boy is he helpful. talk about fate. Actually, NOLA seems to be all about fate for us, all these little things happening and popping up or tying things together. (the whole trip has hints of this, but no where more so than NOLA). He gives us a rec for a great po'boy spot and he is so RIGHT ON! We head back to check-in at the Maison Perrier and then go back downtown to get to our 3:45 tour of the city that Ryan, our concierge booked for us. we actually are there late and the tour has left... and i am upset. I really wanted to get on a tour, and not just for me. I want Jill to have a great day, and I know she likes history and knowledge so a historic tour of the city sounds perfect. we go up to see if Ryan can help, but Ryan isn't working and Rudy is. Rudy calls the tour place and POOF the tour van comes back for us. The tour is great, though i am so tired that i sleep through some of it. Luckily, i am awake for the cemetery part as I have always been fascinated with NOLA's cemeteries. We head back home but not before being swept up in the magic of the saints. you see the saints haven't been to a super bowl in many years, and they have a game this night that if they win will put them there. The city is ALIVE with saint fans and the energy of it all is captivating. you can't help but feel excited by it all. The whole trolley ride back Jill keeps having me check the score on my iPhone. "I think I'm a saints fan now" she exclaims. Back at the Maison we make dinner reservations at a local small spot that my friend Kirran and the B&B ownder rec'd for us, Upperline. Good call, fate again in our favor. We call and they sound like they don't really want to seat us as the game is on and ppl didn't really come in for the night but they do take our name and we have 20min to make it there. Oh so glad we did. upon walking into this famous and very nice establishment we are greeted by the 4 other parties in the spot and the whole kitchen staff crammed around a small 8" tv watching the game. The food, AMAZING! maybe the best of the trip. the atmosphere even better. every table is talking together, everyone is hanging on the game. When the Saints win, the crowd goes ecstatic. The owner of the establishment, who previously had been checking on every table, offers everyone a complimentary cordial or after dinner drink. who are we to refuse such nice southern hospitality. We take a lot of food home, because we're full but also because we want to go downtown and celebrate with the town. They deserve this win, the town needs it (or so everyone says). and as we're heading back to the Maison, i notice at the corner where our street and Upperline meet is the Wild Lotus Yoga center.

but being that i've written so much here, i think i'll save the story and history of that for the next post.

NOLA, I think i love you