NOLA Chapter 2

Just a few steps away from our hotel was The Trolley Stop Cafe.

We ate breakfast here EVERY day!

It's one of those places where you seat yourself;

'you are family and you better settle in and get comfortable...

if not, it's just your own damn fault!'

They served  good old fashioned grease platters for $6.99.  Our eggs, buttery potatoes and sugared ham rejuvenated our energy to take on the day.  

It was warm and a bit humid, but decent walking weather to check out the Garden District 5 blocks away. 

Beads, beads, everywhere beads!!!

They decorated the balconies and  hung from trees.

The spray of colors surrounded the neighborhoods creating a piece of art.

Walking on the sidewalks and looking up made me feel like I was part of the canvas that is constantly in motion.

The root systems on these oak trees were a masterpiece in themselves.

The Garden district was settled  in 1830 by rich white Americans.

They wanted to "one up" the French and Spanish bungalows located in the French Quarter.

Only 4 houses per block were allowed to be built.

The architecture designs are an influence fusion of French, Spanish, Italian, English and Greek Revival.

There are between 20-30 rooms in a home and many of the rooms have high ceilings, bronze chandeliers, marble mantles and hand painted murals.

Most of the homes are still in the possession of the descendants of the original owners.

There are many covenants that a home owner must abide by when living in one of these 7 figure $$ mansions.

Basically, you need to keep the outside as original in color and size as the day it was built.

We walked by the homes of Sandra Bullock, Nicolas Cage (before he lost it to back taxes), Eli & Peyton Manning's family home, and.....uh...yeah,  I can't remember who else.

Outside of each home is a gas lantern.  The law states that "a lantern must be lit if the resident is home, and blown out if the resident is absent".  This law was started hundreds of years ago, and is still in place.

Under each porch is a ceiling painted blue. This is because of the yellow fever epidemic that killed entire families.  If the ceiling is blue, it fools the birds (carriers of yellow fever) into thinking it is the sky, and they will not nest in the eves.

(Lafayette cemetery No. 1)

I had heard of the above ground cemeteries*, but I had NO idea how grand  and truly monumental they are.

I was speechless as I walked around reading the marble markers with names and birth/death dates.

*New Orleans is 7 feet below sea level. A buried body in the ground will float to the surface.

I was overcome with reverence when I came upon the tomb for Destitute Orphan Boys.

The Catholic nuns who watched over these boys are placed in this tomb also.

A little known fact:

A family tomb is purchased for $45,000-$250,000 depending on the location and type of exterior requested.  A $1,000 one time maintenance fee can be purchased also.  Some tombs are very basic with red brick and mortar.  Others have colored stucco and marble.

Families are to use these crypts for generations with the only expense being the one time purchase price.

Many have multiple marble name plates dating back from the 1800's to recent day.

Because of the heat and humidity, there is a natural cremation process.

The casket is placed inside the tomb (the tomb will hold two caskets at a time. if you have more then two deaths in a family within the same year, you can 'rent' a space from the cemetery in their crypt wall), and in one year and one day* the grounds keepers remove the casket, empty the ashes of the deceased, and place them in a hole at the bottom of the tomb to join the others who preceded before.

Ashes to ashes....dust to dust.

The casket is then destroyed.

*The natural cremation process is one year.  The cemetery gives the family an extra day after that year is complete to say their good byes before the ashes are poured into the ground.

After the intensity (heat and sweat and dead bodies) of the cemetery walk, we needed beverages and food STAT!!!!

We found a wonderful little restaurant on Decatur Street in the French Quarter.

We ordered martini's and watched the streets through the large cut out windows where shutters are opened to the sides.

We had noticed Kid Rock's touring semi truck across the street parked in front of the House of Blues.  Moments later, we watched a limo drive past.  Elise said, "hey look!!!!  a limo!!!"

I replied, "OMG!!  what if that's Kid Rock??"

Elise screamed, "run Jolie run!!!!"

I bounced from my seat and ran the sidewalk yelling, "KID!!"

He turned slightly as he exited the limo.  I pushed the button on my jacked-up P.O.S. camera that takes 5 seconds to warm up to a focus, 

and captured this......

the back of his head!

(see the yellow trucker hat turned backwards with the dread locks flopping out??? yep, that's him)

I aint gonna lie....It was still pretty cool.

After finishing our DElish dinner, we totally wanted to be part of the Kid Rock action so we stalked him by kickin' it for a few beers at the Zydeco Blues bar next door.

The bar tenders are allowed to drink along with the patrons.  For every shot you buy the bar tender, you get a second one for yourself free.  I only know this from eaves dropping on conversations of others bellied up to the bar.  Chelise and I manned the juke box and played air guitar while Elise went shopping for a lil surprise.

When in Nawlins you must dress the part!!!!

The more flamboyant and fru fru , the BETTER!!!!!

rawr!!!!!!

We watched as a bunch of jackasses set up lights and rolled out a long red carpet.  We asked 3 different dudes what was going on.  We got stupid answers like, "Oh! Kid Rock is interviewing girls for his next video" or "Kid is coming out to sign autographs", but the one that I finally did believe was from this lil man that told me it was all for an ESPN event* and Kid Rock is putting on a concert for the sports announcers.** 

*This story is believable considering that stupid final four basketball shit was in town.

**I saw Charles Barkley and another ESPN sportscaster in the airport!

We stood around patiently for about 30 minutes watching for someone famously recognizable to walk by, while intermittently popping into the bar to chug a beer.

We finally said F this!

And walked down the street until we came upon NOLA FD.

Chelise needed to get her hubs a NOLA FD t-shirt.

The men were so nice and I think they were just happy to talk to someone.

Since we were in the area, the famous Cafe Du Monde tempted our senses with powder sugar and chicory coffee in the air.

Cafe Du Monde  has open air seating- great for people watching! They are open 24 hours a day and only serve two things: coffee and beignets (like scones but better!)  A table of 4 will cost less then $10 with each person receiving their own plate and cup full.

Everything in and around the cafe is dusted with powdered sugar.

Even the strongest willed person would forego their diet for these lil lovelies!  

But let me just say, if you are going to New Orleans, don't EVEN plan on being on any kind of calorie watching diet plan!!!

It's impossible!  

Well, unless your a shmuck and don't have any fun....

and then your life sucks.......

and then it's just your own damn fault!!!!!

We were on sugar crack and a caffeine high which led us to the pavilion to rock out to the 

free live KISS show!

It was so much fun to see people with their faces painted like their favorite KISS member.

KISS was my very first concert when I was 15.  I saved and bought my own ticket for $17.50.  It was general admission and held at the Salt Palace.

As far as I can remember, they still sound the same today.

Ya know....like shit.

I love em anyway.

Elise prefers to swing to-and-fro rather then rock-n-roll.

I say, "good on ya girl!!!  whatever yanks yer chain, as long as your having fun doing it!!!!"

Chelise and I were like freaks on a leash!  

Panting and running in circles and drooling and frothing at the mouth and jumping up and down and OMG OMG OMG OMG it was so much fun!!!!!!!

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2 hours later..............

Once our caffeine, nicotine, beer and sugar high wore off, we could barely drag our asses out of the cab and up to our room.  

We were rode wet and put away hard!!!!

(It rained on us telling us it was time to go home.)

Once we made it to the room, Chelise and I looked at each other and in unison said, "round 42!!! let's go!"

Elise rolled her eyes and said, "you girls are crazy!!!  I'm going to bed!"

At 3 am we found our new dive bar that became our home..... 

away from our hotel home...... 

away from our real home.

This is where we met and talked to some of the kindest and most interesting people.  They were locals, who were willing to share their life and travel stories, but also pleased to ask questions and reciprocate the listening ear.

Hey!!!!  If you really only live life once, then you better make it a good one!!!!!

And if you don't, 

it's just your own damn fault!!!!

NOLA Day 2 ~ living like it's your last day

{{{{{Any laws or history told in this story is or is not completely in my own words or could possibly be totally factual, but maybe not, or maybe so, or whatever! so don't sue me}}}}}