Merriment in New Orleans

Firstly, lots and lots of thanks to the amazing Matt Rufo who graciously hosted us in his home and was so generous with his time and space. Also, we are thankful to Matt's friend Steve who helped arrange one of the best meals we have had in a long time (which is saying a lot on this trip :)

Now onto New Orleans. The city blew through all our expectations. It has such a big heart and so much merriment that it was hard to leave. Liz and I listened to some amazing music. One of our favorites: In the Spotted Cat, a bar for 30, an 8 piece band roared. And then in walked an older woman with her tambourine. For the next 15 minutes, she used her legs and hands to play the instrument so that it left us speechless. And then she packed up and left. Next the band leader cajoled an old man to the stage who had been milling around and smoking at the bar. He went up and started singing a Dean Martin piece which Liz and I have been humming for the last two days. We also saw a 10 piece bass band at Maple Leaf that we shook our booties to.

On a Liz-lead disaster tour, we drove around the Ninth Ward which was completely ruined by the hurricane. Some of the houses have been completely rebuilt. The ones that weren't had spaytagged messages indicating the gov agency that had walked through the house after the storm, the date they had done so and whether they had found any bodies inside. Residents had also spay painted whether the gas was off and whether there were any animals inside the house. As we drove around the city, it was hard to imagine that 80% a city that now brims with so much life was underwater only 3 years ago. Some 25% of the residents still have not returned.

Also, keeping up with the theme of the trip, Liz and I did a lot of eating. New Orleans has AMAZING food. Yumminess included turtle soup in the restaurant Emerile (sp) originally cooked in, crocodile sausage and crabcake cheesecake, the best fried chicken Liz has ever had, amazing gumbo served out of styrofoam cups at a hole in the wall, airy and buttery croissants at a French cafe, and beignets at Cafe du Monde.

The best night of the trip thus far was Monday. Steve, Matt's friend, made reservations at Bayona, one of the city's best restaurants. All the stars were aligned: it was restaurant month so the fixed price dinner was only $30; it was Monday so there was free wine tasting before dinner; and it was Bastille day so we could take in our own wine without paying the corkage fee. We had one of the best meals in recent memory at Bayona and then stumbled over to Hotel Monteleone, where there's a carousel bar so you spin and spin as you sip and sip.

Afterwards, Liz and I sang Sweet Caroline en route to Cafe du Monde. Keep in mind Liz and I CANNOT sing. Neither of us could carry a tune if it had a handle. When we sing, most of our friends tell us to shut up. To top it off, we don't really know the words. But Steve pulled up the words on his blackberry so we could advance beyond the chorus. It was amazing and has forever endeared Steve to Liz and me.

I could go on and on about New Orleans and how amazing it is but words would never do it justice. Nothing starts on time (very compatible with liz/gogo time), people dance on the streets, there is music in every cafe and so much amazing food that you really have to pace yourself. We're already planning a return visit!