Back into the cold

Leaving New Orleans,,, we will miss the almost tropical flora and fauna and the warm, humid weather. Besides a couple of rain showers on Tuesday morning, it was perfect: over 70 deg. F. every day and mostly sunny. At least, the arctic cold wave at home seems to be over by now and it's "warming up" towards 40/45 deg. F. Nevertheless, not our climate.

Got up early, packed and had our little breakfast at the hotel before we learned that Uber's rates are different depending on demand. Airport rates were fluctuating between $ 49 and $ 33. So, we waited till 9 am, when prices dropped to $ 33 again, and had an Uber to the MSI Airport. Convenient little airport, no hustling and bustling, quick check-in and security check and free internet. What else could you wish? Our plane to Washington, DC, is parked at the gate and is supposed to be on time.

It also left on time, smooth 2-hour flight to Washington, DC, arrived 20 min. early. Snowstorms along the East coast, flights to New England and NY are cancelled, but doesn't affect us (or at least I think so). Departure to MUC is announced "on schedule" at 5:40 pm, a little over 2 hours still away.

8 am local Munich time: arrived on time, even a little earlier. Cramped, but uneventfull flight. Waiting for a train now.

Let the Good Times Roll!

That's the motto in New Orleans and, though, you have to get used to the slower pace and the laid-back Southern mentality, it's a fantastic, very distinct and unique U.S. city, comparably only to New York or Las Vegas. Tennessee Williams, who was living in N.O. for a long time, also gave a good description (pic above) and included San Francisco. On monday and tuesday we explored the city by streetcar and on foot, focusing on the neighborhoods apart from the touristic center, the French Quarter or Vieux Carré.

Monday morning - hot and sunny - we first met "Big Tiny" at the streetcar stop: a big tattooed guy, who was operating one of many Lucky Dog hotdog stands in the French Quarter, and, who was pretty talkative while we all were waiting for the bus to Magazine Street. Magazine Street runs through the "American" (always wealthy) Garden District (pic below) and this axle has picked up considerably in the last couple of years. There are highly interesting and unique shops (one of them on the pic below) and recommendable restaurants lined up. Central City, our next stop, with the new Jazz Market (a concert venue), the Southern Food & Beverage Center and the Dryades Market (a local supermarket in a historic building) hasn't changed much since our last visit in 2016.

The Warehouse District - which we passed on the way back downtown - is dominated by the constantly expanding, huge complex of the WW2 Museum (wondering where the money for all these expansions come from,,,?), the Contemporary Arts Museum and a couple of fancy restaurants, bars and galeries. Interesting, but there is still potential for more.

Faubourg Marigny and famous Frenchmen Street is - where most of N.O.'s real nightlife is taking place. Latest "attraction" there is the new "Brieux Carré Brewing Company", where we had good conversation with a guy from Michigan on Monday evening. It's a tiny brewery, no food, just the "basics": great beer. The brewery is located beside our favorite music store: The New Orleans Music Factory. The closeby Marigny neighborhood seems to be getting gentrified and apparently there are lots of Airbnb's and other rentals located.

The French Quarter,,, another story. For sure there is not only Bourbon Street, the street where the "adult" bars are situated and most people are carrying (cheap) drinks and get drunk. This street is sort of a "myth" (like the "Strip" for Las Vegas), but, just one little part of the French Quarter, where (mostly) Americans go wild while on vacation. There are much more quaint streets with historic little shotgun houses, little mom-and-pop stores and diners and other hidden secrets.






Around Jackson Square:

On the photos below: the French Market - not so much about grocery, as originally, anymore, but about souvenirs - and some crazy shops in the French Quarter, like a unique shoe store. The FQ was only under French government from the city founding in 1718 until 1763, then turned Spanish until 1800, back to France until the "Louisiana Purchase" was signed by President Thomas Jefferson and it became U.S. Territory.

There is Royal Street with great galeries and antique shops, and, there is the Riverwalk (right now under construction) with Washington Artillery Park (pic with canon and mockingbird) and Jackson Square, where all the artists, psychics, musicians and other crazy people (and tourists) meet, and the French Market with famous Café du Monde. On Tuesday we were lucky and stopped by at the New Orleans Jazz NHP closeby French Market right in time for one of their educational programs: a superb piano player was talking about different kinds of music in New Orleans, from jazz and blues to ragtime and marches (pic below). But,,, there is always music on the streets, too.

Also on Tuesday (it rained in the morning!) we had the usual Jazz Brunch at the Court of Two Sisters - a reliable place in N.O. - one of the few restaurants which always sponsored meals for journalists. And, as before, it's been an abundant buffet, and, this time, even the waiters were very friendly.

On Tuesday evening, our last eve in town, we were invited to the official Grand Opening of the Jung Hotel, with a band in the huge ballroom, hotel tours (including the pool area and the rooftop event space where the pic on the left was taken) and a buffet and bar. Still have to check where Peter Jung, the obviously German founder of the hotel in the late 19th century, came from. Also, we got our photo taken during the event,,,

New Orleans Tricentennial



New Orleans is celebrating its 300th Anniversary this year and this was one reason we needed to check out what's new and coming up in the city. Have to admit though, that not too much is yet to notice in regard to the anniversary, to the contrary: lots of construction is still going on all over town and there are just a couple of flags to commemorate the big event.

We drove into New Orleans on this beautiful Sunday morning, sunny and warm, taking the scenic route from New Iberia: first Hwy. 182 along Bayou Teche, passing a few historic plantation homes, to Morgan City and then US 90 - the Old Spanish Trail - into New Orleans. Then we had to get used first to the different pace in again, starting at AVIS, when we returned our car. It took us quite a bit to check the car out. Fortunately, the brandnew Jung Hotel was just across the street from the rental station, on upper Canal Street (on pic further below), with a streetcar stop in front of the hotel.

The Jung Hotel with a little over 200 hotel rooms plus rental apartments is situated in a historic building and was only recently renovated and reopened as part of The New Orleans Hotel Collection. The slick large marble lobby area with lots of art on the walls, with a bar, a restaurant and many seating areas is truly impressive, but our room is rather on the small side, no view, though excellently equipped and conveniently furnished with safe, coffeemaker, fridge, etc.

We went out again immediately after check-in at noon to buy a MTA 3-day-pass (for all public transportation) at Walgreens drug store, and from there we walked to Armstrong Park, where the Annual Congo Square Rhythms Festival,one of many music festivals in town, was taking place this weekend. After African dance performances (pic top left) and bands on Saturday and Sunday, the afternoon was mostly dedicated to Brass Bands. Especially the "Glass Got Brass" competition was a real treat: over 20 middle and highschool bands in two categories (beginners/advanced) performed for a panel of well-known judges from the music scene for prize money up to $ 10,000 ($ 40,000 in total), which has to be used for instruments or other band supplies. The Jazz & Heritage Foundation, which is also organizing the prestigious Jazz Festival, is supporting art education in the school system while promoting NO's traditional culture. It's amazing how enthusiastic and talented these kids were!

The park was packed with (mostly Afro-American) people, there were (soul) food and (some) other vendors and the atmosphere was great, the weather perfect, and we stayed till early evening to listen to exceptional music, the finale was a concert of Hot 8 Brass Band, a funky modern band of big men, dressed in orange shirts, before we walked back along the Riverfront and the "Mighty Mississippi River".

A beginner's guide to crawfish

This beautiful sunny Saturday morning Donald and Catherine picked us up with their big F 150 truck and the six of us drove into the fields outside New Iberia to check out Donald's newest project besides being a sugarcane farmer: his crawfish ponds. To call it "ponds" would be a complete understatement, its rather big pieces of shallow water with crawfish cages lined up, marked by red caps or "necks". Donald took two of them out of the water to show us the crawfish, caught inside. Crawfish belong to the same family as lobsters and are usually harvested by flat aluminium motorboats like the one on the pic below.

In between approximately June and September/October the ponds are drained and the crawfish dig into the bottom and hide till the space is flooded again. Sometimes rice is planted in addition, because rice loves the water, too, but Donald doesn't grow rice to harvest yet. There is a special kind of grass (to be seen on pics) growing, which is giving some shade on the water surface. Right now it's harvesting season and Donald and family members are selling a lot of crawfish from several ponds to wholesalers. The ponds are separated by levees and snakes and alligators love the "ambiance". We only saw a little alligator but Donald told us about his regular big "guests". Crawfish farming is good income and occupation inbetween sugarcane planting and harvesting (which would be in late fall).

For lunch we, of course, had to have crawfish, in a "greasy spoon place" called "Le Bon Creole", no real restaurant sign, but a fancy mural outside (pic on left). Fortunately, it was lump meat and not the whole critter, which is not easy to crack and eat.

After all the crawfish and nature experience, it was time for some art: At the Shadows on the Teche, a historic plantation home from 1834, set beautifully among old live oak trees draped with Spanish moss on the banks of Bayou Tech an Arts & Crafts Show was taking place and we stopped by on our way back home. Beautiful setting and local artists who partly sold interesting stuff.

After a short break on Chris & Dave's beautiful patio - which they, strangely for us, not use much – we went out again to dinner, this time at another friend's place, whose patio is really something: swimming pool, TV set, outdoors kitchen, fully furnished with carpets,,, We had drinks and appetizers outside, then a dinner of delicious Mexican chicken burritos and the first Louisiana grown strawberries for dessert.