Going Down By The River Where It’s Warm And Green

New Orleans has long been on my mind. from years of reading about it in books from Anne Rice and Poppy Z. Brite to movies to hearsay. so much so that it was almost surreal when we arrived and drove the long bridge across Lake Pontchatrain to Covington. D and J live in a beautifully historic little town across the lake across the street from a suitably spooky abandoned house. the bunnygirl was decidedly shy at first, but warmed up a bit after books were opened. we finally got to meet D and after relaxing for a bit, we went for dinner at a restaurant nearby. 75 degrees in the evening and eating al fresco in October. hard to imagine when leaving 45 degree weather in Seattle.

the next day we had lunch at Morton’s to try our first and only shrimp po boy. the thing about New Orleans and its outlying areas is that there are an infinite number of places to eat. the po boy was the lightest thing we ate while visiting. that night D’s sister graciously offered to watch the bunnygirl so we could hit a haunted house together. we hit a local house called Scream Factory which allowed for VIP entrance for an extra $5 to avoid the lines. it was well worth it as we were the first inside!

later we headed to The 13th Gate in Baton Rouge. it’s strange to be able to drink while driving, but we made the most of it with wine and whiskey (wine for me, whiskey for the boys). D stayed behind with the baby and i braved the night with the boys. The 13th Gate was amazing (although not very scary) with expensive props and sets including a huge anubis inside an Egyptian temple complete with sand floor. afterwards we ended up stopping by a riverboat casino in search of food. the only food to be found was at a deli counter where the meat was actually lukewarm and piled on top. as hungry as i was, i passed. J taught me how to play craps and i manage to not lose any money (i made a whopping $17) and made J $90 before we headed home. i think we arrived back in Covington at about 4:30am.

next day we played with the bunnygirl and then headed in to the city for lunch at Galatoire’s for a delicious meal including a sampling of oysters en brochette, shrimp and crabmeat remoulade and crabmeat sardou. the meal was finished with banana bread pudding and a cup of coffee. yum! the atmosphere was busy but elegant as if all New Orleans dined liked this on a daily basis. the bunnygirl, dressed in a white sundress and pink cardigan remained patient throughout munching on cheetos and baby peas. post lunch D gave us an excellent tour of the Garden District, somewhere i had long wanted to visit. the city is steeped in history, it’s really incredible.

that night we headed out to the House Of Shock which was the best haunted house i’ve ever been to. a show is put on for those waiting in line with two huge screens showing a constant stream of gore (like Zombie and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre). i was surprised to see children as young as 7-8 years old in line with their parents. the experience was intense to say the least. the best part was a woman we passed cradling a baby in her arms that was missing the top part of its head. as we walked by she reached into its skull and scooped out a bloody mass and stuffed it into her mouth. i think J might have applauded.

a short drive and we were parking behind the French Market. we hit a bar that i can’t remember the name of for a quick drink before heading to Dervish to meet up with one of J and D’s friends and far too many drinks and double shots. the rest of the night, shall we say, is history. thankfully, the hotel was nearby and for the time change. we made it back to the hotel around 4:30am or so.

the next morning we managed to drag our corpse’s out of bed to be picked up by D and bunnygirl for lunch at Brenner’s. unfortunately, many others had the same idea and we ended up at Commander’s Palace which was in no way disappointing. the sheer size of the place was impressive and yet we managed to secure a bright table in one of the smaller rooms. the bloody marys were excellent and helped ease the pain of the serious hangover we were all experiencing. seafood timbale, watercress and blue crab soup, Eggs Jeannette all while an excellent jazz band moved from room to room. post lunch and a drive around the quarter, we bid farewell to D, J and the bunnygirl before retiring to the hotel for a quick shower and nap. we had every intention of hitting Magazine, Jackson Park and a mufalleta at Central Grocery but my stomach had other plans. instead we took a nap and then dragged ourselves out (too late for everything but drinking) and decided to find Port Of Call for a quick bite to test out the stomach. a quick coffee at Cafe du Monde and we returned back to the hotel for more much needed rest. this is where the good part of the trip ends. we left for Seattle early and i spent it sick as a dog (that was Monday). so here we are (i’m still sick but should be getting better from the antibiotics). all in all, we will definitely be going back soon. there was so much we didn’t get to do and we definitely didn’t get to spend enough time with D.

thanks to J and D for being such fantastic hosts and taking such care to show us a great time!