Nola/Mexico Cruise Adventure Part 2
Sunday 1/28/18 3pm
The Booze Bar, Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
I am sipping an ultra sweet Manhattan at the Booze bar on Bourbon Street. It is delicious. 80s music is playing at a mild level, but the sounds of a busy Bourbon Street are directly behind me. The bar is right on the sidewalk with large double doors that are open letting a cool breeze into the bar. The street itself feels warm, however, probably from all the people. It is crowded as people walk the sidewalks and street and gather to listen to street musicians. There is a group of young kids banging on buckets with drum sticks and I can hear a tuba from a somewhere further down the street.
I left Kylie and McKenzie passed out on the hotel beds about twenty minutes ago. The room was dark and the TV was on. I stopped off at the Hard Rock Café on Bourbon Street and picked up two pins. Then, I walked down Bourbon Street in search of a place to grab a drink. I picked this bar because it is right next to the street with the large open doors and because there is only a handful of people spread out about the bar. It was easy to find a spot far enough away from people to allow for a comfortable personal bubble.
A lot has happened since I last wrote and, as I reflect on things, it is amazing to me just how many things have happened. We did all that in twenty four hours? And slept?!?
After landing in Baltimore, the plane practically cleared out. We were given the option to change seats and so we chose the emergency exit row because there is more foot space in that row. I sat next to the window/emergency exit door and only once reached for the handle, which too closely resembled the “oh shit bar” in cars. (The “oh shit bar” is the little handle thing above doors that you instinctively grab onto when the driver is putting you in situations that cause you to scream “oh shit!”). For most of the flight, I napped with my hat over my eyes. Three hours of sleep caught up to me.
We landed in Nashville early, so we had over an hour to kill before our flight to NOLA. Kylie and McKenzie had pretzels from Auntie Annie’s and I paid $5 for a water – I was incredibly parched. We wandered the airport and found our gate. I snacked on trail mix once we sat down and my friends ate their pretzels as Kylie showed off a puzzle game that she was playing on her phone.
The flight to NOLA was fine at first, but as we got closer to NOLA, we ran into a storm. White clouds turned grayer and grayer until we were in the thick of it and it was just dark gray all around. The plane jostled and shook and bounced even. There were a couple of times that people on the plane moaned or shrieked -- It was that bad. The pilot came on and told us that we were put into a vector to avoid thunder clouds and that we would land late. Landing was equally terrifying as we were blown back and forth over the runway before touching down. It was a relief to get off the plane and into the terminal. The air on the plane had felt close and it was very warm. In hindsight, I suppose it wouldn't be the Biggest Greatest-est Adventure ever without fearing for our lives for a couple minutes.
We walked to the baggage claim and were pleasantly surprised to see our three suitcases were among the first ten or so to emerge onto the carousel. We all looked at our phones to get an Uber or Lyft, but none of our phones were working in the airport. There was a taxi booth right outside of the airport and so we decided to go that route.
It was literally pouring and traffic was heavy. We talked about resting once we got to the hotel and checked in. We also talked about dinner because it was approaching three o’clock. We decided that we would go to a place called Coops Place because it was on Decatur Street, which was part of the Krewe du Vieux parade route.
At the hotel, Kylie napped while McKenzie locked us all out of the bathroom accidentally. I sprawled out on a bed for about a minute and messaged family to let them know we made it to the hotel. Kylie gave up trying to nap, so we decided to get the night’s shenanigans going early. We got dressed, ordered an Uber, and went to Coops Place. And that’s when everything started to go wrong...
A perfect storm, if you will, of poor decisions led to an absolutely dreadful next three hours, after which McKenzie said to me, “I’ve never seen you that angry before.”
Firstly, we chose Coops Place partly on a recommendation from a guy McKenzie went on a date with. He warned McKenzie that there can be a line and they do not accept reservations. Secondly, there was a long ass line and I was too hungry to wait in said long ass line and voted to go look for something else where we could eat sooner. Thirdly, Kylie wouldn’t settle for a burger (there was a bar next to Coops Place serving strictly burgers and the place was practically empty). In all honesty, the whole debacle was 100% my fault and I completely forgive my friends for their minor transgressions. I'm especially to blame since I didn't actually eat a full lunch and, despite having two breakfasts, was already malnourished from only snacking on trail mix for like nine hours.
We walked for about a half an hour and found nothing that we could agree on that didn’t have a long line. Eventually, we found ourselves on a corner where there was a guy collecting donations to buy instruments and music instruction for kids in need. He wanted to talk to us about his good will, but I was so hungry at this point that I thought I was going to faint. I somewhat politely (I hope) interrupted the gentleman and told my friends that I was too hungry to think at this point and could not make a decision on what to do, so they needed to decide or I was going to pass out right there on the street.
Somehow, I don’t exactly remember how because I was in such a daze from hunger that things are very foggy at this point, we ended up in that same long line at Coop’s Place. And we waited there forever.
When we finally reached the front of the line, a group of fourteen anxious, young women with NOLA hats and no personal bubbles had practically enveloped us while we attempted to stand our ground. McKenzie was getting particularly irritated as the Coop’s Place guy kept telling us that he didn’t forget about us as he bent over backwards to seat the group of fourteen before us.
One of the young women struck up a conversation with me and, because of my state of malnourishment, I don’t recall what I said to her; but, it must have been at least somewhat suave-ish, because McKenzie began referring to the group as my “bitches.” I do recall correcting her by cleverly stating, “you pronounced ‘babes’ wrong.”
We were eventually seated at the bar and, by now, it was easily two hours after I thought I was going to faint from hunger for the first time. As I sat there in a daze, my friends and I realized that we were all “hangry” (hungry + angry = hangry). I ordered a fettuccini alfredo with grilled chicken – I needed that protein stat. I did not order any alcohol – I thought it wouldn’t be a good idea for my completely empty stomach. I have vague recollections of the interior of Coop’s Place – like a hazy cartoon dream sequence. When my meal was set before me, I picked up my fork and just dug right in. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that fast. I don’t think I even tasted the food until I was three quarters of the way through it. At one point, one of my friends asked how our food was. I recall saying something along the lines of, “Honestly? I don’t know. I’m so hungry and I’m not even tasting it.” Eventually, I finished the last of it and ordered a beer: a brown ale. While I waited for the beer in a plastic cup, so I could take it outside, I reflected on the food. It was actually really good. I’m not sure if it was best fettuccini I have ever had because I was starving to death when I had it or if it really was the best I’ve ever had. I mean, I probably could have eaten McDonald’s at that point and would have liked it.
Once properly nourished, my friends and I went out into the street to await the parade, which was a full hour late due to… well, we really don’t why it was late. But we were glad that it was because it meant that we didn’t miss any of it. The street and sidewalk were packed with people and many of them had drinks in their hands. I sipped my brown ale and noted the sweet scent of marijuana wafting through the air as I took in the scenery. People hooted and hollered.
Not long after, the crowd began to get louder as the parade made its way down Decatur Street. I can’t even begin to describe the Krewe du Vieux parade. Here is a link to their website: https://www.kreweduvieux.org/
Our collective pictures here may be worth thousands of words.
*This is pretty random that my friends and I first took a trip together to Virginia Beach and in this picture, there is a group from Virginia Beach with their flag on the balcony.
*My favorite float.
Early in the parade, a red beaded necklace flew in my general direction from out of nowhere. I instinctively lifted my left hand and grabbed it. It kind of happened in slow motion. I turned around to look at my friends and smiled broadly: I just caught beads at Mardi Gras!! I put the necklace over my head and let out a “woooooo!” The hangriness was completely gone and I began to have the time of my life!
A little later on, a marching band stopped directly in front of my friends and I for a couple minutes. I couldn’t really tell what they were playing at first, but then the pre-chorus came in and the sound started to build. There was a change in the energy in the air all around me as everyone picked up what it was at about the same time. And then the entire block sang out, “SWEET CAROLINE! BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!” Kylie captured it on video. It was definitely a good time. You might even say that good times never seemed so good.
I don’t recall how long the parade lasted. Some of the floats that I recall made fun of the current presidential administration. Many floats were sexual in theme. There were various “parts,” for lack of any other appropriate term, all over some of the floats.
At the end of the parade, I had collected two necklaces, two plastic coins, and a mini Frisbee, as well as, a slight beer buzz and a secondhand high from all the pot in the air. It was great!
The crowd was following the parade and I decided that it would be easier to get back to our hotel if we walked over a street or two to avoid the crowd. My friends agreed and so I led us down the middle of the street against the flow of people. It was actually a cool experience as people dodged out of our way to keep up with the flow.
We made it over a street and hurried along towards our hotel as it was beginning to drizzle a light misty rain. My friends entrusted me to get us to the hotel and, while I knew exactly where I needed to go, I held my iPhone out in front of me with the map app on. In my state of slight impairment, we ended up taking a street that led us back to the parade. So, we went over one more street to avoid it and found ourselves near Café Du Mond. My friends were very excited about trying beignets at Café Du Monde and so we picked some up. I ate mine as we walked down an alley, spilling powdered sugar all over my beard, lips, shirt, and hands. We reached our hotel around 9pm and I was asleep by 9:30pm (9:30 on a Saturday in New Orleans!). We were seriously exhausted from the long day of traveling, starvation, excitement, and walking. Not to mention, I had only had that few hours of sleep the night before and just a couple more on the plane. And we needed to get up early to meet our shuttle bus for the airboat ride and swamp tour.
(Continued in Part 3)
The Booze Bar, Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
I am sipping an ultra sweet Manhattan at the Booze bar on Bourbon Street. It is delicious. 80s music is playing at a mild level, but the sounds of a busy Bourbon Street are directly behind me. The bar is right on the sidewalk with large double doors that are open letting a cool breeze into the bar. The street itself feels warm, however, probably from all the people. It is crowded as people walk the sidewalks and street and gather to listen to street musicians. There is a group of young kids banging on buckets with drum sticks and I can hear a tuba from a somewhere further down the street.
I left Kylie and McKenzie passed out on the hotel beds about twenty minutes ago. The room was dark and the TV was on. I stopped off at the Hard Rock Café on Bourbon Street and picked up two pins. Then, I walked down Bourbon Street in search of a place to grab a drink. I picked this bar because it is right next to the street with the large open doors and because there is only a handful of people spread out about the bar. It was easy to find a spot far enough away from people to allow for a comfortable personal bubble.
 |
| (My usual HRC selfie didn't come out well -- I had a weird look on my face) |
We landed in Nashville early, so we had over an hour to kill before our flight to NOLA. Kylie and McKenzie had pretzels from Auntie Annie’s and I paid $5 for a water – I was incredibly parched. We wandered the airport and found our gate. I snacked on trail mix once we sat down and my friends ate their pretzels as Kylie showed off a puzzle game that she was playing on her phone.
The flight to NOLA was fine at first, but as we got closer to NOLA, we ran into a storm. White clouds turned grayer and grayer until we were in the thick of it and it was just dark gray all around. The plane jostled and shook and bounced even. There were a couple of times that people on the plane moaned or shrieked -- It was that bad. The pilot came on and told us that we were put into a vector to avoid thunder clouds and that we would land late. Landing was equally terrifying as we were blown back and forth over the runway before touching down. It was a relief to get off the plane and into the terminal. The air on the plane had felt close and it was very warm. In hindsight, I suppose it wouldn't be the Biggest Greatest-est Adventure ever without fearing for our lives for a couple minutes.
We walked to the baggage claim and were pleasantly surprised to see our three suitcases were among the first ten or so to emerge onto the carousel. We all looked at our phones to get an Uber or Lyft, but none of our phones were working in the airport. There was a taxi booth right outside of the airport and so we decided to go that route. |
| (Taxi cab selfie) |
It was literally pouring and traffic was heavy. We talked about resting once we got to the hotel and checked in. We also talked about dinner because it was approaching three o’clock. We decided that we would go to a place called Coops Place because it was on Decatur Street, which was part of the Krewe du Vieux parade route.
At the hotel, Kylie napped while McKenzie locked us all out of the bathroom accidentally. I sprawled out on a bed for about a minute and messaged family to let them know we made it to the hotel. Kylie gave up trying to nap, so we decided to get the night’s shenanigans going early. We got dressed, ordered an Uber, and went to Coops Place. And that’s when everything started to go wrong...A perfect storm, if you will, of poor decisions led to an absolutely dreadful next three hours, after which McKenzie said to me, “I’ve never seen you that angry before.”
We walked for about a half an hour and found nothing that we could agree on that didn’t have a long line. Eventually, we found ourselves on a corner where there was a guy collecting donations to buy instruments and music instruction for kids in need. He wanted to talk to us about his good will, but I was so hungry at this point that I thought I was going to faint. I somewhat politely (I hope) interrupted the gentleman and told my friends that I was too hungry to think at this point and could not make a decision on what to do, so they needed to decide or I was going to pass out right there on the street.
Somehow, I don’t exactly remember how because I was in such a daze from hunger that things are very foggy at this point, we ended up in that same long line at Coop’s Place. And we waited there forever.
When we finally reached the front of the line, a group of fourteen anxious, young women with NOLA hats and no personal bubbles had practically enveloped us while we attempted to stand our ground. McKenzie was getting particularly irritated as the Coop’s Place guy kept telling us that he didn’t forget about us as he bent over backwards to seat the group of fourteen before us.
One of the young women struck up a conversation with me and, because of my state of malnourishment, I don’t recall what I said to her; but, it must have been at least somewhat suave-ish, because McKenzie began referring to the group as my “bitches.” I do recall correcting her by cleverly stating, “you pronounced ‘babes’ wrong.”
We were eventually seated at the bar and, by now, it was easily two hours after I thought I was going to faint from hunger for the first time. As I sat there in a daze, my friends and I realized that we were all “hangry” (hungry + angry = hangry). I ordered a fettuccini alfredo with grilled chicken – I needed that protein stat. I did not order any alcohol – I thought it wouldn’t be a good idea for my completely empty stomach. I have vague recollections of the interior of Coop’s Place – like a hazy cartoon dream sequence. When my meal was set before me, I picked up my fork and just dug right in. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that fast. I don’t think I even tasted the food until I was three quarters of the way through it. At one point, one of my friends asked how our food was. I recall saying something along the lines of, “Honestly? I don’t know. I’m so hungry and I’m not even tasting it.” Eventually, I finished the last of it and ordered a beer: a brown ale. While I waited for the beer in a plastic cup, so I could take it outside, I reflected on the food. It was actually really good. I’m not sure if it was best fettuccini I have ever had because I was starving to death when I had it or if it really was the best I’ve ever had. I mean, I probably could have eaten McDonald’s at that point and would have liked it. |
| (Nourished) |
Once properly nourished, my friends and I went out into the street to await the parade, which was a full hour late due to… well, we really don’t why it was late. But we were glad that it was because it meant that we didn’t miss any of it. The street and sidewalk were packed with people and many of them had drinks in their hands. I sipped my brown ale and noted the sweet scent of marijuana wafting through the air as I took in the scenery. People hooted and hollered.
Not long after, the crowd began to get louder as the parade made its way down Decatur Street. I can’t even begin to describe the Krewe du Vieux parade. Here is a link to their website: https://www.kreweduvieux.org/
Our collective pictures here may be worth thousands of words.
*This is pretty random that my friends and I first took a trip together to Virginia Beach and in this picture, there is a group from Virginia Beach with their flag on the balcony.
*My favorite float.
 |
| (Damn, we're weird) |
Early in the parade, a red beaded necklace flew in my general direction from out of nowhere. I instinctively lifted my left hand and grabbed it. It kind of happened in slow motion. I turned around to look at my friends and smiled broadly: I just caught beads at Mardi Gras!! I put the necklace over my head and let out a “woooooo!” The hangriness was completely gone and I began to have the time of my life!
A little later on, a marching band stopped directly in front of my friends and I for a couple minutes. I couldn’t really tell what they were playing at first, but then the pre-chorus came in and the sound started to build. There was a change in the energy in the air all around me as everyone picked up what it was at about the same time. And then the entire block sang out, “SWEET CAROLINE! BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!” Kylie captured it on video. It was definitely a good time. You might even say that good times never seemed so good.
At the end of the parade, I had collected two necklaces, two plastic coins, and a mini Frisbee, as well as, a slight beer buzz and a secondhand high from all the pot in the air. It was great!
 |
| (Mardi Gras swag) |
The crowd was following the parade and I decided that it would be easier to get back to our hotel if we walked over a street or two to avoid the crowd. My friends agreed and so I led us down the middle of the street against the flow of people. It was actually a cool experience as people dodged out of our way to keep up with the flow.
We made it over a street and hurried along towards our hotel as it was beginning to drizzle a light misty rain. My friends entrusted me to get us to the hotel and, while I knew exactly where I needed to go, I held my iPhone out in front of me with the map app on. In my state of slight impairment, we ended up taking a street that led us back to the parade. So, we went over one more street to avoid it and found ourselves near Café Du Mond. My friends were very excited about trying beignets at Café Du Monde and so we picked some up. I ate mine as we walked down an alley, spilling powdered sugar all over my beard, lips, shirt, and hands. We reached our hotel around 9pm and I was asleep by 9:30pm (9:30 on a Saturday in New Orleans!). We were seriously exhausted from the long day of traveling, starvation, excitement, and walking. Not to mention, I had only had that few hours of sleep the night before and just a couple more on the plane. And we needed to get up early to meet our shuttle bus for the airboat ride and swamp tour.
(Continued in Part 3)