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Archive for March, 2009

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March 13: New Orleans Muffaletta

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

For one last time I walked down to the waterfront. I heard calliope music coming from the steamboat. I walked down Decatur to find that restaurant with the original muffaleta sandwich.  Like Pat’s and Geno’s or The Real Le Anh and the Original Le Anh, there were two places claiming to be the home of the original muffaleta—Frank’s and the Central Grocery Store.  I decided to trust the grocery store because it had Italian food and it said “home of” rather than simply “world famous”.

I was right. I walked in and there was a sign indicating where the line began. I didn’t see the need for it, but by the time I ordered and sat down I saw the line was all one side of the little market from the counter to the door.  And for good reason.  I got a semi circle of bread with the most authentic Italian cold cuts, cheese, and olives that I’d had since Di Bruno Brothers in Philly (also Italian-owned). I washed it down with a bottle of ginger ale from an old-time bottling company based in Jersey. I took one last walk through the shops on Decatur and St. Ann, then began the journey back to chilly Philly.

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March 12: Mississippi and Crawdads

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

I woke up and began looking at tour brochures for places to go. I had been thinking about taking a tour bus to see the plantations outside of New Orleans, but the brochure I had said for $50 I’d only get to see one plantation.  I thought about a 2-hour ride on a steamship, but that seemed boring.  There was the “Katrina” tour, but I still had mixed feelings about that.

Unfortunately, I’d left the full guidebook and map for Louisiana and Mississippi at home—I didn’t think I’d need them. Fortunately, I had my computer with me and could go online to investigate places to go. I had a sudden thought that I could rent a car and drive to Mississippi.  Natchez was too far away—over 3 hours. But Biloxi was only 1.5 hours away, and virtualtourist.com suggested there were things to do there.  I looked up the closest Enterprise rent-a-car, phoned them, and they said it would cost $37 to rent a car for the day. It seemed worth it to do a little driving and add another state to my list of places I’ve been.

The earliest they could have a car available was noon.  That left me with nearly two hours to kill. I checked email and jotted down detailed directions to Mississippi.  I decided to grab an early lunch at Stanley, the place recommended by the guy at Apple Barrel.  I really should call it brunch—I went in thinking I would get a po’boy, and ended up choosing the “Eggs Stanley”, Eggs Benedict with fried oysters. Yum!

A nice young man picked me up and took me to the Enterprise car rental. They gave me pretty much the only car they had left, a mid-size Chrysler. It actually drove pretty smoothly.  I got on I-10 East, musing at the thought that I was on the very same freeway that runs through Los Angeles.  It was certainly the smoothest experience I’ve ever had on I-10; I had no traffic in either direction.

As I got further east of downtown, I could get a better sense of the toll hurricanes had taken on Louisiana and Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.    I saw shopping centers with empty, rusted out marquees; whole tracts of land with nothing but foundations; and trees that were clearly windblown but had not succumbed to the wind.  On the other hand, I also saw a lot of new buildings and apartments under construction, signs that New Orleans is coming back.

I crossed the border into Mississippi quickly, and at the exit for the Visitors Center (Exit 2), I found out I was also on my way to the scenic road, Route 90.  I got a map at the visitors’ center and stuck with 90 to Biloxi. I’m glad I did; Route 90 goes right along the water. I got out of the car a couple of times to walk on the white sandy beaches, dip my feet in the still cold Gulf waters, and gaze at the beautiful tree-lined homes either in pristine condition, total disrepair, or under reconstruction.

The only sight that disturbed me on my drive was Beauvoir, the home of Jefferson Davis (president of the Confederacy during the Civil War). There was even a confederate flag flying. I decided to skip that tour and head straight into Biloxi. The employees at Enterprise had recommended the Beau Rivage casino. It was beautiful inside (and the tables didn’t have English Only signs), but I didn’t want to gamble and it was too early to eat so I left.  I tried to find the Biloxi visitors’ center to find the historical walking tour Virtual Tourist had mentioned, but I didn’t see it and it didn’t seem like a place to stop and wander so I got in the car and started back.  As I got on the 10, I saw signs for Mobile, Alabama and wondered how much longer it would take me to pick up one more state. On the other hand, since I had no idea how far it was and if I made good time I could get the car back the same day and not have to find parking for it near the hotel (which would have run $15-30), it seemed to make more sense to go back. (I later checked and Mobile is an hour from Biloxi—not bad but would have made for a 2.5 hour drive back, and no evening adventure).

After dropping the car off, I realized I knew where I was and could walk the mile back to my hotel without a ride.  I walked down Canal to Bourbon Street, and I saw that because it was only a little after 6 pm, Pat O’Brien’s didn’t have a line yet.  I went in and ordered their famous hurricane from the Patio Bar.  I realize now why it is called a hurricane and why people line up for it.  It was all I could do to contain my happiness and my balance.

I miraculously made my way back to the hotel, dropped off my bags, and started walking toward Praline Connection, a restaurant on Frenchman Street. On the way though, I smelled some good spices coming from the French Market Restaurant and Bar on Decatur Street.  I walked in and sat at the bar. I had seen signs before for boiled shrimp, and decided to order some.  After Michael, the bartender, took my order, he soon told me they were already out. Would I be willing to have crawfish instead? I’d never had it before, and it sounded like a good adventure. It was. A pound of them came whole in a boat shaped tray.  Michael taught me how to break the body at the joint, suck the spicy juice out of the crawfish’s head, peel the tail, and pull the crawfish meat out.  While I ate and occasionally choked on cayenne pepper, he told stories about his family and Louisiana cooking.  Most importantly, he told me to tell people that New Orleans is alive and well. In fact, although everyone I talked to had their story to share about Katrina, the people who’ve come back say they and the city haven’t been changed by Katrina.  Plus, while I was there I didn’t think at all about the recession.  Lassez les bon temps roulez!

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March 11: New Orleans Garden District

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

March 10: New Orleans French Quarter

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
When I arrived at Louis Armstrong International Airport, it was a balmy 80 degrees outside. I changed into Capri pants and caught an airport shuttle into the city. It took a while to get into the city, and ... [Continue reading this entry]

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New Orleans and Mississippi: Photos Link

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
Here is the link to my photos page for my recent trip to New Orleans (with a day trip to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi): http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z72/reisefrau/New%20Orleans%202009/

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