Big Easy Update

New Orleans Follow Up

Culinary Tour

As stated earlier, we all went on a French Quarter culinary tour with a gift from the Joe Kapral family. Tom and I started with cocktails at the SoBou restaurant. It was cool watching these "Cocktail" type bartenders whip up the drinks for us. Captain Gumbo took us to seven different stops, for eight different samples. Po'boy, muffalato, oysters, hot sauce bar and Cafe duMonde were some of the stops. A Highly recommended event if you ever get down there.
Side Note: While at SoBou, we all noticed this huge block of ice sitting on a wooden block on the bar. Naturally, we had to ask. The bartender told us that is ice for the folks that want a top shelf alcohol 'on the rocks'. Shortly thereafter, the people next us ordered a drink that qualified. The bartender took a meat cleaver, chopped a hunk off, and commenced to carve a single 'globe' of ice. It was perfectly clear, and he smoothed the edges under water. It fit the 'rocks' glass perfectly and was really neat to see. He explained the if you use ice cubes, they melt too fast and it waters down the liquor, (the very reason I use ice cubes). A very entertaining start to the adventure we were on.

Notice the 'Ice Cube' in the glass next to the menu

Doctor Gumbo on our tour

Cemeteries

If you don't already know, New Orleans sits about eight to ten feet BELOW sea level. This is an issue when it comes to burying people because they cannot dig a normal grave like in Michigan. Hence, the cemeteries in New Orleans are unbelievable places to visit. We learned all about the process of how they fit so many 'souls' in the crypts and how much it costs to maintain the upkeep of your plot. However, these plots can be sold or 'reprocessed' if you don't keep up your end of the deal. That's how come there can be different names on the sides of the crypt that what is on the front. We did see the crypt of Louis Prima, a bandleader from the 40's and 50's that just died recently. Great line on the front of his stone.

Please click on PIC to enlarge and read the epitaph. I want that on mine!

Found the Ark of the Covenant!

For all you Sherlock Holmes fans

  Grey Line Bus Tour

Even though we probably did this backwards, (on the last day, rather than the first), we actually enjoyed this tour a great deal. We took what was called the Isle of Orleans tour and it took us through the French Quarter, a cemetery, the Garden District to see some great homes and the Ninth Ward where some of the worst damage occurred during Katrina. Some 10-12 years later, there are still 'high water' marks on the sides of some of the houses. That was very sobering to see. (Side note: before Katrina, NOLA was a city of about 450,000 people. Right after the storm, the population dropped to about 100,000. Most of the people relocated never came back. With the price of land and housing so low, a lot of 'Millennials'  have made New Orleans their home. The rebuilt city now boasts about 400,000 people).

Oh yeah. Don't be THIS GUY!!

Wakey Wakey...Hands off Snakey

 

 

 Till next time!
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