New Orleans, June 1-5, 2005

[Chicago Jake]

I haven't really BEEN on this trip yet, but I wanted to post a report toot pronto to serve as a template for youse guys so you'd start thinking about reports for YOUR next trip. (or past trips that you want to document here; that's allowed too you know!)

Basically, the PP and I booked a room at the elegant and romantic Maison Dupuy in the famous French Quarter in New Orleans. I've stayed there many times over the last fifteen years, and it's romantic qualities cannot be beat. I'm looking forward to a fabulous time with this wonderful lady. I'll fill you in on all the (non-intimate) details when we return.

In the mean time, start thinking about what YOU want to share from your trips, past, present, and future! Your fellow board denizens will thank you......Jake

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Chicago said:

I haven't really BEEN on this trip yet, but I wanted to post a report toot pronto to serve as a template for youse guys so you'd start thinking about reports for YOUR next trip. (or past trips that you want to document here; that's allowed too you know!)

Is it OK to post Trip Reports for trips that I haven't taken and never will take? If so, I would like to post a Trip Report for a fictional trip to Guantanamo Bay and talk about all the wacky stuff I did with the Koran and all the friends I made with the guys in the orange jumpsuits. Oh, boy! This sounds like fun! Wish I really WAS going!

[Christinko]

Oooohhhhh! Virtual trip reports of our desires! Pick me, pick me!

Okay, I'm in my underpants (not yet, of course, but I'm writing my trip report in advance).

I scrounge around for something to do. I brought my machete to clear a path because I haven't been to Birgit the Waxing Nazi Bitch lately... but I do miss the way she clicks the heels of her boots together right before she rips.

Oh look! Various paths and dimensions to take. Where shall I go today? I'll find Waldo yet--of that I'm confident. He always comes to all my vacations.

Exploring old paths in new ways brings such enlightenment. I love traveling to places of mystery and intrigue--where I can really let my inner nature be released.

Whoops! I keep slipping! Oh my! Who would've thought that falling down could be such a worthy endeavor? I see more friends have joined Mr. Index. We're going to have a party on this trip! What a festive event! It's getting noisy down here, but hey! It's my vacation, I can do what I want.

I see Waldo coming over the horizon, and he's getting closer and closer. He's always the hit of any party. But he doesn't like to show up too early--his appearance needs to be timed well for maximum effect.

But the crowd is getting eager and just can't wait another moment. In strides Waldo, proud and loud. His vibrato spurs all party members into full action until they collapse, exhausted by the merry-making.

This trip is over for now, but the memory and the messy sheets remain. Another visit?...soon come.

[Ardbeg... innit]

Chris...
It is sooo easy to see why you write for a living.

Dont Stop! Dont Stop! Dont Stop!

;D

Gordon

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Christinko said:

Okay, I'm in my underpants

This doesn't make sense. Exactly how can you be sure they're actually YOUR underpants, hmmm?

[Christinko]

Cuz they smell like mine.

[♥ COVID-19♥]

That methodology is flawed. If you go by the smell, then in the dark, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between your underpants and a Tuna Melt.

[Christinko]

Granted, BB speaks rudimentary truths; however, a tuna melt visit has its distinct differences from an underpants visit, so, although the olefactory stimulation may be similar, other stimulation does not correspond accordingly.

I've often sat back on my pile of satin pillows to mull over those distinct differences as I slowly close my eyes in wonderment that I do not have carpal tunnel syndrome.

[Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III]

Christinko said:

I've often sat back on my pile of satin pillows to mull over those distinct differences as I slowly close my eyes in wonderment that I do not have carpal tunnel syndrome.

Have you confessed this to your Priest?

...........Bob

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Christinko said:

... however, a tuna melt visit has its distinct differences from an underpants visit, so, although the olefactory stimulation may be similar, other stimulation does not correspond accordingly.

Taste, for example. That's why visual inspection should also be added to the verification process. I go by stains, myself -- both type and number.

[Tex]

Bukkake said:

Taste, for example. That's why visual inspection should also be added to the verification process. I go by stains, myself -- both type and number.

You probably get off to old dish towels.

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Tex, sounds like somebody's been peeking through my kitchen window.

[Hazelita]

I figured I would let Jake write the trip report (since he started this thread) but I am still basking in the memories of the time we spent there and I just had to put some thoughts to paper (or at least to computer screen).

We scheduled our flights so we would arrive at the New Orleans airport within a few minutes of each other. The weather.com web site told us to expect highs in the 80's and scattered thunderstorms throughout the entire 5-day stint. What we got was lots of hot, steamy temperatures, a mix of sunshine and clouds, and very little precipitation except for the totally rockin', sexy thunderstorm at 6:30 AM on Sunday morning. I *love* a good thunderstorm when I'm cuddling with the man of my dreams!

The Maison Dupuy is a very romantic hotel. Our room was very comfy and beautiful. We had a balcony that overlooked the courtyard, water fountain, pool and hot tub. At night it was gorgeous out there with the trees and the pool all lit up.

Food in New Orleans is an art form! I enjoyed every meal from a hot sausage Po Boy bigger than my forearm at the cheapest lunch counter to salmon and filet mignon at the trendiest restaurant. I think I had shrimp at almost every meal (well, except breakfast). Even though Jake had been to New Orleans before, and to Café DuMonde, he indulged me and took me there for coffee and beignets one morning. A few of my friends told me I just HAD to go there. Well, I can finally say I've been there and done that. He drank his hot coffee while I sipped away at a frozen café au lait (spilling some on my WHITE skirt ... fuck!!!) and we both munched on the yummy fried dough dusted with powdered sugar. I thought we'd end up there every morning after that but I was wrong. We actually found another café that we liked much better and we adopted it as our favorite place for breakfast, Café Beignet, on rue Royal off of St. Louis. We decided to take a cemetery tour one afternoon and we had to meet the tour group there. Since we arrived early we sat down and enjoyed the coffee and donuts. I noticed somebody eating jambalaya for lunch and it looked so pretty that I decided I wanted to come back again and try it for myself. We did, a couple of days later, and we both liked it very much. Not only was it pretty but it gosh darn tasted good, too!

Someone I work with recommended that we try Nola for dinner. It is located on St. Louis (is that right, honey?) and it is owned by famed chef, Emeril Lagasse. The food is fucking FABULOUS! We had to call for a reservation and they told us they could not seat us until 10:00 PM. We got there a little early, thinking we'd sit at the bar and wait for our table, but they seated us right away. The hostess took us for a ride in the elevator up to the second level and seated us in a corner table. The decor was nice but the place was NOISY!!! Service is excellent there ... well, except when we had to remind the waiter that Jake ordered a Tía Maria with his coffee, but no biggie. We both were hankering for the same two items on the menu so we decided to order one of each and share them. I do believe I ate more than my fair share of Jake's filet mignon. The sauce was wicked awesome! I ordered the grilled salmon with shrimp scampi. Yummmmmm! This was the best meal of the entire trip. The second best meal we had was at a place called Drago's in Metairie where we had dinner with some friends of Jake's. We had pasta with shrimp, Shrimp deglazed with tequila, charbroiled oysters, crab claws, lobster, and creme brulee.

We tried some alligator "nuggets" at a place on Bourbon St. I call them nuggets because that's what they looked like and because they weren't on the menu and I can't remember what the waiter called 'em. They were a bit chewy and really had no taste. Whoever said they taste like chicken probably got a better 'gator than we did. Thank goodness for cocktail sauce. I never did get to try any gumbo but I guess I have something to look forward to on my next trip to the Big Easy. The best Chicken Caesar salad I ever had was at the Café Pontalba, overlooking Jackson Square. They serve it with chopped walnuts and Cajun seasoning sprinkled over it.

My favorite drink was the frozen Margarita at Pat O'Briens. I know they're famous for their Hurricanes but I don't care much for them. Basically, any frozen drink was OK with me because it was plenty hot all the time. Another drink I liked was the frozen Amaretto & Pineapple drink from Fat Tuesdays. Their frozen 'ritas sucked, though. And I learned that I absolutely detest Mint Juleps. Blech! I was definitely dehydrated most of the time. Sometimes I'd consume an entire glass of soda or lemonade and another glass of water during a single meal and wonder why I didn't have to pee afterwards. The heat can sure get to you if you don't drink enough water. It was not uncommon for me to become lethargic when I was hot and thirsty.

I enjoyed our walks all over the town, including those we took on Bourbon Street. We just didn't find ourselves hanging out in the bars there, filled with loud, crazy young folk. I guess if I had been there with a group of people ... maybe I could get into the loud music and frenetic dancing scene. But Jake and I preferred the quieter places where we could hear live jazz yet still have a conversation with each other without having to constantly yell out "What did ya say?" I guess we've become old farts just like our parents. <shudder> We did not hear as much Zydeco music as we would have liked in the bars but we did accidentally come upon a band playing in the street on Sunday afternoon. They were pretty damn good. Wish we had heard more of that sort of music.

We took a cemetery tour, a tour of Mardi Gras World in Algiers (where they make all the Mardi Gras floats), and a tour of a Voodoo Museum. We also took many strolls. One evening we came across a piano bar that was called Gennifer Flowers. Yup ... it belongs to THE Gennifer Flowers of the infamous affair with Bubba Clinton. We did not go in but perhaps next trip.

Jake was very patient as I strolled through shops, sometimes just browsing, sometimes spending money on souvenirs or hats, purses, jewelry, etc. What a guy! He's the bestest boyfriend a gal could have. Oh, and before I forget, we both could not believe our eyes when we saw the most coveted item of all. A white and pink ceramic mug with a princess crown on it and the words "Pampered Princess" below it. I shit you not! My audible GASP and Jake's "Holy Fucking Shit" said it all. I swear I did not commission that mug but 5 minutes and $15 later it belonged to ME, the original PP!

The only negative thing about our trip is that I got a ton of bug bites. But that pretty much happens to me whenever I go on vacation, even at Hedo. I sure wish the skeeters didn't like me so much. Summer has finally arrived here in NYC and I cannot wear a short skirt because my legs are dotted with dozens of unsightly bug bites. <sigh>

I'm sure I have missed a few things here but I'll let Jakey fill in the holes. I'm sure his report will be better than mine. They always are!

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Hazelita said:

I'm sure I have missed a few things here but I'll let Jakey fill in the holes.

Give the poor bastard a rest, will ya! He probably spent your entire vacation filling in your holes!

[Merlot Joe]

Hazelita said:

Jake was very patient as I strolled through shops, sometimes just browsing, sometimes spending money on souvenirs or hats, purses, jewelry, etc.

Jake, we need to have a talk, you are giving us a bad name my boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Sounds like you had a great trip Hazel ;D ;D We will have to try that maybe next summer. Denice has family in Louisiana so it would make the trip real nice.

Joe.

[Chicago Jake]

jdwinelovers said:

Jake, we need to have a talk, you are giving us a bad name my boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nah, Joe. She has her own money, so I don't have to worry about her shopping. I just get to enjoy watching her squeal with delight as she discovers each new treasure along the way.

Now if it was my credit card she was shopping with, I might not have been such a loving and understanding BF!.......Jake

[Merlot Joe]

Chicago said:

Nah, Joe. She has her own money, so I don't have to worry about her shopping. I just get to enjoy watching her squeal with delight as she discovers each new treasure along the way.

It's not the money, it's the being patient while they shop thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D

Joe.

[Chicago Jake]

Okay, as promised, here is my trip report. Not much different than Hazel's.....



- wednesday, 6/1/05 - Took a cab out to O’Hare, got on my plane to MSY (aka, “Louis Armstrong Airport” in New Orleans) where Hazelita met me at the gate, having landed a half hour earlier. We took a cab (flat fee of $28) to our hotel, the Maison Dupuy (pronounced "May-sohn Due-Pweee") on Toulouse Street. I cannot say enough about this hotel, it is so charming and romantic and picaresque, not to mention excellent service. I had reserved a room, but had forgotten to get one with a balcony, but they had one available and upgraded us for $20 a night (bringing the total to $129/night, plus lots of taxes)(a bargain compared to the $478/night during high season). Room 232, very nice and romantic! On the way up in the tiny elevator, one of the little bimbos taking the same ride with us remarked how crowded it was. I said “Hey, be fair, this elevator was built in 1702.” She said “Oh, really?” until her companions all laughed at her for being so gullible.

We took a walk around the closer parts of the French Quarter, had “po boy” sandwiches at the Court of Two Sisters counter joint on Bourbon Street (I’ve STILL never been to their fancy restaurant around the block on Royal Street!), went back to the room for a nap, did another walk, stopped at the Crescent City Brewpub on Decatur (a favorite of mine from previous trips), another walk to look for a nice dinner place, and not finding one, BACK to the brewpub, who’s kitchen was now closed! So we had another round of drinks, and grabbed some “Lucky Dogs” from a street vendor on the way home to bed. NOTE: Lucky Dogs are a “must do” while in New Orleans!

New Orleans is much as it always has been in my experience over the last 20 years or so. Very little has changed, except for an occasional internet café, and flat screen TVs in the bars, and of course people on cell phones everywhere. Everything else is about the same as all my other trips!

- thursday, 6/2/05 - We slept late (today and every day), and moseyed down to Café du Monde on Decatur for the obligatory café au lait and beignets. It was surprisingly un-busy, no wait at all. Then we walked through the French Market, where Hazel bought a matching straw hat and bag at two different shops (total coincidence that they matched so well, I assume) and then we followed a walking tour of the quarter from our guide book. We visited Pat O’Brien’s, the Voodoo Museum (much abbreviated since my last visit, they’ve lost a lot of space, and their prized white python), and eventually had dinner at “Sammy’s” on Bourbon Street (which was basic tourista food, nothing special) (the alligator nuggets were especially tough and disappointing). An old college buddy of mine, Mikey, who lives nearby, wanted to meet up with us for a quick drink, and he joined us at Sammy’s as we were finishing up. Rather than waste a lot of money in a loud bar, we stopped at Fat Tuesday for frozen margaritas all around, and went back to the courtyard at the Dupuy to drink them and chat, all the while getting eaten up by mosquitos.

- friday, 6/3/05 - We got up late (again) and went to the very charming “Café Beignet” on Royal street to meet up with our Cemetery Tour. We were there early enough to have breakfast before our tour, and it instantly became our favorite spot: good food, lovely courtyard with a great view of passersby. The two hour walking tour took us mostly through “St. Louis Cemetery No. 1” and some other stuff. Very interesting! Afterwards, we stopped at Café Pontalba (NW corner of Jackson square) for Caesar salads and lots of liquids (no, not alcoholic) (at least, not this time). Moseyed around the square, Pirate’s Alley, and a “Vampire Boutique” with lots of cool vampire-themed stuff. Later, we had dinner at Emeril’s “NOLA” (which I assume stands for New Orleans, Louisiana), a mid-scale but VERY GOOD restaurant in the quarter. We sat upstairs in a crowded, boisterous room and had extremely tasty food (filet for me, salmon for her, but that doesn’t BEGIN to describe it). Late night walking and photos in the dark, and grabbed more margaritas at Fat Tuesday to drink in the courtyard at the Dupuy, along with a cigar for me. But we were getting bitten up by skeeters, so I smuggled my cigar through the lobby and elevator up to our balcony to finish it up there.

- saturday, 6/4/05 - Slept late (sense a pattern here?), then walked to the ferry landing on the river to take the free ferry to Algier’s, where we got a free shuttle to Blair Kern’s Mardi Gras World. Sound like a tourist trap? Of course it is, but it was excellent. These are the guys who build virtually ALL of the mardi gras floats, and they store them year round. It was very surreal to be walking among 15-foot tall versions of Alf, Gandalf, Garfield, Alien, Dracula, the Mummy, Lous Armstrong, Jessica Rabbit, Chucky, Catwoman, etc. Very surreal indeed. I took a lot of photos, in fact so many that my battery ran out. We took the shuttle and ferry back to the French Quarter, and walked straight to our favorite Café Beignet for some jambalaya lunch.

Very hot today (like other days), so we donned our swim suits (boo) and headed for the pool and hot tub in the Maison Dupuy courtyard. Very bubbly hot tub! Another nap was in order (natch), then we got picked up at 7 pm by Mikey and his wife Grace (or, as the New Orlean's chillun's would say, Mr. Mike and Miss Grace) to take us to one of their favorite places in Metarie (their suburb), called Drago’s. Nice simple family place with good food, especially seafood. The grilled oysters (or “ersters” as they say in New Orleans) were wonderful, and even Hazel ate a few. After dinner, we went to a huge antebellum style mansion turned into a hotel called “The Columns” where we sat on the front veranda. Mikey and I went to the bar to order drinks for the four of us. A swanky joint like this in the Garden District, I expected four drinks to be on the order of forty bucks, but the bill was $7.50! Excuse me? Later we found out it was their 25th anniversary, and all drinks were $2.50, with soft drinks for free. Works for me! Home to bed eventually, tired and happy.

- sunday, 6/5/05 - We got up (late!), packed, and checked out by 11 am, checking our bags with the bell station. Back to our fave Café Beignet for breakfast, then we did a long slow photo walk around the quarter. Back to the french market, where Hazel picked up some more jewelry (silver filigree hearts that look so good on her), lunch at our favorite brew pub (chicken wings and shrimp po boys), more photos on Bourbon Street, margarita and mint julep at Pat O’Brien’s, and finally back to the Dupuy to get our bags and our cab to the airport. Another great trip comes to a ripping conclusion!


Hope y'all enjoyed it......Jake



Jackson Square, with Old Hickory on his horse


Lucky Dog vendor, make sure you get it WITHOUT ketchup!!!


Marrdi Gras world, lots of styrofoam fantasies


This Porch for Rent!


Your Hosts out to dinner

[Chicago Jake]

jdwinelovers said:

It's not the money, it's the being patient while they shop thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D

Sorry, Joseph. Nothing I like more than watching my true love basking in the glory of a shopping spree high! And she is so cute as she does it......Jake

[Hazelita]

Chicago said:

Okay, as promised, here is my trip report. Not much different than Hazel's.....

Great report, Stud! I knew it would be! I knew you would mention things I overlooked. BTW, I only ate ONE oyster at Drago's.

Bukkake said:

Give the poor bastard a rest, will ya! He probably spent your entire vacation filling in your holes!

Hahahahaha! I guess I should have phrased it differently ... maybe filling in the blanks. I guess my mind was fondly remembering the parts of the trip where he "filled in the holes". But ladies and gentlemen never discuss such things publicly. (tee hee)

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Hazelita said:

But ladies and gentlemen never discuss such things publicly.

In that case, please feel free to send me a private e - mail.

With details.

And pictures.

Plenty of pictures.

[Merlot Joe]

Chicago said:

Sorry, Joseph. Nothing I like more than watching my true love basking in the glory of a shopping spree high! And she is so cute as she does it......Jake

Joseph, kind of formal ain't it. Well Jake all things ch-ch-change with time. Try doing it for 31 years. ;D ;D

Looks and sounds like you guys had a great trip. ;D


Joe.