







The drive from Houston to New Orleans is pretty damn flat and ugly, there are many bridges and then some cool swamp views from said bridges. We got stuck in a patch of Rajun Cajun traffic right outside of Baton Rouge, which made for a bit of a long day, but once we arrived in New Orleans, we were ready to go. And by ready to go, I mean we were ready to stuff our faces! First on our list was a po-boy.





The fully dressed shrimp po-boy from Domilise's in Uptown New Orleans

We arrived in New Orleans from the west, so it only made sense to explore "upriver" which means Uptown and the Garden District. We started at Domilise's, a bar and po-boy shop that's been around for a hundred years and was initially a bar that some Sicilian immigrants opened. The amount of care and attention dedicated to these po-boy sandwiches is astounding. They really take an immense amount of pride in creating these sandwiches, and damn can you tell! While we were waiting for these delicious creations, we looked at the wall of pictures that showed all the famous patrons, and guess who frequents this place? JOHN MOTHEREFFIN GOODMAN. John. Goodman. All is right in the world when you eat the same po-boys as Mr. Dan Conner. While we speak of Mr. Goodman, let it be known that after our meal, we strolled along Magazine St., and then to the Garden District where we also petted his dog. I WAS FREAKING OUT. Unless he no longer lives at that house, in which case we petted some random old Golden Retriever in the Garden District of New Orleans.

John Goodman/s house, which used to belong to Trent Reznor. That is Daisy, his dog, behind us.



The Garden District was established shortly after the Louisiana Purchase. Once the region became part of the United States, Americans began to move to New Orleans. However, they were shunned by the local French/Spanish Creole population because they didn't speak their languages and weren't Catholic. As such they were not welcomed in the French Quarter and they established themselves just west of the center, in what is now known as the Garden District. This I learned while leading our self-guided walking tour.

Greek Revival in the Garden District.

The street names are on the sidewalks, so handy!

Rage against the machine.

Pecan & Salted Caramel Macarons at Sucre on Magazine St.

From here, we went to our place in the Marigny, which is a super hipster yet super lovely neighborhood in New Orleans. It is mostly populated by young, white artists and professionals. Lot of tattoos abound here. The Marigny was originally a "suburb" of New Orleans and it was originally a plantation too. Much of New Orleans was sectioned off into plantations, because the whole entire region thrived off slave labor, like much of the Western world in the 19th, 18th, and 17th centuries. This, of course, is why New Orleans feels like a bit of the Caribbean in the United States; its population is anywhere from 60-70% black, the elite are still white, there is lots of racial mixture, and the whole region was built on the backs of African slaves. This all results in a city with the most vibrant culture in this country, with the most unique food and music scene.





With this incredible culture and history comes a lot of pain and heartbreak, especially for the people of color in New Orleans. I feel like a lot of this can be exemplified in Louis Armstrong Park; this park now commemorates the music of local legendary jazzman Louis Armstrong, but is also Congo Square, where African slaves were marched from the port to be sold to their white plantation owners. Splendor and sorrow, all at once, that is New Orleans.



Of course, most Americans know New Orleans as a party city. And it is definitely that. It's a fun city, it really is. Problems be damned. And you know what else? Beer is CHEAP, and you can get it to go, something we just couldn't seem to remember.

My $4.50 Voodoo IPA.









Tachos; like nachos, except with tater tots!

Art in an alley off Frenchmen; there was a painting of FREDDY KREUGER.

On Saturday morning, we took a little early morning tour of the Marigny. You may or may not know this, but the actress Lake Bell got married at this beautiful building.

Marigny Opera House

Also, remember Homer Plessy? If you attended school in the United States you should, because there is that one little Supreme Court case? Plessy vs. Ferguson? Well poor old Plessy got kicked off the train and arrested by the White Man in New Orleans! In modern day Marigny, to be exact.





Marigny is super hip. It's gentrified, though. I think Marigny and the neighboring Bywater neighborhood are getting a lot of young, White artists in the area, which obviously creates some friction with native residents. Bywater neighbors the Lower Ninth Ward, which was basically decimated after the levees brokes. You can take a tour of that part of town, but I just don't agree with that. Why are you going to go and gape at other's people pain and sorrow? It's like taking a favela tour in Brazil. No thanks. Apparently the Lower Ninth Ward had the highest concentration of Black homeowners in the country, but also one of the highest poverty rates too. A lot of those people died or had to be evacuated after Katrina, and they lacked the monetary funds to return to their hometown and rebuild. From what I've read online, nature has begun to take over a lot of those empty lots. It's weird to be so close to such tragedy; almost 2,000 people died in Katrina; houses still have the X's sprayed on them and the loss is still palpable, although the city has done a lot to recover. I can also say that I felt very safe here, please ignore all the people who say it's scary because they are afraid of Black people.





Where Mardi Gras beads go to die.

St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square

Fog rolling in off the Mississippi

Bridge over the River Mississippi.

That fucker Andrew Jackson.

The famously debaucherous Bourbon St.

So much lovely ironwork in Nawlins. Also? Many bearded men, unlike Houston.

A corner during a thunderstorm in the French Quarter.

Royal St.

We were really digging those chips as a photo prop.

love these damn trees

We wrapped up our night at Three Muses, which is this excellent restaurant on Frenchmen Street (which is also just such a fun place to be). Here we had some really outstanding cocktails, as well as some of the best food of our lives, such as the fried oysters with grits. We both ate more oysters this weekend than we had in our whole lives. We had some great cocktails and food while listening to a brilliant jazz band. I mean, really, the weekend was just so perfect. We can't wait to go back to New Orleans. Hopefully in the spring, once all those sno-ball places have reopened for the hot season. And the food? So divine. I leave you with some images. Laissez les bon temps rouler!





The Sazerac, the drink of New Orleans. Waaaaaay too strong for me.

Abita Mardi Gras, local brew seasonal.

Cafe du Monde perfection.

Chargrilled Oysters at Acme.

Fried Oysters with Grits in a tomato sauce with wilted spinach = HEAVEN IN MOUTH.

seafood etouffee

Eggs Benedict with fried oysters at Stanley, our last meal in the city.

New Orleans feels like a tiny, crescent-shaped slice of the Caribbean in the United States. In lots of ways the city and its culture are very reminiscent of Latin America. It's not just the history either; life in New Orleans is definitely not easy, but people really just seem to enjoy life, bumps and all. It's a fun, complicated city where every block is teeming with history and where you abruptly come across moments of joy such as this one: If for any reason you are wondering about the title of this post, it is a tribute to my love of eavesdropping and judging. While partaking in some local beer at 13 Monaghan and waiting for a table at Three Muses , a very annoying woman a couple seats over kept peppering her speech with the phrase "I don't live here." For example:"I have a five year old son. I don't live here.""Do you have brandy? I don't live here.""I cuss all the time. I don't live here."It was not relevant to any conversation she was attempting to have, and on any given weekend in New Orleans, wholive there? While annoying, it was also hilarious, and we've taken to using this phrase at completely random moments in our conversations. Anyway. I don't live here.Then we went on a splendid little tour of the French Quarter. We took a walking tour and learned a lot about the history of New Orleans, and just how much has happened here and just what a special damn city it is. We really loved it. It might be because we live in Houston right now, which is a pretty young city. New Orleans is old for the United States, and it is just a cool fucking city. Below, some more French Quarter pictures.A lot of famous people have been and still are drawn to this city. The list is pretty endless, and it's not difficult to see why once you've visited New Orleans. There really is something quite special in this city, something that draws you in. Also, the locals are quite damn friendly, which is never something to take for granted.From the French Quarter we made our way up to City Park, which was 90% flooded after Katrina. This city has made incredible strides since then, because the park was absolutely beautiful and restored. There was also a magnificent sculpture garden; I've loved sculpture gardens since my college years in DC, when I used to go the main one on the National Mall for some alone time. The one in New Orleans was truly lovely. Oh! And we took public transportation to get up there, TRIPLE SCORE!