One of the reasons I love my job so much is that I get to travel to some pretty cool places. My trips are usually to pretty big cities....Boston, DC, Philly, San Fran, etc. Until recently, one of the prime targets on my travel map has been the Big Easy....New Orleans! Ever since my first visits back in college....we'd drive from Tally to NO for Mardi Gras....I've loved this city. In my professional life, it's one of the premier sites for big conventions and meetings....that was until Miss Katrina made her arrival last year. I could count on at least one trip to NO every year....not anymore. Many of the meetings that were scheduled there late last year and all of this year were moved to new venues. A couple of other biggies couldn't find other accomodations and stuck with their original plan. I was fortunate enough to get one of those meetings on my schedule this year. The American Psychological Association held their meeting in NO last week. The usual attendance for this meeting is in the 12 to 15K range....this year it was attended by barely over 8K people. Think what you want....it's hurricane season....it's crime ridden....it's not ready for the tourists....but do you want to know the real reason??!IT'S HOTTER THAN HELL!!!
Really, who was the marketing genius that came up with THAT one (to quote a line from Seinfeld)?!! Let's see....I want to plan our annual association meeting for the beginning of August and I want the temperature to be, oh, I don't know, in the mid-90s. Let's not forget about the humidity....can we shoot for 100%?....sure, why not. Oppressive does not begin to describe the conditions for New Orleans in August....I was born and raised in South Florida so I know heat and humidity. Okay, so enough about the inclement weather....so how was NO you might ask??
It's still fun....I stayed in the Quarter at a great hotel. Room rates were dirt cheap this summer (see immediately above for the reasons why). All the main bars and restaurants in the Quarter were open for business. And speaking of business, the Quarter seems to be rebounding just fine....Friday and Saturday nights were busy, loud and inebriated. Mind you, not the same crowds as pre-Miss Katrina, but definitely rebounding nicely. The gay bars at the east end of Bourbon St were all open and festive....I spent most of the time at Bourbon St. and Lafitte's....nice guys, decent music and Abita amber (one of my fave beers).Meals were great....had breakfast at one of my favorite places, Petunia's. They serve these amazing stuffed crepes that are to DIE for. Needless to say I visited there twice. Dinners were awesome as well. I took some work colleagues to the Cafe Adelaide....a 5-star restaurant in the Loews. We actually saw Cokie Roberts, a New Orleans native, having dinner with her husband and friends the night we were there. I love brushes with fame! And it doesn't have to be 5-star to be great....I ended up going to one of my favorite dive bar restaurants, Yo Mama, for one of the best burgers I've ever had. You get this awesome burger with a baked potato for 5 bucks....huh??!!! I can't forget Fiorella's either....it's totally off the beaten path in the French Market area. I had the best fried chicken....it rivaled my grandmother's....and they serve this crazy appetizer....fried pickles. Yes, you heard me right....they're sliced and deep fried in a corn batter. Oh, and you can get them in a po-boy too.
There wasn't much free time....but I did get some sightseeing in. I went to the Marigny a couple of times....did the Garden district....and visited the Bywater area. The devastation varied from place to place....Marigny seemed to recover well....it's right off the Quarter and they were really spared the brunt of the storm and its aftermath. The Garden district is home to some of the most beautiful antebellum mansions you've ever seen....Anne Rice's house is there! Other than the vegetation, it seemed to fair well too. The Bywater area, on the other hand, got rocked. As I was cabbing through, you could see all the "red-crossed" homes with the dates they were deemed uninhabitable....it was sad and creepy. They looked fine from the outside, but clearly they weren't.
Finally, in a bit of bittersweet commentary, I visited one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans, Marisol. Well, I visited what was left of Marisol. It's in the Marigny and was heavily damaged. I've been there a few times....actually every time I got to NO. But no more. The owners decided it was too costly to rebuild. The star of Marisol, Chef Pete, continues to cook on, though. What brought me to the Bywater area was his latest incarnation....he guest chefs at this little wine and cheese shop in the Bywater called Bacchanal. They open the back patio, serve wine and beer from the shop, and Chef Pete and his helpers cook these amazing menus of regional cuisine....and not New Orleans grub....he visits places like Mexico, Italy, Equador, Vietnam....all in the form of these amazing menus. It was Mexican fare this time and I was there with some work colleagues....the food was unreal! Keep in mind, we were literally melting from the heat and humidity, but somehow we didn't mind, once we got settled and started noshing. It ended up being a truly fabulous evening.
There's my travelogue for New Orleans....it is definitely worth a visit. They are ready for folks to return, spend some money and drink some booze. Just don't do it in August.
