French Quarter Fest - Day Four: Rained Out.

As much as I wanted to finish the fourth day of the festival, it was piss-pouring rain when I woke up at 9:30 AM.  So, being a typical lazy bitch, I flipped over and went back to sleep.  The bedroom was dark, thunder was booming, and the occasional flash of lightening was visible, and a little too close for comfort.  So, I missed out on my bread pudding drizzled with white chocolate and bananas.  Which is really, really, really okay.  I didn't need the extra-evil calories.

I did discover a new restaurant, one that we are keen to try sometime soon (and they also give an additional 10% discount to locals)...  that would be the Royal House Restaurant.  May I suggest their char-grilled oysters???  Oh.  My.  Gawd.  It was a total taste orgasm.  No lie.  The menu is short and sweet... but there's enough of a variation to appeal to almost anyone - oyster lovers or not.

In all honesty, they may be able to give Acme Oyster House a run for their money. Good google-y moo!!  (In all honesty, I attempted to add a link, but nothing seems to be working this evening)...   So, you may want to run a search engine and see the menu.  :0))

When we lived in Europe, I was able to create the char-broiled oysters quite easily...  if you really want my copycat recipe, comment on it with your email info and I will be more than happy to pass it on.  :0))

In other news, Choggie has been fighting diarrhea...  and she is now barricaded in the kitchen.  I feel like an awful doggie-mommy.

Such is the story of my life.

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French Quarter Fest - Days Two and Three: Burn Me Up, Scotty!!

The weather is beautiful.  Mid-70's today with a nice breeze off of the Mississippi, not too hot or humid...  a perfect day, really.  That being said, I managed to get myself nice and crispy over the last two days.  My fish-belly-winter-white skin has been exposed to the sun.  For two days in a row!!

Just for the record, I can't use sunblock on my face - it will give me hives.  And then I'll look even worse.  So, I'll have to wait for my skin to just tan up (that's what always happens... I get crispy and then the burn will "fade" into a tan).  But for now??  I'll have to deal with that tight, nasty, fire-ant sensation.  Le sigh.  But all is not lost - 

Here are some highlights from our day:

 ^^  View of a barge on the Mississippi...

 ^^  Walking along the levee in Woldenburg Park (going towards Jackson Square and the US Mint)...

 ^^  Overflowing with people (and booze), Jackson Square was a MADHOUSE.  

^^  Looking past the Square towards the US Mint and Frenchman's Street...

 ^^  Good local shopping, good eats, fresh vegetables, local meats, and specialty items.  

 ^^  Rouse's Market has an annual crawfish eating contest.  The winner for the past three years has been "The Black Widow".  Yes, indeed - our native New Orleans champion who has out-eaten EVERYONE is a woman.  :0))

 ^^  So you can't bother the contestants...  hehehe!!

 ^^  One of our local Mardi Gras indians.  They hand-sew these beautiful costumes and make a new ensemble every year.  He was posing with everyone (FTR - the chick in the pic is not me).

 ^^  Some colorful (but fugly) art.  Looks like someone's 7-year old painted it...

 ^^  Flying pigs!!

 ^^  Even better...  puffer fish!!  Want-want-want-want...

 ^^  Why, oh WHY would someone want to deface property with the graffiti "cat piss"??  Really??  Are you threatening that your cat will come and piss??  Maybe the property smells that way??  Mysteries are afoot in the French Quarter...

^^  This is what I like to see...  and what I moved to New Orleans for.  90% of the bars in this city do not allow minors or parents with children under the age of 21.  No exceptions.  <3  <3  <3

^^  This gem was parked behind the vendors at the French Market.  Looks like a very reputable and reliable company, no??

I'll be heading back over to the Quarter tomorrow afternoon - most of the crazy ought to be gone - and I still have a couple of food booths I want to hit.  Tonight, I'm heading over to visit L. (my neighbor).  Cocktails, a good friend, and great conversation...  it's a fabulous way to end the day (and I'm currently a poet - and I *know* it!!)...  

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French Quarter Fest - Day One: The Trashed Umbrella

So...

1.  I forgot my iPhone at home.  Yes, really.  Realized this little factoid when I was on the ferry.
2.  I missed some awesome pictures depicting some of our local flavor.
**Think of a very big-boobed granny dancing along with no bra on and shaking her money-maker.  Oh, yeah!!  Zexy!!**
3.  The weather went to shit.  My umbrella??  Will never be the same again.
4.  Scored a funky Crescent City manhole cover mouse pad.
**For the record, I've been looking for one of these for AGES.**

And...

Here's how the early part of today went down:

First off, the bastards at Yahoo Weather (or whatever the app is called) were actually fucking correct with all their storm predictions.  For the most part, I'll give them about a 50% accuracy rating...  but (unfortunately) they were spot-on today.

^^  100% chance of rain??  Usually, this forecast is not correct.

Of course, because it was the first day of French Quarter Fest, it accurate.  :0((

Unfortunately, one of the things Yahoo Weather *didn't* mention...  the wind gusts coming off the Mississippi River (40 - 55 MPH).  My poor umbrella didn't stand a cold chance in hell:

^^  Never to be restored to its former glory.  RIP, umbrella.

**Very happy that I didn't take my French Esponge Bob SquarePants.  Would've been a travesty!!**

However, during our stroll down Royal Street, I popped into a funky-looking gift shop (they had some really cool artwork that was decently priced) and found one of the must-have treasures that is currently gracing my list...  a Crescent City manhole cover mouse pad!!!  Score!!  I also want to pick up a round rug the size of the actual manhole cover...  I think I'll put it in my guest bathroom.  My happy item:

^^  I'm still using my Barbapapa mouse pad from France.  

This is right next to it.  I keep admiring it.  Yessssss. 

And, I took a picture of our bridge scanning over the Mississippi River - I took this the other night when I was driving home from visiting a friend in Gretna (so I'm on the Westbank - looking at the bridge that will take you to the Superdome, Central Business District, Metairie, Kenner, and the Louis Armstrong International Airport).  It just looked so cool - so I snapped a quick picture.  <3  <3  <3 

^^  View from the Bestbank...  looking towards greater New Orleans.

Anyhow, my apologies for forgetting my camera - I would've loved to have posted pictures of the concert we went to this morning (Blues Masters featuring "Big Al" Carson) and some of the tasting plates I sampled.  Tomorrow is another day and I promise my next post will be chock-full of Big Easy goodness.  We're planning on going to the Quarter for the next three days.  Whoo-hoo!!

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Idears.

So.

My husband has been encouraging me to start my own online business.  Really.  I have some pretty good ideas and funky tee shirt designs drawn already.  For the type of product I'd like to sell, New Orleans would be the ultimate place to start up a business.  I'm already familiar with some boutiques which only feature items made by local artists - so I know that there is a niche market here.

Luckily, we have some artsy friends here (some of which are associated with Gallery Rinard - we have a huge Matt collection), so I should be able to make some contacts with screen printing companies, design help, and other small business services.

Everybody has to start somewhere, right???

Boutiques + Comics = Happiness.

The husband introduced me this weekend to "Fleurty Girl" stores here in New Orleans.

**SWOON**

In serious love.  Really.  Funky, original clothing, jewelry, home accessories, and other oddities which caught my eye.  Most (if not all) of the items are made here by local artists.  Original designs, neighborhood tees, handmade soap, candles, and other items (there's a NOLA Water/Sewer manhole cover rug that I'm going to be scoring soon!!)...  Walked out of the store with this gem:

^^ Your eyes do NOT deceive you!!  It is the GO-CUP hanging in front of the Superdome and CBD!!

This tee shirt is what I want to buy next (and trust me, I already have started my Wish List):

^^  This would be one of the best roller derby tee shirts.  Ever.

You can order from their online catalogue and support local business here in New Orleans.  If you get a chance to come to our fair city, there are a couple of different locations.  

French Quarter Fleurty Girl

632 St. Peter Street

NOLA  70116

Magazine Street Fleurty Girl

3117 Magazine Street

NOLA  70115

Metairie Fleurty Girl

3313 Severn @ 17th Street Avenue

Metarie  70002

Mandeville Fleurty Girl

2885 Hwy 190 

Suite C

Mandeville  70471

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Before we visited Fleurty Girl, we went to a hole-in-the-wall comic book store that husby found.  Ever since we've unearthed his childhood comic collection (all six huge long boxes worth), he's been going through and trying to fill up any *holes* AND the husby has started buying again!!  :0))  Plus, we're both huge fans of Kevin Smith and his show on AMC - "Comic Book Men" (which is utterly hilarious - for the Geeks, at least).  Anyhow, we spent a good amount of time browsing over at "BSI Comics" (their motto is:  "We've Got ISSUES!!" which is very catchy IMO) and I fell in love with Popeye the Sailor Man (again - his cartoon was one of my favorites) and husby scored with a Fantastic 4 (volume something-or-other).  

I've already started collecting Stephen King's Dark Tower series graphic novels - but I got schooled when I found out that they've also released a series based on "The Stand".  They MUST join the collection.  Oh, my precioussssssssssssssssss...  (yet another Geek referral).  

^^  My selection.

^^  Part of my book collection.  The entire wall is filled - and I got rid of EIGHT cases before we moved here (please disregard the sloppiness - but I have a *system* or sorts in place).

French Quarter Festival is coming up!!  April 11th through the 14th - it's the biggest FREE music festival in the South.  If you're a music lover, you might want to try and visit during this time next year. Between the music, the food, and the people - this is my little slice of heaven.

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French Pop.

Music!!

I don't know why, but I love listening to funky songs in different languages.  The video is really cute, too.  Enjoy!!

Anniversary Adventures.

The Husby and I got hitched 11 years ago on April Fool's Day.  We eloped - and the only people who knew what we were going to do (because we invited them to come along) were our best childhood friends and their spouses.  It was an evening wedding (here in New Orleans) at a lovely antebellum mansion (it used to be a house of ill-repute - they even had RED gaslights) in the Garden District.

So, yes.  I did get married on April Fool's Day in a whorehouse.  We had a Justice of the Peace come and perform our ceremony (we were his 10,000th wedding) and afterwards, we went out for a beautiful dinner at Commander's Palace.  To this day, I do not regret eloping, nor do I regret my wedding (no "Bridezilla" bullshit for me!)... so it seems odd when people ask me if I'd do it the same way again (if I had a do-over).  Go figure.

Since this is the first time in 11 years that we have actually been in New Orleans ON our actual anniversary (we'd tend to come AFTER because French Quarter Festival starts roughly 10 days after our special date), we pretty much celebrated for this entire weekend.  We went to the Audubon Insectarium in the morning, had an al fresco lunch in the courtyard of the Napoleon House (get the cheese board if you ever get a chance to go there - also, they make the best twisted Pimm's Cup - the Pimm's Cup Ginger Mint Julip - my new favorite boozy drink), and then headed over to Harrah's Casino for some rounds of blackjack.  Took a break and headed back to the Point to hang out and relax before dinner.  We had dinner reservations at the second-oldest restaurant in the French Quarter, Tujague's.  They feature a 5-course fixed price menu and it was absolutely delicious!!  It's probably going to take place in our restaurant rotation (especially if we have company come in to visit)...

Here are some of the highlights of our day:

^^ Two ways to cross the Mississippi River.  Our view of the bridge from the ferry.

 ^^  American cockroach exhibit.  They were in a dollhouse type setting.  

^^  They seriously skeeve me out!!  ::shudder::

^^  Cute little tortoise who hangs out in the Butterfly Garden...

^^  Koi Pond in the Insectarium...

 ^^  Our table was hidden behind this palm and a column in the courtyard at Napoleon House

 ^^  Delivery!!  I *heart* Abita!!

^^  I really like this picture, because it shows the old buildings in the French Quarter with the Central Business District (CBD) modern skyscrapers.

 ^^  Holy Casino, Batman!!  This place went on FOREVER.  It is *huge*.

 ^^  This is the cleanest, shiniest, sparkly Lucky Dog stand in this ENTIRE CITY.

 ^^  One of the bars at Harrah's...  the lights continuously change color.

^^  Very cool fake night sky in Harrah's bar.  You can even see the stars.  :0))

 ^^  Had to stop at K-Paul's and pick up my favorite seasoning...  

^^  Some of my spoils!!  I *love* cheezy tee shirts.  

And according to my pedometer, we walked about 7.2 miles today.  My legs are aching and I need to try and get some sleepy time.  

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