Historical Walks – New Orleans Day 2

I slowly awoke yesterday from the aftereffects of the 20 hour Friday.  The Roothuggers convened in the hotel lobby for the complimentary breakfast which we shared with seemingly thousands of prepubescent cheerleaders. 

My partners in crime from the night before launched into an attack on my character.  They claimed, for the benefit of my wife, that I was a wild man the night before while in reality, if anything, I was the sanest member of the group.   They claimed that if we went back to Bourbon Street a large percentage of the women there would know my name.  I don’t think my wife believed them but she did insist she would be accompanying us when we returned.

Jackson Square in Daylight

We had some time to kill before the scheduled events of the day so the entire group of Roothuggers returned to the French Quarter for some shopping and general perusing.  It was so different in the daylight and the streets had all been scrubbed clean which was a very good thing considering some of the deposits left on the street the night before by some of the more energetic partiers. 

Cafe Du Monde

There was a real vibrant feel to the tourist drenched city as we passed so many locations I remembered from the movies.  Our initial goal was to have mid-morning snacks and coffee at Café Du Monde near Jackson Square which is supposed to be really famous.  Since that was mobbed with tourists waiting in a long line to get in we kept moving to the French Market.

Walking Around the City

My Wife and I Along the Mississippi

I saw my wife’s eyes grow rapidly larger when she saw the myriad shopping opportunities available.  Since she was scheduled to return in the afternoon for shopping she reluctantly continued on with us once our compatriots scored their elusive coffees.

My Wife in the French Market

We made our way back to the hotel via Bourbon Street which looked completely different in daylight.  My “friends” continued their assault on my character which I defended with equal fervor.  At the end of the street my wife and another wife took off for the aforementioned shopping opportunities because the rest of us were headed for a tour of the Battle of New Orleans site from the war of 1812.  This was not exactly in her wheelhouse.

Nighttime Beads Stranded Over Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street in the Daylight

Very Cajun

I was incredibly excited to see the site of this decisive victory of the American forces led by General Andrew Jackson.  It’s famous as one of the most lopsided victories in the annals of military history.  One of our intrepid Roothuggers had arranged for a battlefield expert (a former associate of Stephen Ambrose) to give us a guided tour.

Our Lunch Destination

Before the tour we patronized another “off the tourist beat” restaurants for lunch.  It turned out to be so much more than advertised with incredibly large servings and attitude to spare.  I actually felt anorexic because I don’t think we saw a single regular that weighed less than 300 pounds.  If you saw the servings you would understand.  The very nice serving lady looked at me strangely when I said I didn’t want gravy on my steak – it was almost as if she had never heard that before.  The food was uniformly awesome though.

Lunch - Check Out Size of Servings

The tour of the battlefield was as fascinating as I hoped it would be.  The expert gave us a real feel for the action and the battlefield itself is very well preserved.  Jackson sited his defense on a perfect killing field with his flanks anchored in a swamp at one end and the Mississippi Rover on the other.  The British ended up losing over 2000 men while the American casualties were less than 20.

Roothuggers at Battlefield - Center of American Line

Looking Across Field British Tried to Cross

On the way back to New Orleans we stopped by Jackson Barracks which has some truly impressive houses situated right on the river. 

Jackson Barracks - River is just Past Flagpole

The night called for the highlight of our trip.  A dinner at the World War 2 Museum followed by a special Frank Sinatra tribute show called “My Way”.  The food was prepared by a world famous chef which meant the servings were very pretty but also incredibly small.  It was so funny to compare the differences in our dinners with the earlier lunches.  Come to think about it – I didn’t see a single 300 pounder at the show.

Where the Show Was

 

The Sinatra Tribute

 

Roothuggers at Show

 

More of the Fantastic Show

The show was well done with four young people singing their hearts out with all of Sinatra’s favorites.  Our still intrepid friend had acquired literally front row seating for us and the show was just tremendous.  We had the opportunity to meet the talented cast afterwards and I was a little stunned by how small they were.  They had such stage presence that I was truly surprised to find them so diminutive.  Their voices however were much taller; a truly memorable event.

Roothuggers Posing with Talented Cast of My Way

After the show we headed back for the French Quarter and my wife was adamantly insisting on accompanying us, for some reason.  If anything Bourbon Street involved even more controlled chaos last night than it had the night before.  My wife was a little aghast when a well endowed young lady exposed her chest to receive the obligatory set of beads.  Someone even threw my wife a set of beads which she thought was very nice until I told her what the crowd expected in payment.  Her shopping partner from earlier in the day was scandalized when she was treated to the exposed buttocks of a young man trying to earn some beads from a balcony borne young lady.

Roothuggers on Bourbon St (Again)

We reached the end of Bourbon Street and entered Pat O’Brian’s again.  We were soon seated around a table near the fountain fire from the night before.  We soon learned why we were able to get a table for ten with a huge crowd vying for room around the fire.  There was set of heat lamps arrayed around the area and two were focused directly on our table.  My wife pointed out that her hair was actually being heated up by the rays from the lamp. I pointed out that she was outside on a crisp night and felt completely warm. 

Me and Fellow Roothugger at Pat O'Brian's (Again)

My Wife and His Wife Baking Under the Lights

We drunk called one of the missing Roothuggers to inform him that we had elected him to chair the next reunion.  He smartly did not answer his phone.  Unfortunately, for him, we were in possession of his home phone so we also called there to have his wife hung up on us, twice.

Celebrating the Phone Calls

My wife rarely drinks and she downed a full White Russian before we declared victory and headed back to the hotel.  It was another very long walk in a day of long walks but I learned the origins of the expression, “feeling no pain”.  A great day spent with cherished friends doing some of the things I love most in the world.

Well, Yeah!!!

Tired Roothuggers Return to Hotel
One Wife Displays her Spoils