Keep Calm & Have a Cocktail March 2018:Day 2. Mum Behaving Badly. New Orleans Superdome & Bourbon St

[WileyCoyote]

The day before is HERE

Sunday 11 March , New Orleans, Mothers Day

I woke at 4.20 with some noisy herberts shrieking and running around outside.

Fortunately I didn’t feel so bad and definitely not inclined to go back to sleep with the alarm due to go off just 40 minutes later.

I opened the Mothers Day cards that Andy had thoughtfully brought from home and was pleasantly surprised to find some $$$ inside to buy a treat with. Perfect

We were packed and checked out by 5.20. The hotel had been £300 for the two nights. It didn’t feel really great value and looking back Spring Break definitely affected prices and availability. Tsk tsk on the lack of homework there !

The roads were really quiet and even with a brief stop to refuel, we were back at FLL airport in half an hour. Car return is on site so no bus nonsense and we were all checked using the self service kiosks by 0545. The cases were well under the 23kg limit.

Really efficient service again from SouthWest.

The airport was pretty deserted and much larger than we had realised .

We were briskly through security and sat at the gate by 0620.

Andy set off in search of some breakfast while I settled in to last nights cheesecake from Shulas - it looked a bit worse for wear but was very nice

Andy was gone an absolute age and I was getting twitchy as having paid extra for early boarding, people were already lining up and I was beginning to think we would miss our spot.

He came back with no breakfast but had secured a Starbucks Miami mug - so it seems it was possible to get one in Fort Lauderdale after all !

He enquired about cheesecake availability and I just laughed - like I would have left some ( oops)

On boarding, there was a middle seat available in the front row which was perfect for his long legs but a lady clearly wanted to keep it for her bags and was really put out when Andy asked her to move the bags .

So much so that they got up and switched to the other side - doing exactly the same thing again.

Given that the entire plane still had to board, it was quite funny to watch how she made that seat invisible to everyone by getting up, stretching, waving a newspaper and basically anything to stop someone sitting there. The joys of unassigned seating

We took off on time at 7.25 and it was a bit bumpy to start with but settled down and we had a very welcome coffee - with peanuts and pretzels ..

It was nice to see the sunrise from above the clouds

Middle seat lady was equally keen to be first off the plane , bit of a shame at 6'4" Andy sort of blocked the aisle getting the bags down - slowly

Our cases were number 4 and 6 (precisely) onto the carousel so we made a swift exit into a taxi for the flat fare trip of $36 to the hotel.

We checked in and left all the cases and hand luggage with the concierge and set off for some breakfast

A few of the places I had looked at for their Jazz brunches were yet to open so we settled for Stanley which scores highly on tripadvisor

Starting as I meant to go on, I had a Morning Glory cocktail ... Milk and espresso flavour vodka

My tasting face ...

While perusing the menu

I had the classic

Andy had another breakfast sandwich ... Plus Tabasco sauce

The bill

It's s really funky place. Nice food and great service

They were filming an ad in Jackson Square and it was interesting to watch all the faffing about that it entails - all for a beignet !

[WileyCoyote]

We headed back to the hotel and made use of the wifi

- I think we could easily have had a crafty nap but fighting off the tiredness we jumped in a taxi to the Superdome .

It was the last day of the Home and Garden show which was a great excuse to go in and see the inside of the stadium.

I was thinking Ideal home exhibition but it wasn’t quite like that - there were a few pet rescue and adoption places there and I could easily have adopted all the dogs - I am such a softy and it makes me sad to see them with no home - so Andy made sure we didn’t pass them again on the way out.

What a curious array of exhibits - but completely fascinating and we spent ages in there looking at all sorts of things

Andy tried out the massage chair and declared it had done wonders for his back ( remember this)

We passed on these

I bought some aero tasting fudge and a gator shaped one (which I thought was just fudge flavour but turned out to be peanut butter - no label or warning either !)

I sat for a bit troughing the fudge and writing some notes.

It’s a huge place - I cant begin to think what it must have been like for the people taking shelter in there from Katrina , quite humbling.

A quick loo stop where the provision of water from this contraption completely confounded me

and I ended up with soapy hands until I could find something to wipe them on

We stepped out intending to walk to the sports bar a few minutes away but it was tipping down - so hard that it was literally sheets of vertical rain.

I was getting the camera out to take a pic when Andy flagged down a cab so I ran for that instead of getting a snap.

The taxi was $12 and a complete result as our room was ready. In a spooky co incidence it was the exact same room we had in September - how cool is that !

pics from last year

Very minimal unpacking ( packing cubes, I love you) and back down to the Hotel Bar for our complimentary drink

It was about 2pm now so a few nibbles as well as a Grasshopper cocktail

One of my faves

With chips n dips

Making the most of Mothers Day, I then moved on to the May Flower

Milking it

[WileyCoyote]

The sun had come out now and it looked glorious, the music was starting up on Bourbon Street and it was perfect - just what we had come for.

We had read about Sunday African drumming in Congo Square so talk the short walk along St Peter Street which was lovely in the sunshine.

The rain must have delayed things though as we got there just after the advertised time of 3pm and it was very quiet and after half an hour or so , we decided to head back to Bourbon Street as it would be a bit livelier.

A quick stop at the Tropical Isle for the brilliant Shark Attack

Quick selfie

And then we stood outside for a bit as a band made its way down the street. It was like that scene from Live and Let Die

Bearing in mid I had 4 cocktails by now ( I know, the one at breakfast hardly counts) , the sensible thing to do would have been to take a break and eat.

All that advice your parents give you - eat before you drink, drink one pint of water for every alcoholic drink.

Its all good advice.

And I ignored all of it.

Carried away by the spirit (see that pun) of it all , we made our way to Bourbon heat where a live band was playing rock songs and they were really good.

Before I could say “diet coke” a strawberry daiquiri had appeared.

Of course, I could have still said “ diet coke” but thought I would soldier on.

We had a great time here, listening to the music, chatting to a group of Australians who were on the last day of a month long tour of the States and with numerous Spring Breakers who were all very happy with life.

We got chatting to a couple who were completely in lurve ( they met the previous Friday) and they told us how cool we were ( I think they meant for old people) .

I know not what prompted it but a round of tequila shots appeared.



That song, Tequila, It makes you Happy.

Its not true.

It makes you very drunk.

Because of course Andy got the first round in, it had to be repaid in kindness by them getting a second round.

I could have just tipped it over myself to save myself the next few hours I think.

So 5 cocktails and 2 tequila slammers later and I am well impressed with my Mothers Day - beats a trip to Dobbies I heard myself declare.

Definitely time for food now and we headed for the Orleans Grapevine

I did say Diet Coke this time but it was a fairly feeble effort.

I was very merry by now and having a lovely time. I was also trying quite hard not to slip off the very high, no back, bar chair.

It's true my eyes were going in different directions but I hadn't fallen off or over anything yet which I regarded as a personal triumph

The bar has the fantastic feature of being directly opposite our hotel.

Literally.

So not far to get home.

Which was good.

We sat at the bar as even this early ( 6.30) it was full.

Yummy bread . Of course the idea is to carb up before you drink right ?

We had bacon wrapped scallops and the baked Brie with garlic sauce. These were yum

I'm impressed with myself that I got any of the good in these photos!
We were chatting to a couple who just got engaged and who were determined to share their oysters with us

Well that did it for me. Unfortunately, as they say over here, I had to dash off to the ladies for an impending " reversal" experience.
Oh dear, I was not well.

Thus missing out on the steak and lobster which I am told was lovely.

And the bill

It is a lovely place. We did go back.

However for the rest of the evening, I was in that spinning room nightmare .. That will teach me

I should point out Andy was also sick. I say the oysters did for both of us, He says it was the random hot dog he had from a street cart

It was obvs not the tequila.

See you in the morning ... which is HERE

[CrispyA]

Oh dear, definitely the oysters. And probably jet lag as well. Sounds like a fun day though!

[Lizzim]

And this is why I don’t drink...

[Melbatb]

I also agree that it must have been the oysters

As soon as you said James Bond I could visualize the scene and the music! NO is certainly an interesting city architecturally!

Shame about dinner!

[Goldia]

Andy did well to get the Starbucks mug. I had to laugh at the lady trying to secure a spare seat next to her on the plane.

A great mothers day, I think you did amazingly well to last that long. The parade looks good and I imagine it was thrilling to be part of it.

Those oysters looked off in the photo, I'm surprised the restaurant served them!

[CuriousAlice]

Now that is how to spend mother's day! Those damn oysters ey?

Fab photos. I really want to go now! The arena seems massive. The stun guns and sit on lawn mowers are a strange combo of stalls though. I did laugh at the idea of you trying to get some dogs into your packing cases.

Look forward to day 3 x

[JudyC]

Oooh the spinning room nightmare, guess won't be doing that again for a while 😅
Sounds like a great day though

[Beth_Disney]

Oh gosh, I'll be sure to avoid the oysters

New Orleans looks really quirky. Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed report - perfect timing for our trip to NOLA on Friday!