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Monday, October 28, 2013

New Orleans: Cajun Food

So I am back in Hickory, North Carolina. I go to school here. Lenoir-Rhyne University actually. We got back sometime around 1 am last night. It was a looooooong twelve hours in the van and by the last three we were all getting irritable with each other.

My last taste of cajun food was yesterday. I got to go to this small place I noticed on Canal Street called Palace Cafe. I went for lunch and decided I was going to have some more gumbo before leaving.

The restaurant has outdoor seating but I was seated inside. It was a cute restaurant with an upstairs and an open kitchen. I decided to get oysters and gumbo. Two appetizers to save me a bit of money.

When I got there they gave me a glass of water and then asked if I wanted some bread. I said sure and the woman came out with a whole loaf of french bread!

It was toasty and warm and so good! The crust was so crumbly that I made a mess all over the table. It was actually so good I had two loafs. I know, such a fat kid. 

A man from the kitchen came out to give me my oysters and by golly they were amazing! I don't remember exactly what it was but all I know is I took my left over bread and soaked up the juices. The pan was clean by the time the waitress came back for it.



The oysters were absolutely divine. 

I then got a cup of gumbo. It was not as good as the first bowl of gumbo I had but it was still very yummy.

There was shrimp and oysters in this bowl of gumbo.

This trip was absolutely worth it! Yes I spent a lot of money on food but all of it was good and I wish I could have stayed longer. I hope to someday come back to New Orleans with a group of friends to go out on the town with! 

So this is my first excursion with you! I do hope you enjoyed it and I can't wait until the next adventure.

I shall miss the weirdness of New Orleans.


Sunday, October 27, 2013

New Orleans: Halloween on Bourbon Street

What a night last night was!! In New Orleans the Saturday before Halloween is when the celebration is. We wanted to dress up and go out on the town, and so we did! Everyone in the group dressed up. We had Tarzan, a cheerleader, sexy detective, two ladies of the night, a hipster, and then me....

THE TARDIS!!!!

Because I am such a Whovian this costume was perfect for me! I got the dress on a whim at Hot Topic and it was an easy costume to pack. I did contemplate bringing my Dalek costume, but it was hand made and had delicate Styrofoam balls on it. Not good to pack into a suitcase.

So we left about sevenish to get food. I was not that hungry at the moment so I ended up just eating some cheese fries. They weren't even that good anyways.

After the cheese fries some pictures were taken...

Me and Randy who was our Tarzan.

Then off to Bourbon Street! There was a parade on Canal Street that I did not get pictures of. :( It was an amazing parade! Floats from different horror movies road down and candy was thrown along with halloween cups. I got one too!

After the parade was over we headed down bourbon. This is where the fun began.

We were walking along and someone recognized me. She asked to take a picture with me and I felt awesome that I was recognized. Later throughout the night I was continued to be praised and recognized as the TARDIS and I even found some Doctors!

Left: Me with Eleventh Doctor                    Right: Me with Tenth Doctor

I was stopped almost every ten minutes and people were taking pictures of me, I was taking pictures with people. I walked into a voodoo store to check out some things and the store owners began to clap and applaud my costume. I think the group I was with were getting kind of tired of me getting stopped for pics and recognition. 

To anyone who may ask, yes I did get some beads. And yes I earned them the way you do on bourbon street. By flashing the boobies. It was a quick flash but I got a lot of beads for it. All in all the night was fantastic and I am sad that we are leaving today. I plan on getting some lunch before leaving and I want to have my last taste of cajun food.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

New Orleans: Beignets!

I finally had Beignets today!! Breakfast food that has never been more sugary.


We went to the CafĂ© Du Monde on Decatur street. This restaurant has been around since the 1800s and is open 24/7. All they sell is Beignets and coffee. There is also other options like hot chocolate, juice, etc. They also sell merchandise which includes a Beignet mix! I wanted to get it but decided not so since I am poor. 

I got three Beignets and coffee. It was absolutely delicious and I got powdered sugar everywhere. It is cash only so I had to stop by an ATM along the way. We just walked in, grabbed a seat and got our food. That's how it works. You don't wait in line to be seated, you seat yourself.

It was amazing walking down Decatur in the morning with all the artists lined up. I do wish I got photos but the artists do not wish for their art to be photographed so I respected their wishes. I really wanted to buy a beautiful painting but it was $90 and I do not have that kind of money to spend.

So I do believe I have now eaten everything that was on my list to try in New Orleans! :)

Friday, October 25, 2013

New Orleans: Adventures in the French Quarter

So yesterday I told everyone about my amazing cajun food experience. Now I want to tell you about the sights of New Orleans. We are staying in the New Orleans Marriott which is on Canal Street. This is not very far from Bourbon Street either. After some sessions a group of friends and I walked around to view the sights and get a glimpse of the lifestyle of the people who live here.

One of the first places we went to was Bourbon Street. For anyone who may not know about this street it is where the majority of Mardi Gras takes place. This is the street were people will flash their tits to get beads.

Walking down bourbon was a bit sketchy at first. Everywhere I looked there were nothing but bars and strip clubs. During the day people were going into the few stores that were around and listening to the jazz music from Music Legends Park.


We stood outside and listened to the music from the live band that was playing. New Orleans is one of the birth places of jazz and the music is embraced fully by the culture. 

After wandering bourbon a bit we decided to go to the Mississippi river and wander. There we got to walk by some interesting characters and interesting sights. 

Walking down Canal Street

Mississippi

Saw these in a store on Decatur street. I thought it was fantastic!

It was a lot of fun wandering around. Right now I am back to chilling in the lobby (since it seems to be the only place with decent wifi). We are planning on going out tonight and I shall update everyone when I can! :)