The Events of Wednesday, February 2, 2011

                Not only is today day #222 of our journey, but it is also February 2nd, 2/2! How perfect! When we awoke at 7 this morning, tired bodies hustled through the frigid air to the showers. Yesterday’s rain and clouds still shrouded the skies, but the air was crisp and cold today. One by one, we returned to make our beds, pack our bags, and prepare for breakfast. Before we knew it, we were bouncing toward the French Quarter of New Orleans in an overcrowded shuttle—so crowded that Dad had to sit in a folding chair in the aisle! Our driver’s narration, much more informative and logically connected than yesterday’s tour, showed us each point of interest on our drive with clarity and detail.

                Arriving in the French Quarter, we walked over to the French Quarter Visitor Center. But even with the GPS, three maps, a guidebook, and directions, we couldn’t find it. We knew it was on the block we were on, but there were no signs. Guessing, Mom headed through a hallway to the visitor center of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park. Turns out that this was what we were looking for all along! Glad for the chance to come inside and warm up, we watched the park’s short film about the importance of the Mississippi River on every aspect of life in the New Orleans region. There were also exhibits about the mixture of cultures in New Orleans from the city’s founding in 1719 until the mid-1900s. Near that, another exhibit talked about Hurricane Katrina and its effects on the area.

                All of us enjoyed the exhibits on the other side of the room. One wall translated common N’Awlin words, such as “creole”, “Cajun”, “Lagniappe” (pronounced LAN-yap), and “Laissez le Bon temp rouler”. A display in the center gave us a glimpse into New Orleans’ musical styles: Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, Gospel, and Brass Bands. Each station hosted a different musical genre and provided information about the style and performer featured in each video clip.

                Dad inquired at the ranger desk if any performances at the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park, a sister park in New Orleans, were scheduled for today. The ranger in charge called the other park for information. When I heard that February is Piano Month and today’s performance, which would start in half an hour, featured a jazz pianist, my heart leapt. I love jazz, especially jazz piano! We decided to make our way down Decatur Street to the French Market, munching on granola bars to satisfy our hunger. Arriving at the visitor center, we grabbed a table and a few seats, munching on lunch until the pianist arrived.

                Tom McDermott, the performer, began his concert with two Joplin rags, both of which I have played. In between pieces, he tried to give the audience a history of the style and development of jazz. Two Cuban pieces illustrated the predominantly Caribbean roots of jazz in New Orleans. Next came two fabulous Jelly Roll Morton tunes: Grandpa’s Spells and The Crave. Next on the program was Tom McDermott’s passion: a bit of Brazilian choro jazz, which he has slightly altered for piano. Finally, to illustrate the techniques and styles of jazz, we heard a jazzed-up Closer My God to Thee and I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Even this Beatles favorite, of a music style that evolved from jazz, sounded better with swing rhythms and improvisation. Overall, it was a pretty good performance—best of all, it was free!

                After looking around the few exhibits, we started on our walking tour of the French Quarter. As Dad read about highlighted buildings and businesses from the AAA TourBook, we experienced a lot of the not-so-touristy areas of the French Quarter. Notable points of interest were the first “skyscraper” in New Orleans—all of four stories high—and the oldest house in the French Quarter that survived a 1794 fire. Halfway through the trip, we went on a slight detour from the tour route to pass through the warm Café du Monde. This small snack shop is famous for their beignets, pronounced /ben-YAY/. These are French square donuts with no hole and tons of powdered sugar. They came in plates of three but were so rich our stomachs could only stand one. One bite and the front of our shirts were blanketed in a layer of powdered sugar snow.

                As the walking tour drew to a close, there were still two hours to burn before dinnertime. Since the various antique and art shops around town looked nice and warm, we would “shop” to warm up and kill time. The second one we ventured into was Ida Manheim Antiques. It was warmer than a greenhouse and full of extremely expensive items. Naturally, I gravitated toward the 1910 French Gaveau piano. A kind worker hopped up from his desk and invited me to play. I was hesitant at first; if I broke it, there goes my college education! It was a marvelous piano, very mellow and soft from all those years of playing.

                The friendly worker invited our entire family to step into a freight elevator so he could show us more of the marvelous collection. As the elevator rose, he told us how this “Old Faithful” had brought every priceless antique up from the first floor during Katrina. As we reached the second floor, he ushered us out. At his invitation, we browsed the second and third floors, full of elaborately inlaid and painted antiques from the 1700s to the 1900s. After all the “Don’t touch anything! You’ll ruin the preservation efforts!” in all the mansions we visit, we were instructed to feel the surfaces and examine the texture of each piece. It was fascinating for all of us, and we’re not even into antiques! Some of our favorites were a parlor in the Napoleon style, a spinning top gaming table, and a 1700s cabinet with inlaid ivory.

                After thanking our fabulous guide, we headed around town to look for an authentic New Orleans dinner. Dad had identified a few restaurants with reasonable prices and good ratings, so we walked to each, viewed the menus, and mentally ranked it. At the end, the vote was taken: we were headed to the Gumbo Shop on St. Peters Street.

                 Wanting to try a bit of Creole cuisine, we ordered three “Complete Creole Meals” with sides and salads to split. Our food came and our table soon became a rotating conveyer belt of seafood gumbo, chicken gumbo, a green salad, a shrimp salad, Chicken Espagnole, Shrimp Creole, Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, crawfish Etoufee, a sauteed shrimp Po-boy, Creole creamed spinach, garlic mashed potatoes, and macque chouz corn. The spicy, savory smells filled the air as we devoured our favorite dishes. Many were beyond the taste capacities of Mom and Caitlin, so they munched on the succulent but mild sides as the rest of us, the daring and brave, endured the hot and spicy.

                Our stuffed stomachs did not deter us from thoroughly enjoying the three desserts. Although delectable, the Praline Sundae, a scoop of ice cream with pecan praline sauce, paled in comparison to the ginormous hunk of brownie topped with ice cream. It was almost better than our homemade brownies! How to describe the Hot Bread pudding w/ whiskey sauce? As described by Dad, it tasted like a soft oatmeal raisin cookie with a liquid, creamy frosting. Since it was only 6:45 and the Preservation Hall concert didn’t begin until 8, we asked the waitress if we could spend the time inside the warm restaurant. Warm we were until 7:15, when we decided to brave the cold. When we arrived at Preservation Hall, we found ourselves the first ones in line. Within minutes of our arrival, there were already ten people behind us in line. When the doors were scheduled to open, there were about sixty.

                As we headed in, we found the hall exactly as the AAA TourBook described it: “The ‘hall’ is simply a dimly lit room the size of a large parlor. About four rows of low, backless wooden benches face the informal stage, which comprises the front third of the room and contains a set of drums, an old upright honky-tonk piano and a couple of antique oak press-back chairs for musicians. … Seating is available for the first 40 or 50 to enter; otherwise, it's standing room only for the shoulder-to-shoulder capacity crowd of about 100.” There was already a large group seated; we found out that they were the Trey McIntyre Dance Crew that would be performing with the Jazz Band on Friday. Although we didn’t quite get the front row seats, the group’s presence made for an interesting night.

                As the band of seven entered and began their gig, the energy in the room just overflowed. The feet were tapping, hands were clapping, and our smiles grew bigger and bigger with every tune. Not only were these musicians incredibly talented, but they were hilarious and had a great stage (if you could call it a stage!) presence. On one tune, the St. Louis Blues, the band invited the dance crew to perform. Soon, several dancers were up and dancing with twirling, jumping, spinning, waving, bending, and gyrating. Tickets for the combined show, which is playing in New Orleans and Boise, are $20-80. And we got to see part of it for only $12! It was unexpected but a great show nonetheless.

                As the night drew to a close at 9:30, the musicians left and Dad called our cab. For us kids, it was our first cab ride. This van was efficient, smooth, and inexpensive. Once home at the KOA kampground, we hurriedly packed for tomorrow, eager to get in bed as soon as possible.