A Christmas Tale

Christmas Day was the day we traditionally spent with my mom.  After she passed, we decided to start a new tradition and that was to go somewhere.  Last year we drove to Galveston.  This year we got a great deal on airline tickets to New Orleans...on Southwest Airlines.

It was the best time and the worst time....

Not knowing what to expect, we got to the airport on Christmas day 3 hours before our flight.  We didn't want to stress or be rushed.  We knew that a winter storm was causing airline havoc but we checked and Dallas and New Orleans were not in the storm and not affected...or so we thought.  We got in line for Dunkin' to get a breakfast snack but after 30 minutes in line, all we got was coffee.  They were out of everything.  Not a good sign.  We found a Jason's Deli that had a breakfast bite and we were good.  

We had 1 1/2 hours until our flight left.  We got to our gate, found a seat and settled in.  I noticed that there was a huge line to see the gate agents.  Weird.  Then our gate changed to the other end of the airport.  We gathered our stuff and headed to gate 2 from gate 20.  We had time.  When we got down there, the place was packed.  We got lucky and found two seats together.

As we awaited our boarding time, I began to listen to people talking (I'm nosey that way).  One guy had been there since yesterday and was trying to get to Odessa for Christmas dinner.  Another lady had been there since six that morning and she was trying to get to see her daughter.

Our flight still said "on time" even though it was past our departure time and we were still sitting at the gate and there was no plane.  Over at gate 1, a flight to Pensacola was "delayed" as they needed three flight attendants and they weren't sure how they were going to get them.  At least the gate agent was chipper and trying to make the best of it.  When the flight attendants were found, a round of cheering went up throughout the terminal.

Meanwhile, our flight was waiting for the crew.  They were on another flight that was on the ground but waiting for a gate so they could deplane.  Unfortunately, there were planes at most gates waiting for crews that were on planes waiting for gates.  Three hours after we were to depart, we finally boarded and were on our way!  Hurray!

When we landed in New Orleans and went to the baggage claim, there were hundreds of suitcases scattered everywhere.  It was weird.  Our luggage came off the carousel and we got an Uber to the hotel.  

We stayed at the Hilton on St. Charles Street.  It was a historic building in the Central Business District (CBD).  So, the hotel was built in 1926 as the Louisiana Masonic Temple.  I'm not sure what that means but it was in a great location.  It wasn't quite as nice as the Roosevelt, which is where we stayed last time but overall, it worked out just fine.

Our room on the 19th floor.

The view from our tiny little dormer windows.  We asked what was open since we hadn't eaten since breakfast.  The desk clerk recommended the restaurant next door or another place in the French Quarter.  We tried the restaurant next door and the hostess looked at us like we were insane.  There were no tables available and the kitchen was so backed up that room service was not an option.

Deflated, we went back up to the room and I called (yes - the old fashioned telephone) a restaurant that I'd had on my list of places to try: The Original Pierre Maspero's.  They were open and they didn't take reservations.  "Come on in", they said.  "We're open until 11."  So we did.

At The Original Pierre Maspero's.  

I got a really tasty Malbec and John got a local beer.  NOLA Blonde.

John's dinner was a sampler platter.  He got red beans and rice, shrimp ettouffe and seafood gumbo.

I got crab cakes Maspero.  Our server was so lovely.  She was an older woman that reminded me of an old family friend.  As it turned out, this was way better than eating at the hotel restaurant and probably a lot cheaper!

The next morning (Monday), we checked the news and found that Southwest had cancelled 62% of their flights for that day.  The other airlines were back in business but not ours.  That's when we realized that we might be in a bit of a pickle.  It put a bit of a damper on the day.  

But - we had plans!  The theme of this visit was to do and see things we hadn't done or seen before.  So, our first stop was the Hermann-Grima house.  

This house at 820 St. Louis Street was built by Samuel Hermann, a wealthy commodities broker, in 1831.

The enslaved people that worked at this house weren't allowed to walk through the front door.  They had to go through this alley on the side.

One thing I learned is that the ladies of that time washed and dried their own dishes.  That was because China came in sets and it was imported.  You couldn't buy just one extra plate so if any of the pieces were broken or chipped, the whole set was ruined.  

In this courtyard, were the slave quarters.  The top two floors were rooms where the enslaved people stayed.  The bottom floor housed the work rooms such as the open hearth kitchen (which still works.  they give cooking classes there sometimes), the ironing room and the scullery.  There were about 6 or 7 enslaved people living here at any given time.  

The rooms where the enslaved people stayed looked nice (now) but they lived over the kitchen, with no A/C and no running water.  And it's hot and humid in Louisiana. Probably not pleasant at all.  Our guide said they mostly slept out on the balcony because it was cooler.

We did find out that the enslaved women that were good at ironing were a "hot" commodity.  Ironing was quite an art back then.  First off, those big heavy irons would sit in the fire to make them hot.  Then they weighed about thirty pounds each.  You had to get the temperature of the iron just right or you'd burn the clothes.  I can't even iron my clothes now, in fact, if it needs to be ironed, I don't buy it.  I can't imagine having to use the tools available then

View of the back of the house from the slave quarters.  The three doors lead to a salon where the Mrs. Hermann could watch what was happening in the kitchen or the work the was going on in the courtyard.  The enslaved people would go into the house through these doors.  Then right inside to the right was a door with a back staircase so they could go upstairs.  Never did they go up the front stairs.

The front entrance.  Parlor to the right and library to the left.  From the parlor, you could get to the dining room.  In 1844, the Hermann's ran into financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy.  They had to sell the house and the enslaved people.  The house was bought by Felix Grima, who just happened to be the attorney that handled Hermann's bankruptcy.  The Grima's lived in the house until about 1921.

We took a lunch break at The Gumbo Shop.  We had great timing because there was no wait.  The specialty of the house...Gumbo.

Then we split a grilled shrimp po'boy that was nothing like I'd had before.

The bread was hallowed out and the shrimp stuffed inside.  There was a sauce as well that was kind of like a roux.  It was yummy.  The bread there is amazing.

The second house we saw was called the Gallier House which was built in 1860 for architect James Gallier Jr.  This house at 1132 Royal St. was technologically advanced for it's time.  Gallier designed a skylight that could open to let the hot air out of the house hoping it would help cool things.  It did not.

Gallier had hot and cold running water as well as a flushing toilet when most homes at the time did not. There was no city sanitation at the time.  The waste went into a cistern that had to be manually cleaned out monthly by a team of people that came in the middle of the night so no one would see them.   He also had a range in the kitchen vs. and open hearth fireplace.

The slave quarters to the left.  Again, enslaved people could not come in the front door.  They would have come through that little gate in the courtyard.  Then one of the doors down there on the first floor had a staircase that led to the second floor.  They'd walk down the balcony to their rooms or to the door at the very end that led to the house.  I love learning about this stuff.  The house was nice.  I'd love to get a real life look at how things worked.  I think it would be cool to time travel (just not on Southwest!).

The next morning we woke to the news that Southwest Airlines was cancelling thousands of flights over the next few days.  Then I saw another article that Southwest was cancelling "most" of the flights out of New Orleans that day.  That was really putting a damper on our trip!  I love New Orleans but I didn't want to hang around the airport waiting for flights.  To take our minds off of things, we headed over to Cafe Du Monde, a New Orleans institution.

Cafe Au Lait, chicory coffee and beignets.  That powdered sugar gets all over the place!  But boy are they good.  Afterwards, we hung around Jackson Square to finish our coffee and people watch.

St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, named for Andrew Jackson, the hero of the Battle of New Orleans.

We decided to explore the Cabildo.  The original structure burned in the New Orleans fire of 1788.

For a while this building was a home to the Louisiana Superior Court, then the Louisiana Supreme Court.  It was a police station and a jail.  I love this gallery.  It runs the length of the building along the front and overlooks Jackson Square.  

View of the Lower Pontalba Building along St. Peter from the gallery of the Cabildo.

Now the Cabildo houses various exhibits and is part of the Louisiana State Museum.  I love this painting that was hanging in the hallway.  There was another exhibit on the Battle of New Orleans.

Later we took a little walk from out hotel in the opposite direction of the French Quarter.  This is along the Riverwalk.  The Creole Queen is behind me along with the Mardi Gras jester.

The water behind us is the Mighty Mississippi.  The bridge is called the Crescent City Connection.  It's the longest cantilever bridge in the world and it takes US 190 across the river.

The next morning we woke up to even more cancellations.  We were beginning to wonder if we were going to get home.  But, we were on vacation and still had three days left so we decided to try this place called French Truck Coffee.  It was pretty tasty.  We took our coffee and hung out in Jackson Square for a bit. That is so relaxing.  I love to just enjoy the fantastic weather and people watch.

When we were ready, we went into St. Louis Cathedral.  What a beautiful Cathedral.  There were signs everywhere to remind you that this was a functioning church and to be respectful.  Not everyone pays attention.  One guy was talking on his phone and he was not whispering.  He got the snake eye from a lot of people, including me!

Then on to the Presbytere.  Built in 1791 to match the Cabildo on the other side of the cathedral, it was originally used as a residence for monks.  Then it had other random uses.  In 1834 it became a courthouse and in 1911, it became part of the Louisiana State Museum.  They had a huge exhibit on Hurricane Katrina that was really sad.  They recorded people's stories and had photos.  Very interesting though.

They also had a huge exhibit on Mardi Gras, which I thought would be boring.  It was not.  These are all the various dresses of the Mardi Gras Queens.  There are so many rules on how things work.  Who can be queen and who can be king.  It's fascinating.

I thought this was funny.  These are actual restrooms not porta-potties but I love what they did here.

This sign was a great primer.  Now I have to read up on what I thought was just a parade and a party.  It's way more than that.

This is the Upper Pontalba building.  More on this in a bit.

There was a Dixie band playing in Jackson Square.  They were really good.  But the guy in the flowered shirt by the tuba was too funny.  He was dancing around and thoroughly enjoying himself.  I wish I had his confidence.

Lunch at Napoleon's House.  John got 1/2 a muffaletta.  This is the real thing, not some Jason's Deli knock-off.  (not that Jason's isn't good.)  This place had a long line outside every time we passed by, regardless of the time.  So today we joined the queue.  It wasn't a long wait.  No more than about 15 - 20 minutes.  It was well worth it!

I got the salad equivalent.  Seriously, muffaletta salad.  It was so good!

I also got a Bourbon Milk Punch.  It tastes just like a milk shake.  Yum!

Our next visit was to the 1850's House.  So here's that photo of Upper Pontalba at 500 St. Ann.  Back in 1850, they were built as row houses by the Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba.  

She was born in New Orleans in 1795 (pictured on the left).  When her father died, he left her all this land around Jackson Square.  She was very wealthy.  In 1811, she married her cousin and moved to France.  Her father-in-law kept trying to get her inheritance and when he couldn't, he shot her...4 times...point blank...in the chest!  Then he shot himself.  She, however, survived!  She eventually was granted a separation from her rotten husband and his family.

Meanwhile, in New Orleans, she hired James Gallier (remember him from earlier?) to design these two twin red brick buildings on either side of Jackson Square.  They were meant to be row houses.  The first floor of each building was meant for shops.  Then the upper floors were meant as homes.  The homeowner would come in the door on the first floor to a staircase that led to the second floor.  This was the living area: the dining room and the parlor.  The parlor opened up to a balcony that faced Jackson Square.

On the third floor were the bedrooms.  This is the main bedroom.  This is #8 St. Ann.  The family that lived here was a widow, her adult son and her three daughters.

Like the other houses we visited, enslaved people lived here too.  This board shows some of the people that lived here.

This is a view of the courtyard from the third floor.  The steps down to what looks like floor 2 1/2 is where the enslaved people lived.  There was also an office like room where the lady of the house might handle the household affairs.

Then down on the first floor there was the kitchen and the scullery.  Baroness Pontalba never lived in these houses.  In fact, before they were complete, she moved back to France and died there in 1874.  Today, the homes are now apartments.

Back at the hotel, we were starting to freak out a bit about our ride home.  The number of cancellations was growing and we did not want to be stuck in New Orleans.  So we decided that if we could get a car, we'd drive home.  John was able to book a car from a reputable rental car agency.

That night we went to Galatoire's for dinner.  I'd been looking forward to this the whole time.  We were a bit underdressed and that made us a little uncomfortable but there were others that were way more so than us.  One guy was in shorts.  Anyway, the cocktails were excellent.

The food was a bit of a let down.  In their defense, I picked the wrong thing.  We split an avocado and crab salad that was delicious.  I took the photo but after I butchered it so the photo doesn't do it justice.  Then for dinner I got the crab and shrimp stuffed eggplant.  I was trying something new.  I thought it would be rolled eggplant stuffed with seafood and covered in sauce.  It was not.  It was a baked something or other.  The sauce and the seafood had been blended together so you couldn't really pick out any seafood.  It was so rich, I could only eat a little bit.

Thursday morning, the plan was to go to the rental car place so we knew where it was and confirm they would have a car for us on Friday.  So we walked down there to the address on the reservation and found that it didn't exist.  There was a rental car place but it was in the Hilton, not the Four Seasons as noted on the reservation email.  When we walked over to the Hilton, the line at the car rental desk was long and the guy in front of us had been there 30 minutes without moving.  My stomach started to burn.  We finally left and asked someone outside if we were at least in the right place.  They said no so we walked around again but couldn't find the address of the reservation.

Frustrated and stressed, we went back to the room and John was going to cancel the reservation and just take our chances at the airport but the rental car company was going to charge him $150 for cancelling.  He called customer service and we got lucky.  Alejandra was a goddess.  She didn't understand why we couldn't find the rental location, but she said there was a car at another location and did we want that one?  It would cost a little more but she could reserve it for us.  We asked about cancelling but she said the fee would apply because they had a car.  She promised the car would be there on Friday for us but we were really gun-shy.  We'd read so many stories of people booking cars only to find there was no car when they went to pick it up.

Finally, we asked if there was a car today.  She said yes and we took it.  There was no way we were going to enjoy our last day in New Orleans worrying about whether the car would actually be there the next day.  So we packed up our stuff, hustled over to the other car rental place and got the car.  I almost cried when the agent handed us the keys.  We checked out of the hotel and headed home a day early.  

You'd think that was the end of the story right?  Nope.  John started out driving.  We didn't even leave until 2pm and it was an 8-hour drive.

I took over driving after the first two hours.  As I was driving, some water splattered on the windshield. I ran the wiper over it and it just smeared the water.  "I hope it doesn't rain," I said looking at the smeared mess.  John said there was a storm around Shreveport but it looked like we'd just run through it since it was heading away from the direction we were headed.

Famous last words.  It got dark at about 4-ish and when I say dark, I mean pitch black.  No street lights on I-49.  We were switching drivers at Shreveport so I was really hoping to get there before the rain started as John's better at driving in that situation.  We were about 10 miles from Shreveport when the skies opened up and it just poured.  I couldn't see anything.  All I could do was follow the tail lights in front of me.  When that guy exited, I exited.  We found a gas station to fill up and wait it out a bit.

When the rain let up, John took over and we headed out again.  As soon as we got back on the highway, it was torrential rain until we got to Terrell, Tx.  It was white knuckle driving the whole way.  I was never so happy to see my house!  We found out later that we drove through a huge storm that hit East Texas.

We checked our flight this morning and found that it was delayed...10 minutes.  Go figure.

All in all, we had a good time in New Orleans.  I love that city.  I didn't get my hurricane (the drink version) so I guess we'll have to go back some time.  Meanwhile, our Christmas tale has a happy ending.