We have heard from several people that New Orleans is crime-ridden and not a safe place to visit. I’m heartbroken, because it’s a place I have ALWAYS wanted to go – someplace I would have flown to on a vacation. We really want to go and see the French Quarter, eat some fabulous Creole and Cajun food, listen to some great music, and see the sights.
We also really want to meet our friends, Sergio and Lourdes, and their daughter, Angela, whom I know through the “Betty Boop Network.” Sergio and Lourdes have a huge collection and are extremely knowledgeable in all things Boop. We have been friends for almost 15 years (pen pals, phone friends, and email buddies), but have never met. I spoke to Sergio today and he said that it is true that there is a lot of crime and there are many places that are not safe to walk – especially at night. We are going to stay at the FRENCH QUARTER RV RESORT, which he recommends as the safest. It is only 8-10 blocks from the French Quarter, but Sergio recommends that we take taxis back and forth.
We left the WALES WEST RV Resort in Robertsdale, Alabama in time for lunch and found another fabulous place to eat with authentic, down-home cooking – OLIVIA’S. I asked for a business card, or anything with their name on it, and the waitress/manager told me that she could give me their phone number, but that’s about it. Now, THAT’S a small-town restaurant!
We ate the $7.75 lunch buffet and feasted on (amongst other things) corn muffins, collard greens, sautéed cabbage in butter, fried chicken, gumbo, mashed potatoes, beans, macaroni salad and the best potato salad I ever ate in my entire life.
After all that, we hit the dessert buffet and had coconut custard pie and banana pudding with bananas and vanilla wafers mixed in and whipped cream on top. I tell you, it was fantastic and we were stuffed. Then, I went to get my camera and started taking pictures of all the great stuff all over the walls and, of course, the locals started a conversation with us and one group of seniors told us they once visited New York and got lost in the Bronx. I admitted that was not the best place to get lost!
After lunch, we went to an antique mall and spent about a half-hour looking at all the great stuff. I found a beautiful hinged rhinestone bangle bracelet which I believe is from the 1940s. Very unusual. I’ve never seen anything like it! It is the first thing I’ve bought (and the first time I’ve really gone antique shopping) in 5 weeks. What a thrill!
Next, we went to the MUSCLE CAR MANIA CLASSIC AUTO MUSEUM in Summerdale, Alabama. They had three showrooms of muscle cars and Eric just about went crazy. He couldn’t decide which one he liked best and spent a lot of time looking (but not touching – as we were reminded by signs all over the place). Alabama has tons of classic cars. Eric was so impressed by all the cars we saw in lots, showrooms and on the road. He loves Alabama!
We finally left Alabama (much to our chagrin, because we found it to be beautiful, interesting, and filled with lovely people). We drove on to New Orleans with much excitement and trepidation, passing through Mississippi on the way. We got to the FRENCH QUARTER RV RESORT at about 5:00pm and it could not have been nicer. Although the neighborhood around the resort is not your typical campground neighborhood (we’re used to being surrounded by woods and are surrounded, instead, by factories, an elevated highway and a generally industrial neighborhood), the camp itself is lovely.
The place was built after Katrina and has a definite “French Quarter flavor.” The streets are all paving stones with a square of grass for each campsite. Some have a screened-in gazebo and there is a cute street lamp at every site. There is a beautiful pool in the middle of a courtyard, surrounded by an exercise room, a laundry room, and four bathroom/shower rooms. It is all really beautiful and clean and luxurious. Try to imagine a fancy campground on 11th Avenue in Manhattan and you’ll get the picture. Because there’s a lot of crime in the area, they have 24-hour hour a day security, high brick walls and razor ribbon on top. It kind of feels like you’re in prison, because the only way in and out is through the main gate.
Sergio and Lourdes picked us up at 7:00pm and parked in the French Quarter. We walked around a lot and looked at all the great stores. I bought some post cards and then we went to eat at THE COURT OF TWO SISTERS on Royal Street. This restaurant is one of the finest in all of New Orleans. There is a great history behind it, which you can read if you click on the link!
For appetizers we shared oysters Italian style, shrimp remoulade, and fried green tomatoes with crab meat on top. I had the blackened puppy drum with crab meat on top. I learned that puppy drum is a type of fish called a red drum which, when young and small, is called “puppy drum.” Eric had duck, and Sergio and Lourdes both had trout.
We each had a fabulous dessert and some coffee to finish off this fabulous meal. I had dreamed for many years of coming to New Orleans to eat great, authentic Cajun/Creole food and, tonight, my dream came true!
Of course I forgot my camera (again), but luckily Sergio brought his, so I will have some pictures (in a future blog) to share from this magical evening. We ate outside in a beautiful courtyard covered by the leaves and branches from huge trees, which were strung with tiny white lights. There are statues and a wishing well. It was all so romantic. I will never forget this night.
After dinner, we walked around a lot more and they took us to Bourbon Street to hear some of the music. We got a little taste of the most famous street in New Orleans, but Sergio and Lourdes told us that even for a Monday night it was extremely empty. That is a sign that things are not back to normal in New Orleans, even after 2 years. I can only imagine what it used to be like, before the storm that changed everything.
Next, Sergio drove us all around St. Charles Avenue where we saw mansion after mansion, one more beautiful than the next and all very different. TULANE UNIVERSITY and LOYALA UNIVERSITY are also on that street. It’s just wonderful. They told us that part of the Mardi Gras parade is down St. Charles and it is a much calmer, less crowded way to see the parade.
Finally, they dropped us off at the campground and we gave them the 3-minute tour of the RV. They seemed to like it – especially the adorable throw and pillow we have on the couch with Betty Boop as a mermaid! We made plans to get together again tomorrow night – for Sushi – and we will get to meet Angela!