NOLA, Jonathan T, UMR flooding, etc.

Judy, Deb and I love this stuff. We can visualise you all over NOLA, kinda fun to see if we know where you are talking about.

Please, more!

And why do vacations always equate down to the lowest common denominator...i.e. many litter pans are needed?

Here's more New Orleans, as I sit in my little apartment during a morning thunderstorm. It has rained every day I've been here, but usually just for brief periods and not all over town. Yesterday I was able to sit out on the roof of the NATCHEZ for both daytime trips even with rain all around the area, but we managed to avoid it by going half downriver to let it pass Chalmette before we arrived. It truly is amazing to watch the wall of water move through an area here. Hopefully this storm will pass soon and clear out the area for the day. Not only do we have the Creole Tomato Fest going on two blocks away at the French Market, but I'm narrating both trips today and I stand out on the roof to do that. By the way, the Tomato Fest is bad timing but all of the Louisiana crop has been declared safe so they party on down there at the newly reopened French Market. Bruno wanted a few more places named, so here goes. Places I've dined: Deanie's Seafood, Ruby Red's, Croissant d'Or, Cafe du Monde, Camellia Grill, Beauregard Keyes House courtyard, and the NATCHEZ . Golf played at the Golf Club at Audubon Park and Bayou Barriere. Household supplies bought at Mary's True Value on Bourbon St., the only time I've been on that famous street. Route taken to Audubon Park: the worst street name to spell anywhere: Tchoupitoulas. Now for amplification: The original, and best, Deanies is out in Bucktown by the lake. I pedaled my bike over to the FQ one on Dauphine and Iberville. Its a block up from Capt. Tom Greene's favorite place, Felix', and the Acme Oyster House. Since my favorite, Mike Andersons', is no more, Deanies is a reasonable place to go, with plenty of seating. Ruby Red's is sadly also not the original, which was just 2 blocks away on Esplanade. This version is over on the Westbank on Lapalco and Manhattan Blvds. Doc and I always go there, as he can't get there on his bike. Ruby Red's has the tradition of throwing peanut shells on the floor - all my friends with little kids, including our Capt. Leonie, have made a visit to one or the other Ruby Red's with great delight. The Camellia Grill has the best omelettes and is a tradition out in Riverbend, on Carrollton just off St. Charles. The Croissant d'Or is the French bakery just around the corner from my place, on Ursulines. It has declined since Maurice retired and sold it, but it still beats anything we have at home. The Tschiggfries dined there each day too. I usually get my quiche/croissants and eat them out here in my courtyard. Yesterday for a change of pace I got beignets from takeout at Cafe du Monde and got powered sugar all over the courtyard. The NATCHEZ meals have been the crew meals, but for future pax reference, they still serve the dinner meal and a Southern sampler on the daytime trips. The sampler includes salad, fried chicken, red beans and rice, jambalaya, and bread pudding. The golf course at Audubon Park is encircled by the walk/bike path which I often use when not golfing. Fortunately I didn't have to use it while golfing - I kept my shots on the course, which was completely rebuilt about 5 years ago. The Bayou Barriere course is interesting as it runs right up against the Algiers Canal of the Intracostal Waterway. Last time I was in town I looked up to see the RIVER EXPLORER going by. This time only a few towboats were in evidence. So, today, Sunday, will be 2 more trips on the NATCHEZ and a patio Planters Punch party for the crew here after the dinner trip. Monday I'll wrap up my stay with hopefully another 18 holes somewhere and 2 more NATCHEZ trips. Then its back to a damp/wet basement and probably foot high grass in soggy Rock Island on Tuesday.

You're making me hungry, Judy. Please have an omelette and a chocolate freeze with ice cream for me at Camellia Grill.

As far as the UMR is concerned, Locks 12 thru 25 are closed due to high water.

Judy,
The BEST catfish I've had was on board the Natchez. The bread pudding wasn't bad either!! (Kinda hard to beat the "6 day old" bread pudding on the DQ! --that's probably an insider's joke, ask Bruno!)
And now we'll have to go back to NOLA, you've mentioned places we didn't get to go!
Do try the "Coffe Pot" at 714 St. Peters, the gal there can sing a mean Amazing Grace! Yeah, Bourbon St. has some characters on it (OK, that's really my Dad).

Interesting sidelight on the Camellia Grill. They didn't reopen after Katrina, but their patrons kept posting messages on the windows, begging them to reopen. The owners complied and its been open about a year now. For tourists, its easy to get to: take the St. Charles Ave. streetcar and get off right next to the Grill. This is where the line turns onto Carrollton Avenue from St. Charles. The thunderstorm is finally subsiding, so its time to head over to the NATCHEZ for the 11:30 trip where we'll hopefully have some passengers venture out after the storm. CCH will be at the calliope this morning. We never played the calliope on Sunday mornings in deference to Mass at the Cathedral, but since everything is needed to boost business, they talked with the Cathedral people and found a time between Masses when we can play and try to generate some business.

I've been to the Coffee Pot, but many years ago. Thankfully those Pepto Bismo pink bulkheads are now repainted their original buff color in the NATCHEZ dining room.

Judy,
That's good, I thought it was an odd color choice! Didn't stop us from eatin' though!
🙂
David

If I may be so bold, the St Charles Tavern, at the corner of MLK and St Charles is a bit of a tradition for some of my crewmates. Good, cheap eats for breakfast within walking distance of the boat. Three key criteria.

It's old, it's survived, and the bartender's name is, no joke, Katrina.

Paul

Thanks Judy...Sorry to hear about Mike Anderson's, the one in the FQ was a regular place for me and Deb, but it's been a coupla years. We stayed at the Fairmont on Barone for a few visits, but it's no more either...beautiful old Art Deco hotel that I guess had some damage from Katrina and never re-opened. Sure like to see it come back. A good lunch bet for me and Deb was the Desiree Oyster Bar in the FQ, ground floor of a hotel I can't place the name right now, Royal something?

Busy Bee

Fish once took me to a popular place somewhere on the other side of Canal that catered to boatmen of all sorts, shapes, and sizes. Bar and grub downstairs; rooms to rent above, with an occasional loan to those short of cash and was know by the proprietor’s name that I have been trying to recall ever since. Does that ring a bell?

Fish, like Roddy, knew all the great little hideaway places to eat. One of her favorites was the Busy Bee for the best breakfast and biggest biscuits in town. Reckon the Bee is still around?

More gastronomical....

Frank's was a block down from Canal on Chartres. He cashed our NOSteamboat Co. checks and floated some loans. It was a bar and grill, but I don't know about the rooms. There is a Busy Bee Food Store on Orleans in the phone book, don't know if that's the same one you mean. The St. Charles Tavern was close to Robin St. and to my first apartment in the Lower Garden District, but I still haven't been there. Roddy introduced me to La Marquise, which was the predecessor of Croissant d'Or. When we lived next to each other on Polymnia and he didn't have a car, I'd drive in to get the pastries and he'd have the libations ready out on his balcony on Monday mornings, time off for both of us. Doc is the one who introduced me to the original Ruby Reds on Esplanade. One of the problems in recommending places to tourists is that many of our favorites don't look like you'd want to enter them for one reason or another. But then, after tasting the food, there's no question. Another place like that is Port of Call on Esplanade, or Coops on Decatur.

The Desire Oyster bar was and still is in the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon. The Fairmont sustained flood damage but was also caught in big/bigger corporate stuff, kind of like the youknowwho. Now, adding in today's activities: a stuffed shrimp Creole tomato and rice followed by a Loretta's praline at the French Market Creole Tomato Fest. As I was eating, I could hear Debbie firing up the calliope for the dinner cruise. The gullywasher we had this morning cleared the air for the day as we had 2 beautiful trips. The 11:30 probably suffered from the flooded streets earlier, but the 2:30 was very solid with several large groups on board. One of these came from a ship new to the port: the Asuka II from Japan. It is on a hundred day round the world cruise and will be in town until tomorrow night. Next stops are the Caymen Islands, the Panama Canal and the coast of California before heading to Hawaii. They have another large group coming to ride the 11:30 Monday. Just think, around the world travelers on the little old steamboat NATCHEZ! Unfortunately I know no Japanese, so my narration was in vain for a large segment of our crowd. My neighbor Ott and I are getting the courtyard ready now for the Planters Punch party after the dinner cruise...life is sure tough, no naptime in NOLA....

My wife and I are going to be in Mandeville the week of the 23d visiting friends. Of course we'll make a trip on Nachez. Haven't been on her since our honeymoon many, many ago. We'll have to try some of the places you've posted- I'm drooling thinking about it. Any dororgers that are in NO that week, I'd love to meet.

Here's a final NOLA report, as I head home tomorrow to soggy, but at least not flooded, Rock Island. I'll be riding the NATCHEZ one more trip today and trying to get in another round of golf before cleaning and closing up the apartment in preparation for tomorrow's departure. The group was late in gathering for the PP patio party last night, as they carried over 500 on the dinner cruise - that's become quite a production with the china, silver, etc. so it takes a while to clear the boat. Our food and beverage manager, Adam, had some good news about the Fairmount Roosevelt hotel: A major chain has bought it and is refurbishing it. Its scheduled to reopen next year sometime. And the BLUE ROOM will be back! And so will the ANGEL HAIR Christmas lobby display! They are apparently restoring it to its old grandeur, and the name will go back to the ROOSEVELT. (Its original name was the GRUNEWALD). Just out of curiosity, do any of you remember listening to WWL on Saturday nights with Leon Kellner and his Orchestra from the Blue Room high atop the Fairmount Roosevelt overlooking the French Quarter? (slight exaggeration - the Blue Room is on the first floor). My dad and I listened every Saturday night. In closing, from my apartment, not high above anything, but IN the French Quarter: if anyone is thinking about coming to New Orleans, please do! The tourist business is ready and waiting for you. And if you plan to ride the NATCHEZ, here is her regular schedule for now:
Monday 2:30
Tuesday 2:30
Wed. 2:30
Thursday 2:30
Friday 11:30 - 2:30 - 7
Saturday 11:30 -2:30 -7
Sunday 11:30 -2:30 -7
Other trips are added as groups book, so call ahead to check. They've run 3 extra trips just while I've been here this week.
Time to get the last batch of cookies baked, so barring some really exciting event today, this is it from the Sunny Humid South!

I have a dance band music stand that was reputedly used in the Roosevelt, but when I don't know. I came by it honestly through an antique dealer and have had it many years. So what years were you listening to the Blue Room broadcasts?

late 50s, along with LSU football - the Chinese Bandits 3rd string defense, Billy Cannon, and a national championship with Paul Dietzel.