June 14: New Orleans

Dear Friends,

Today, on June 14, I take you on another adventure, my second in the lineup of summer excursions—this time to New Orleans with my friend, Donna Knox, a colleague at St. John’s, an artist, and a former pilot, I found out just a few minutes ago.  We are having an absolutely brilliant time traveling together, as our modus operandi is virtually the same and we share the same kind of interests.  

My alarm awoke me at 3:00 a.m. this morning, and by 4:00 a.m. I was on the road to the Dallas-Love Field Airport, where I checked in one bag, then made my way through TSA Pre-Check, and finally met Donna at the gate.  The flight to New Orleans was uneventful, and upon arrival, she called Über and in a few minutes a driver came along who had lived for a long time in New Orleans and had worked in several restaurants.  He was very helpful about steering us to excellent restaurants.  He deposited us at the Mercantile Hotel in the middle of the Arts District.  We registered at the hotel, but were not able to claim our room as yet, since it had not been readied for our arrival.  We stored the luggage in a storage space.  I had a scone, and Donna had a Danish, with some of the best coffee either of us had had for a long time.  

Then we got some good maps and began to map our way to the Garden District, taking pictures of interesting buildings along the way.  It was quite stifling and humid, but a gorgeous day nevertheless, and for a while, we allowed the Charles St. Trolley to pass us by until we realized how much further away our destination was than we thought.  We finally caught the trolley, which stopped at 6th Street and let us off, about 2 blocks from the Lafayette Cemetery, where we had a great tour which included the cemetery as well as the Garden District.  Home after home date from the 1830s to the early 1890s—some newly refurbished, others in a greater or lesser state of repair or disrepair.  And if the houses were renovated, then the gardens, with their fountains and topiaries, were necessary addenda to complete the effect of care and gracious living.  All were fascinating to view, and the amount of  superior cast ironwork was truly a marvel to see.  

By noon our superb guide, Sara, whose knowledge of the city was encyclopedic, had her final say at the Commander’s Palace, listed as one of the finest restaurants in New Orleans.  Dress code is very strict there, so none of us five or our guide would have been invited in.  Instead, Donna and I headed towards Magazine Street, which is just adjacent to the Garden District and sports numerous restaurants.  By this time the sky was threatening, and Donna and I spotted a restaurant called Red Dog and thought it looked promising.  Once inside, the rain started coming down in sheets.  We had the following lunch:  toasted polenta cakes with duck etouffe, and sides of glazed carrots and curried cauliflower.  For dessert we had a parfait with banana pudding topped by toasted meringue and a cookie.  A stupendous lunch!

From there, Donna and I took the streetcar back towards the Arts District, then walked towards the museum complex which included the Civil War Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the World War II Museum.  Today we spent the balance of the afternoon in the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.  The permanent collection contains works of art by artists I had never heard of before, with the exception of Julian Onderdonk of Texas.  Several temporary exhibits were on as well, and the museum store was well stocked with unique objects.  

After our visit to the Ogden, we walked to the Mercantile Hotel and finally got up to our room, which includes a sitting room, nice bathroom, and a bedroom with a look towards a bridge crossing the Mississippi, and several hotels and penthouses.  We spent about an hour putting things away and reorganizing.  Our sitting room even has a turntable and some jazz records, which we played and enjoyed.  Then we left for a small dinner at a nearby restaurant, Briquette, where we both had gumbo containing duck and alligator meat and which had a rich, dark broth.  Altogether excellent!  

And now we are back, and I am planning to do a little reading before bed.  It has been an excellent day.  Tomorrow we are off to the WW II Museum.  Looking forward very much to concentrating on the Atlantic theater of war.  Tata for now!  As ever, SV