Pink Toes and Pralines

By Slim   |   18 Comments

Slim Paley Photo

.New Orleans

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and thought;

If I ever see another crayfish it will be too soon…and where the hell are those pralines I left by the bed??      Exactly.

  So here I am, having found the damn pralines while my husband and children sleep soundly in their beds with visions of Bourbon St. dancing in their heads…

Slim Paley Photo

Well, as you can see, we are having a lovely cultural time with our boys so far…

Gosh, there are a lot of people out drinking alcoholic beverages on the streets of the French Quarter in the middle of the day.  Are they all tourists?  I’m certainly hoping so, for the sake of the economy here. There appeared to be a many happy lads and lassies getting a jump start on the St. Patrick’s Day festivities to say the least.  All I could think was what must it have been like here when they won the Super Bowl??!

As always, I was struck by the extreme discord of the Quarter’s serene, faded beauty and the jarring visual blast of crass souvenir shops. Like the clash of Stanley Kowalski against Blanche DuBois, it’s hard to resist the “Streetcar” metaphor here.   One really needs to keep their eyes trained upwards, to all the gorgeous balconies, lattice railings and lovingly tended flower boxes to avert the cachophany below.  That’s not to say that there aren’t still some lovely shops, restaurants and interesting boutique hotels to be found, as there most certainly are, as well as a multitude of dark passageways with sultry green courtyards beckoning within. I find the very patina of life and history worn into the cobblestone and marble stoops along with the warmth of the antique gas lanterns everywhere to be the most charming aspects of this district.

Slim Paley Photo

Slim Paley Photo

Slim Paley Photo

Slim Paley Photo

So tomorrow, which is basically a few hours from now, we’ll have breakfast at Brennan’s (you are correct in assuming I will not be having the crayfish or crawfish or whatever those shrimp impostors are) and then off we go to my beloved Oak Alley. Perhaps, if I’m lucky, we’ll hit The Laura Plantation as well.  Hmmm, somehow “hit” and “Plantation” don’t sit well together.

 Let’s try that again.

If my men folk are feeling kindly towards me, perhaps we’ll stop  awhile at The Laura Plantation.

There, that’s better.

See Y’all

Oh wait…I’m so tired I almost forgot the best part-

Slim Paley Photo

Meet Honey!

Who was enjoying her daily constitutional with her three siblings and two Dads in the French Quarter tonight.  Sorry the photo is so out of focus but this was the very best shot I could get. Honey’s parents said she only ever “sets still to get her toenails polished”  (do you think they put lipstick on her tongue too?!)

 A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.  The competition’s fierce out there on Bourbon St.

OK, I’m going to bed.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

~



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18 Comments

  1. Thanks for the vicarious tour of New Orleans.
    I haven’t had the pleasure but now I really want to go there.
    Enjoy your crayfish breakfast. I’m a lover of seafood but smoked salmon
    on my scrambled eggs in the morning as about as adventurous as I get.
    Happy St. Pat’s.
    cp

  3. Just love your photos Slim. I swear we were seperated at birth…..had to post your naughty one on my facebook it was too funny! will give you credit.
    xobabe

  5. Have a wonderful time in this marvelous city!!! Can’t wait to see more pictures of your adventures. Please be sure to eat some bread pudding while you are there. Brennen’s has some of the best, but maybe not for breakfast, or maybe YES!

  6. I am dying to go to New Orleans! You have taken some wonderful pics there….I ESPECIALLY love this poodle with the pink toes! Beautiful blog…I have been enjoying it a lot lately during my vacation time blog surfing 🙂

    xoxo Haleigh @ Bardot in Blue

  7. If you’re still there, run, don’t walk, to Commander’s Palace for dinner! YUM! I”m not sure how old your boys are – they sound young, so it might be a little stiff for them, but one of the best meals ever! Yes, despite the debauchery, the charm is overwhelming. Even alcoholics can be endearing. I just had my toenails painted neon pink for some reason! Happy Spring!

  8. Fantastic post–I feel as if I’m right there. As for Honey–being the owner of an amazing huge “blue” poodle (who sings to the Rolling Stone, Elton John and Eric Clapton–among others), I would believe that she sits still to get here nails done and then has to show off her beauty. Great Post!!! Have fun at the plantations.

    • My camera is still my trusty little Leica D-Lux 3 Stephanie. For a small camera it really does take great photos. A photographer friend of mine rec. it to me a few years ago.

  11. Enjoy the Laura Plantation and Oak Alley !
    With your beautiful prose and amazing photographs, we slimsters will surely smell the blossoms and dream of the peaceful serenity you will experience and graciously share.
    So happy you (and your boys) are safely away from those mid-day drunkens! I’ve seen it, it’s ugly.
    Happy St. Patty’s!
    Have a BEAUTIFUL day 🙂

  12. One of my best friends is from the south and is such a “foodie”. She gave me this restaurant advice for New Orleans:

    August, John Besh’s restaurant

    Lillette, locals only but not much cajun food

    La petit grocery

    Herbsaint and Couchon- great exec chef with longstanding track record

    Domilisies for lunch a must, have the fried shrimp po boy, total dump, but unforgettable

    Crawfish is in season too right now, Frankie and Johnnies for boiled crawfish…..Although it sounds like you won’t be having any crawfish 🙂

    Check out her cute blog: http://www.southernbelleinsantabarbara.com

    • Thank you Mom To Two!
      We are going to August tomorrow night- so many readers have highly rec. it now, I’m really looking forward to it. An added bonus- it’s right across the street from our hotel so I can just roll out the door and back up to our room in two minutes flat 🙂

      PS. I like your friend’s blog- you know there are SO many “Southern Belles” in Santa Barbara and they are ALL so nice, so charming and so gracious. And they hardly ever swear. I want to be just like them when I grow up.

Would love to hear from you!