Okay. Okay. We’ll help: “Let the good times roll!”
It had been thirty-some years since Todd went to the Big Easy, and it was Susie’s first visit. Nevertheless, we entered Louisianna under cloudy skies for reasons beyond the food and music.
Did we go the “Easy” way? Nah.
We meandered on the smallest roads we could find, checking out champion trees along the way, before crossing Lake Pontchartrain on the longest continuous span over water in the world! Saltwater, baby! Who knew??
With time to kill before 4pm check-in, we took our growling tummies to Parkway Bakery & Tavern for a New Orleans tradition, the “Poor Boy.”
Our 1st Crawfish Boil!
Back in late November at a quaint, crowded non-descript eatery in Rome, we were seated by the harried owner next to a smiling couple who’d already ordered. Hmm? Can we speak to them?
Having been in Italy for more than a month at that point, we offered a practiced, “Buongiorno.”
“Buongiorno” was returned, and then the lovely lady leaned in and asked, “Speak inglese?” Hey! We had fooled them! Everyone laughed, the jabbering began, and a friendship was formed.
Hence, the day after our arrival in New Orleans, we headed to Gonzo and Yvonne’s home for the actual purpose of our trip – to meet the family. Boy howdy, what an experience. Wonderful “kids” (15 on up to 20-something, plus a self-proclaimed, “Baby Everett!”) and an authentic Crawfish Boil. “Boil?” No, we ain’t “sabe”. Notice the mix of languages, Ha!
Fortunately, our host Gonzo was fully sabe and had all the right gear. This was serious man-business, and what fun to learn from the master!
While the first victims, umm…batch, sat in the cool-down tub, Yvonne and some of the family took little Everett across the yard to see the pool containing the second round of “mud bugs” awaiting their fate.
Okay, okay, it’s a boil, it takes a bit. After the timer went off, it was (finally) time to really get the party started.
Around the table: Isaac, Eli, Natalie, Todd, Gonzo, Susie
After a second round of crawfish boil and Ella’s freshly baked, homemade desserts, it was nap time! Ha! Okay, not really. Well, maybe…
What a great day getting to know everyone!
Soaking in a bit of history
On Saturday, our hosts suggested visiting one of the area’s many plantations. We began the cloudy day at Oak Alley Plantation, a sugar plantation with more than 200 years of history.
We’d avoided the rain and enjoyed the tour so much that we opted to push our collective luck and drive along the River Road to see the restored Houmas House Estate and Gardens.
The French Quarter
After church Sunday, we shared traditional muffalettas and gumbo, then parked the car and walked to the streetcar station to grab a ride to the French Quarter.
Plenty of people were out enjoying the warm, sunny day.
(Been walking awhile, but Honey, please don’t kiss the mule…)
To share a taste of the adventure, here’s a brief snippet of the sounds in the French Quarter:
Thank you, Gonzo & Yvonne, for the warm welcome and for showing us around New Orleans!
Gonzo and Yvonne returned to reality – i.e. work, school, etc. – and we got some rest before celebrating our anniversary (lucky 13) with a fantastic dinner at Gianna Ristorante (yep – “rustic Italian”).
By the end of the week, we found ourselves with too many items remaining on the list of things we wanted to see, making it difficult to choose. We opted for time with the animals.
Located in historic Uptown New Orleans’ Audubon Park, the Audubon Zoo consistently ranks among the Nation’s Best and was just ranked #8 in this year’s annual USA Today 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards.
Challenge Accepted!
A week in New Orleans meant we pulled Travel Challenge #5, and it was absolutely perfect, given the setting.
We were in just the right city to score an easy A+ on this one!
All good things must come to an end, so after the great visit and many New Orleans experiences we’d had – not to mention the Sazeracs, BBQ shrimp, and pralines – there was only one thing left to do.
Our Travels 