I know that it's been a while... and it's been busy as hell for all of us, I'm sure. So please allow me to catch you all up on my journey into the 30's... and share some beautiful pictures & stories with you. So... without further ado... a Friday a few weeks ago, our journey begins...
Day 1 - April 29 - San Francisco
I started the day going to work a little early & finishing a few things because... basically I was leaving for this vacation during the busiest part of their year... because it was planned back when the old office in Tahoe was closed (remember?). Sure, Boss Man probably wasn't too happy about it... but he had signed off on it back in January... so I was cool with it & he legally was too. Don't worry, they made up for it later when I returned... but that's another story I'm not going to go into. So at 2 PM, I left for the airport via Supershuttle, flew into Vegas, then hit the connector to New Orleans with the Wingmans. That's right, the three of us had first row seats on the plane, next to each other, & plenty of beverages during the 4-hour flight to New Orleans.
My mistress Vegas
Once we got there, we were picked up by my mom & stepdad while my grandma was back at the hotel in Covington (Jazz Fest had the Big Easy at astronomical prices), grabbed some dinner at a diner & then got some sleep... since by that time... it was about 3 AM.
Day 2 - New Orleans
The next morning, we drove into New Orleans over Lake Pontchatrain. For those who have never had the experience, there's basically a big bridge about 27 miles long that crosses the lake... so for as while... it looks like it'd be a road to Hawaii or something with water in all directions... yes, even bigger than Tahoe. It's pretty cool... I guess. Anyway, we got into town and had breakfast at a place that was highly recommended & did not disappointed called Mother's. Now, you all may know that I LOOOOOVE Soul Food. It's just... good for the Soul. Well, you'd be hard pressed to find better such food than at Mother's. We actually went there three times in the four days we were in New Orleans... and enjoyed po boys, crawfish etouffee, red beans & rice, oysters, catfish, jambalaya, just about everything on the menu... and it was all pretty damn good... and Pat, our waitress hooked us up with some pecan pie, bread pudding & plenty of raspberry jelly too. Try them out!
The Mothers at Mother's
After that, we walked through some of the shops in Jackson Square (Chick 'n' Wing's first time there & my mom had to find presents for the grandkids... especially because of Princess & the Frog is Kairi's new thing). After a few hours of that, we decided to do something fun & new... and check out the Voodoo Museum. Now, I've just realized that I didn't tell you about my Halloween trip to New Orleans six months ago (because Filly has yet to get me a copy of pictures... yes, even when I was there last week). Let's just say real quick, that last time involved me dancing to the beat of drums & voodoo chants on Halloween at Voodoofest because Filly's ex-roommate was one of the drummers... and they were handing out free bottles of rum... and it was amazing... but more on that in a future post (allegedly). This time, I decided to check out the actual museum... and it was okay for a $5 admission. It was a few relics and history lessons... and here are some pictures...
Inside St Louis Cathedral
I prefer the hot tomboy Milla
version of Joan of Arc...
Never know who you'll meet in the Quarter...
Chick 'n' Wing's first oyster
Don't worry dude, nobody's taking
a picture of Marie Levaux or anything...
A dead cat on the wall is good luck... so I'm told
Anyone else seen "Angelheart"?
After that, we wanted to go to a Cemetary, so we went to St Louis #1 as it's nearest the quarter & we had to meet up with the elders of the group for dinner in a bit. The cab dropped us off... and of course, the cemetary was closed (apparently they're only open a few hours around lunch time). We were a little bummed because the next day was the cruise & if this was closed, they all would be... and the cemetaries are an experience. Well, we were walking around the cemetary when a man must've sensed our disappointment, popped his head over the fence of the cemetary & invited us a crate to help jump over the fence & he'd give us a tour. Why the hell not? He didn't seem THAT shady... so we took him up on his offer. We'll call him... Scooby. Why? That's why. He gave us a very entertaining & insightful tour of the cemetary... and he asked for $20 afterwards. We were glad to pay... since it was an hour or so & better than others that I've paid more for. I recommend it if you ever get locked out of the cemetary. Here are some pictures...
Which one is Marie Levaux's real grave?
Look too clean to be here?
National Treasure 3 is coming to theatres...
A few spots made famous by "Hell's Angels"
The interior view of a grave
After our tour, we met up with the elders at Deanie's for crawfish & good eats... then Filly picked us up on her chariot (tour buggy) right at the doors of Deanie's (she was in the area) and gave us a fantastic tour of the French Quarter. Everybody agreed that she seems SOOOO much happier than when she was in Utah... and I'm glad for that. She's doing the job that she loves, making decent money, has a boyfriend, is surrounded by stimulating artistic people... good for her. By the way, if you're EVER going to New Orleans & want to know some of the VERY cool spots of the French Quarter & get a fantastic tour, drop me a line & I'll give you Filly's information so that you can get a great tour at a more than reasonable price. She's absolutely amazing & loves her job. Kinda what I'm going for here in the New Orleans of the West. San Francisco is basically the same kind of place... only MUCH cleaner & we have a sweet ocean. That's right, Filly! I said it. You're going to be INSANELY jealous when you come visit this summer.
Lafitte's Bar, former blacksmith shop, no electricity
After our tour, the drinks were kicking for Chick 'n' Wing & my mom, so we started our drive back to the hotel in Covington, stopped by Wal-Mart for cruise supplies & slept a bit.
Day 3 - Aboard the Norwegian Spirit
This day wasn't much to brag about... we had Mother's in the morning (number 2), boarded the boat, checked out our closets that we'd be sleeping in for the week & got oriented with the ship a bit. The only real moment of this day that got to me a little bit was when I was out on the deck with my grandma... and we were catching up a bit for the first time since it was just the two of us & we're the quiet ones of the group. Yeah, scary, right? After a bit, we were just out there looking at the Mississippi River around sunset and she mentioned that her late husband, my Grandpa Jay, had always dreamed of going on a trip on the Mississippi. See, they raised 17 kids together. Repeat... SEVENTEEN kids together. They had worked hard on the farms & started a waste management company... but they never really got to travel much obviously. Well, now my grandma was there on a trip going down the Mississippi... and you could really sense that maybe Grandpa Jay was there too. Anyway, it almost brought a tear to my eye... and I'm glad that I could help my grandma check something off her bucket list. I may have to find out from her where the next trip will be off that list.
My grandma on the Mississippi
Day 4 - At Sea
Slept in because... well, it's very easy to do so on a boat when you're basically locked into a dark closet with no light & gently rocked to sleep by the ocean. By the way, cruise boats are pretty great in my opinion. If you asked me, I would tell you... and if you didn't, I just did. Plenty of food & beverage (for a price with drinks) and they're basically hotels where you go inside, wait a few hours & you're magically teleported to a new destination. I like it. So our first activity on the boat... was the Pub Crawl. The Wingmans & I started our journey and... well, we basically had a healthy number of drinks in a very short time... so observe...
This guy appears to be in charge...
"It's EXACTLY what it looks like..."
After the booze started to wear off, we dressed up for our Formal Dinner aboard the ship and enjoyed some nice food. Here are more pictures...
Not sure how these photos got in here...
After dinner, we went to a show on the boat featuring some Broadway musicals... and it was not my cup of tea. Let's just say it was a little difficult for the guys in the production to pull off any kind of masculinity or even feign interest in the ladies... but hey, what was I really expecting? After that, my mom wanted to have a few drinks and listen to the band at one of the bars, so we chatted & I offered to go to dance to the 70's with her... but she didn't want to. I also noticed this very lovely young lady (like possible teenager young too) watching the dancers with her mother. My first instinct, make a move & sweep that girl off her feet. Then I noticed... she had a walker in front of her. Not her mother, her... and she would stand up for a minute, then sit back down & watch. I was still thinking about going and asking her... but that would've been creepy, right? This tall attractive man (with a few grey hairs) asking this possible teenager who obviously requires a walker to do the Hustle? Still... I couldn't help but feel like I really wanted to make her day & at least offer... but alas, I did not. Oh well... to be continued I guess...
Day 5 - Costa Maya, Mexico
We took port in Costa Maya, which was basically explained to us by the tour guide as what Cancun was twenty years ago. Basically, that means a port with a lot of shops... and not much else besides farmland as far as the eye can see. No worries, we booked a tour to see the Mayan Ruins of Chacchoben. Our tour guide Ivan actually had a pretty interesting story about the ruins... as his family LIVED in the unexcavated ruins when he was a child... and he was basically the last child born in the village in Chacchoben before they came in & started turning it into a tourist attraction. He showed us the modest structure that he lived in & had lots of info to share. Was it bologna? Eh, I have no reason to think he'd lie to me. Here are some pictures...
After that, we met up with another tour guide named Jasmine (very cute) and she took us out to the Seven Colors Lagoon where we had a nice lunch and took a swim in the clear blue waters...
Like a f**king postcard...
Ladies, you've waiting so long... and it's finally here...
a shirtless picture of $teve on the internet...
the only catch... my mom took the picture
That night back on the boat, we saw "Duo Acrobatique" which was obviously a show about two acrobats, a husband & wife team (with a cameo by their young son) and they were pretty fantastic. Then the hot tub with a few Coronas, because we were in Mexico, then bed.
To be continued...
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