The 75% All New Trip! - All done! Bonus Material finished, Link to new TR!

Oh yeah. I've heard they are fantastic but pack quite a punch.

Definitely had a punch!

Those look...interesting....

I had already seen the presentation on some Travel Channel food show, so I knew what to expect. All the ingredients are pureed and then put in a piping bag for serving.

I'm sure your sickness didn't help your initial review of the trip but I'm glad you've had time to review it again. It certainly seems like a lovely trip full of wonderful memories. :)

As I went back and posted the installments from the trip, many put a smile on my face. I was able to fight off the actual sickness until that final day so I really did enjoy quite a bit of it.

Glad you had a good time even if it wasn't the trip you had planned.

Thanks, all in all it was a good trip!

Finally! Caught up again!!!! :yay: :yay: :yay:

So sorry about Olga, I know she was very special :(

She had it rough for a while now, even before we moved to the new house. Fran had practically put her on a pedastal once she was diagnosed so she didn't want for anything, other than better health.

You did not sell me on New Orleans. I'd rather have the sterilized version in Disneyland. The rat. The smells. The rude girls on the street. I'll stick to Disneyland.

:laughing: You're probably right! I do have to say that I came back from our WDW trip feeling far more relaxed and rejuvenated than I did from this one!

I'm glad overall you enjoyed the trip. Sorry you both ended up getting sick at the end.

Looking forward to your next one!

And I see that you have already signed on over there!

Sorry to hear you got so sick. That takes the fun out of a vacation, but it does seem that looking back, you did enjoy some stuff. I'll be spending a few days in NOLA later this year. I'm used to New Orleans Square in DL, so it should be interesting to see the real thing.

Being sick is no fun! Just keep an open mind, New Orleans is not sanitized like New Orleans Square!

I'll move over to your new trip report. I've been reading your reports since I joined the forum. You seem to always have one going on.

I'm glad you made it over to the new one. I try to keep one going. It keeps my sanity!

ah that doesn't make sense:confused3

I know. :confused3


Thank you

They did it spot on!

:thumbsup2

I finally had my first one at Vegas last year. Actually, two in a row, but the second one with 2 extra shots:eek: The sugar killed me!

Yeah, I'm glad we split it because it was very sweet.

Check Google maps, maybe you'll show up!:laughing:

:rotfl:

You are awesome at conserving! :thumbsup2

I try. I mean our landscaping uses up so much water and I just keep hoping we don't have to convert it to desert plants like so many other people are doing.

No way :sad2: I'm sorry this happened to you.

Well at least all they did was say stuff and not try to kick my butt or anything!

This is really cool! How did you find out about this when you moved in? I think all neighborhoods should have this. Both my neighbors are cops so if anything is going on on our street, we're one of the first to know which is great:thumbsup2

Google "nextdoor tulare". I did and they said there were either 9 or 11 sub neighborhoods, it asked for your address and obviously I don't know it. The homepage said 99,000 cities in the US use it. We're in the Park Estates section, but sometimes we get notices for Los Altos (the area where Target, Big Lots, etc are, near Bellflower and Stearns. Remember where you found us on the side of the road broken down? :rotfl2:

Very pretty and what a cool way to see New Orleans. Was it a one seater or two?

It was a two seater. All of them I saw were.

That sucks, you were excited about trying dinner here and it ended up being a total bust!

I know. After seeing all those pictures of the bread pudding and I never got to try it. :sad2:

Your security system texts you?! What company do you have??

Front Point. Yeah it texts and emails me when certain codes disarm it (so I know when the cat sitters arrive). It also warns me when any door is left open longer than 10 minutes. They let you set it all up on the computer online. I had to install all the little devices, but it turned out not to be as big of a deal as I thought it would be when I was looking at the box full of sensors.

:rotfl2: Love the way you spelled that!

At least one person appreciated it!

Uh, you were totally right in your thinking to get four bags!

It sounded like a good idea at the time!

Oh...okay maybe that wasn't smart after all..

Yeah I've found sugar without protein is not my friend.

Always happens to me too!

I guess my tummy just needed a small rest.

There's a great Pho place in Visalia that packages it like this too, so I can add as much or as little of the add ins as I want!:thumbsup2

This was my first time with "take out" Pho, so I was pleased. I think I might need some more of that! I've been limiting my carbs and sugar for the past week since we got home. I've dropped five of the 10 pounds I gained, but some noodles sure sound good!

Being sick can totally cast a black cloud over your memories for sure. That's all I think about on my one trip to DLR when I was supposed to hear your band play and DH and I got terribly sick. Ugh it was awful but the first day or two was a lot of fun. But I know there's always redo's for DLR, so I really do hope you get a redo for New Orleans!

Ugh. I remember that trip.
 
Getting myself caught up on your last few updates.

So sorry to hear about your Kitty :sad1::hug:

Glad you were able to at least get out some to see some of New Orleans, luckily you ended up with a good tour guide. Glad Fran was finally feeling good enough by the end of the trip to get to dinner, so sorry you ended the trip sick, hope it didn't last too long.

Thanks for the link to the new TR, heading there next!
 
Usually it my forearm. He bites the hand, but uses his back legs to kick my arm. He doesn't mess around!

He doesn't mess around!

Yeah, but then there's that contract you signed which let's you on the boat that says you'll allow them to deduct the tip from your CC on file. :rolleyes1

I know, I know...

Contract. Fine print.

Yeah, yeah. Still.... <grumble> <grumble>

I didn't see any harm in taking pictures of restaurants. :confused3 But I'm the kind of person who usually says, "Yes M'am" and does what I'm told.

Usually the best way to go. Unless you really want to argue with someone for the next few minutes.

There are consequences when pets/humans get that old and such.

<sigh> yeah.

No thanks. I'm sure there was a cover, and I wouldn't have wanted to deal with the kind of folks that were probably in there.

Yes, I suppose there's that, too.
Come to think of it, I probably would've walked in.... and walked right back out. (or run)

I think it was on it's was back to the Mothership and not taping.

Darn.

One of my favorite drinks in college was a shooter called, "Windex" I can't even remember what was in it. Probably Vodka, Blue Curacao, triple sec....who knows what else.

Possibly real Windex.

Yeah, she likes to wander away from the house. And with the Coyotes wandering the neighborhood it's not good for her to be out at night.

:scared:

I had fun with him (good clean fun) and you'll see he makes a repeat appearance.

Cool!

I saw on a TV show before we left that the owner (descendent) of Antoine's got married and the husband thought finally he would get the recipe for the dish, but no. :laughing:

:laughing:

I guess. Just wondering what "non traditional jazz" would be.

Rock? :confused3

His reputation and cooking ability are what sold me on him. Not his boyish good looks. When he was on The Next Iron Chef, he was my candidate that I was rooting for. His dishes always sounded so tasty. Then when Katrina hit and all the wonderful things that he did for the people who were left without a home. That was the reason I wanted to try one his restaurants.

I figured it was for the food. Interesting about the rest.

Going back to read the update now.
 
I woke up feeling pretty good on this day.

Yay! But... short lived.

"Make a suggestion." She says.

"Dinner at Antoine's?"

"Can I see the menu?"

Can I see the menu?!?!? :faint:

The proper and only response to that suggestion is "YES!"

and her coughing pearls.

Cool! Do you make much money when she coughs up pearls?
And how often does she cough them up?
Like, do you have to carry a bucket around with you?

I decided to get some sightseeing in, or more like sight tasting.

That's the best kind.

As I approached Decatur I got a text saying that the Family Room door was left ajar. I pictured all my little kitties scampering on the back lawn, scared to death by the busy traffic noises on the busy street on the other side of the 14ft high walls.

I called Jim and he was actually sitting at the bistro table that is right outside the door. He hadn't closed the door all the way so the sensor registered it as open. Phew! Easy fix!

Glad that's all it was.
Enough cat drama for one trip!

We had one of those laminated maps of the city and I took a picture of the region where I was headed so that I could consult it on the way without having to carry the big fold out map.

Good idea.

And just a little farther up the same block was my first stop, Pat O'Briens. I didn't need no fancy souvenir glass, I just wanted a Hurricane from the place from whence the came.

::yes:: I always say no to those glasses.
They wind up sitting in the cupboard until I finally get fed up and toss them out.

Boy this bad boy had some alkeyhaul in there!

:laughing:

So I found that line and called up my buddy Kevin to see if he was available to take me back to the hotel. He was all too eager and said he'd meet me there.

Oh! I never would've thought to get his number in the first place.
Smooth move, Alison.

Finally I was getting my Beignets. They come in bags of three and I don't know what I was as thinking I got four bags or a dozen total.

:laughing: You'll certainly get your fill!

I'm not sure if I ate three or not, but I think that was not the best choice for lunch. :rolleyes1

Well... I've read the rest, so I know the answer.
But otherwise I'd have said "Of course it was the best choice."

We were seated promptly and the dining room wasn't busy at all. We probably didn't need a reservation, but I always feel better when I have one.

::yes::

Evidently wrapping the bread in a napkin is a thing here.

They're shy. It's to keep them happy.


Until you tear them open and devour them, of course.

The Oysters Rockefeller were a must do! These were a little bit spicy but were definitely excellent.

Good! I was worried there for a second.
I've only had them once... and that was over 25 years ago.
Never found them since.

But I do remember thoroughly enjoying them.

We also got the onion soup. It was divine.


Wow. That looks amazing.

This is where I was wondering if the Beignets for lunch was such a good idea. I was feeling a tad bit queasy,

That totally sucks. You finally get to Antoine's and you feel queasy.
So not fair.

And then she ordered a spider AKA the deep fried soft shell crab.

What the heck is that?!?
I mean... okay. Deep fried crab... but...
They take all the meat out and deep fry it? How does it stay together?
They don't deep fry the exoskeleton do they? What would be the point?

The table next to us ordered cherries jubilee which is flambeed tableside. He made quite a presentation flaming up the table in addition to the dessert itself.

:laughing: Whoops!

I asked her to take the picture and I think she did a pretty good job.

::yes::

At some point in the morning Fran told me that she thought it was best we just hang around the hotel until time to leave for the airport. I thought this was a good idea because I was fully in sick mode now.

Oh, no. Sorry to hear that.

I just laid on the bed for 20 minutes wallowing in my sickness.

Aw. Poor Alison.

She always tells me "You're so negative." So I've adopted the philosophy, don't tell her something won't work, just let her figure it out for herself.

::yes::

I mean Chicken Soup is Chicken Soup no matter what ethnicity!

Yep. Same base recipe. Otherwise it's not Chicken Soup.

our cab driver got us express baggage service from one of the porters curbside. We completely bypassed the line!

Nice!

The flight was 4+ hours and as you know Southwest has no meal service.

Does any airline do that anymore?

The kitties were happy to see us. In fact the potty cats were so happy when I went into my bathroom, they ran ahead of me with such a fervor, I knew that I was still loved.

:goodvibes

So when we first came home from this trip folks asked me, “Did you enjoy your trip?” and my answer was, “uhhhhhh, grumble, I don’t know.” But as I have recounted this TR I realized that there were lots of great moments. It was incredibly educational and I had so much fun learning about the river and it’s communities. I would definitely take another trip on this boat, and we are for sure planning a redo of New Orleans and Louisiana! All in all it was great fun and I consider this trip a sampler so that I can plan a much better trip in the future!

Sorry for all the ailments, but I for one really enjoyed this TR.
I saw some things I'd never seen and learned things I never knew.
Thanks, Alison! :)
 


Beignets!!! YUM. I wish I could get some here.

And yes, chicken soup is always welcomed when I feel sick....irrespective of what ethnicity it comes from.


I think the reason why I love writing TRs is that I get to finally sit and think over the trip. I always find that reliving the pictures and activities puts things in perspective and I can rationally work it if it was a good trip or not. Glad you figured that this was a good trip in the end. It certainly was very enjoyable from where I was sitting.


Thanks for sharing.
 
Ugh, getting sick on vacation stinks. Sorry it put a damper on the end of your trip. You really do need a make up trip to NO! I need to go back there now that I appreciate the food. That hurricane looks mighty tasty! I need to compare it to the one in the Club. ;)

Jill in CO
 
Getting myself caught up on your last few updates.

So sorry to hear about your Kitty :sad1::hug:

Thank you for your condolences.

Glad you were able to at least get out some to see some of New Orleans, luckily you ended up with a good tour guide. Glad Fran was finally feeling good enough by the end of the trip to get to dinner, so sorry you ended the trip sick, hope it didn't last too long.

Unfortunately it lasted for almost two weeks after we got home.

Thanks for the link to the new TR, heading there next!

See ya there!

Usually the best way to go. Unless you really want to argue with someone for the next few minutes.

I really don't like arguing period.

Yes, I suppose there's that, too.
Come to think of it, I probably would've walked in.... and walked right back out. (or run)

I couldn't even consider it if I was even curious. Fran would kill me!!!!!!!

Possibly real Windex.

Nope. I'm pretty sure that it tasted better than Windex.

I figured it was for the food. Interesting about the rest.

He has like seven restaurants, some even in other parts of the country, so I haven't given up hope yet.
 


Yay! But... short lived.

Yeah, cause the actual cold lingered for at least two weeks.

Can I see the menu?!?!? :faint:

The proper and only response to that suggestion is "YES!"

Well, yeah, but she forgot that she already liked the idea of eating here.

Cool! Do you make much money when she coughs up pearls?
And how often does she cough them up?
Like, do you have to carry a bucket around with you?

Somehow, I don't think these would be all that valuable, nor could they be easily strung into a necklace.



Glad that's all it was.
Enough cat drama for one trip!

Totally! At least no one was locked in the garage for the week!

::yes:: I always say no to those glasses.
They wind up sitting in the cupboard until I finally get fed up and toss them out.

We never get them either. Unless they are Tiki glasses, then we put them in our Tiki glass collection.

Oh! I never would've thought to get his number in the first place.
Smooth move, Alison.

Actually after our tour, he gave me his card in case I needed a ride later in the trip. He was a good marketer!

Well... I've read the rest, so I know the answer.
But otherwise I'd have said "Of course it was the best choice."

Yeah, well this should have been my first inkling that sugar+caffiene=bad combination for Alison.

They're shy. It's to keep them happy.


Until you tear them open and devour them, of course.

Oh, that's it huh?

Good! I was worried there for a second.
I've only had them once... and that was over 25 years ago.
Never found them since.

But I do remember thoroughly enjoying them.

I had some in Texas almost 20 years ago, and they were completely different. Since then I generally eat my oysters raw.

Wow. That looks amazing.

That totally sucks. You finally get to Antoine's and you feel queasy.
So not fair.

Yeah, that whole sugar+caffeine thing. Comes up (literally) in the next TR.

What the heck is that?!?
I mean... okay. Deep fried crab... but...
They take all the meat out and deep fry it? How does it stay together?
They don't deep fry the exoskeleton do they? What would be the point?

According to Wikipedia...

Soft-shell crab is a culinary term for crabs which have recently molted their old exoskeleton and are still soft.[1] Soft-shells are removed from the water as soon as they molt to prevent any hardening of their shell. [2]This means that almost the entire animal can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to reach the meat.[3] The exceptions are the mouthparts, the gills and the abdomen, which must be discarded.[4] The remaining, edible part of the crab is typically deep fried or sautéed.[3]

We normally order them as a spider roll at a Japanese restaurant. It's one of the kinds of sushi Fran can eat since it's cooked.



Oh, no. Sorry to hear that.

Aw. Poor Alison.

Sniff. Sniff. A--CHOOOOOOO

Yep. Same base recipe. Otherwise it's not Chicken Soup.

Hits the spot though!

Does any airline do that anymore?

Well when we fly American, we fly first class on miles and they feed us. I heard that you can buy food in the main cabin for like $10 for a sandwich.

Sorry for all the ailments, but I for one really enjoyed this TR.
I saw some things I'd never seen and learned things I never knew.
Thanks, Alison! :)

Well I'm glad you enjoyed it! I like reliving it through the TR because then I realize that the trip was usually better than I thought it was.

Beignets!!! YUM. I wish I could get some here.

You don't have anywhere down under that sells them? At least I know of two locations about 25 minutes away where I can get them. :rolleyes1 And there aren't any rats, or rude girls!

And yes, chicken soup is always welcomed when I feel sick....irrespective of what ethnicity it comes from.

I hope that I don't "need" any for a while.

I think the reason why I love writing TRs is that I get to finally sit and think over the trip. I always find that reliving the pictures and activities puts things in perspective and I can rationally work it if it was a good trip or not. Glad you figured that this was a good trip in the end. It certainly was very enjoyable from where I was sitting.

I think I said the exact same thing above. Works out well that way!

Ugh, getting sick on vacation stinks. Sorry it put a damper on the end of your trip. You really do need a make up trip to NO! I need to go back there now that I appreciate the food. That hurricane looks mighty tasty! I need to compare it to the one in the Club. ;)

Jill in CO

I was thinking the same thing about the Hurricane. Definitely need a trip back there. But first we need to get #1 all cleared out. :rolleyes1
 
I really don't like arguing period.

Oh, yes you do!

I couldn't even consider it if I was even curious. Fran would kill me!!!!!!!

:laughing:

Nope. I'm pretty sure that it tasted better than Windex.

How can you be sure? Hmmmmm?

Somehow, I don't think these would be all that valuable, nor could they be easily strung into a necklace.

Darn.

I had some in Texas almost 20 years ago, and they were completely different. Since then I generally eat my oysters raw.

I rarely eat them. I don't mind one or two, but that's about it.

Yeah, that whole sugar+caffeine thing. Comes up (literally) in the next TR.

Oh dear.

According to Wikipedia...

Soft-shell crab is a culinary term for crabs which have recently molted their old exoskeleton and are still soft.[1] Soft-shells are removed from the water as soon as they molt to prevent any hardening of their shell. [2]This means that almost the entire animal can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to reach the meat.[3] The exceptions are the mouthparts, the gills and the abdomen, which must be discarded.[4] The remaining, edible part of the crab is typically deep fried or sautéed.[3]

We normally order them as a spider roll at a Japanese restaurant. It's one of the kinds of sushi Fran can eat since it's cooked.

Huh. I'll be darned.

Well when we fly American, we fly first class on miles and they feed us. I heard that you can buy food in the main cabin for like $10 for a sandwich.

Oh, sure. That I get.
 
I'm so sorry about Olga, she was such a sweet kitty.

What a fabulous trip otherwise, thank you for sharing. Such a bummer you both didn't feel well towards the end though.

I'm sorry you encountered those nasty rude girls.

Boo on that bad server and you having to cut dinner short with not so tasty oysters.

Glad that Fran felt up to that last dinner, that looked amazing!

Thanks again for sharing :)
 
After I started my laundry, I came back to the room to take some shots of the sun setting.


What a lovely sunset.

I hate it that we get to the stops so quickly. Half the fun is cruising on the river.

I feel much the same way on ocean going cruises.

For starters I had the mushroom crepe. Delicious!


That looks delicious.

For Desserts they had an Amaretto Bread Pudding and there was no way I could resist that!

I could not have resisted this either.

It was nice the way she nonchalantly talked about her son bringing his husband along. I was afraid prior to the trip how people in this age range were going to treat us. Mostly everyone was either very kind or indifferent.

I am glad that people were easy-going and did not give you any grief.

I had and couple bites of her croque Madame.


That looks very nice.

What a shame that so much was closed. The museum looks fascinating.

We both bought in with a large bill and within 15-20 minutes we were walking out without our money.

Bad luck.

Did I mention it was raining, quite a bit?

What a shame.

One of our tablemates came back to the table with a plate of fresh pasta, when I asked where he found that, he said that the omelet bar location was making pasta to order. I knew exactly what my lunch was going to be!

Made to order pasta is a real treat. I indulged quite a bit on our recent cruise.

As we were leaving there was eerie fog on the river, it was kind of cool.




I love those photos.

When I got back to the room, Fran asked if I would be upset at her if she skipped dinner. She wasn't feeling good at all and had no desire to eat.

What a shame that Fran was poorly and that you both ended up being sick.

Breakfast was served from 6:00-8:00AM, we had to vacate the room by 8:00AM and be completely off the boat by 8:45AM.

That seems so early.

It was rather long, but the gist was that one of our cats, Samantha, had gone out Sunday morning and didn't come home.

Oh no.

We had called ahead to the hotel before we left our stateroom and the room was ready, so check in was easy and soon we were in our new home for the next three nights.

I am glad that the process was smooth.

It turns out that pictures are not allowed in any of the buildings in the CBD (Central Business District), and a security guard reprimanded me for it.

How very strange.

Up until the day we left, she hollered at us when she wanted another "special" can of food, so she went downhill in less than a week. He took her in, the vet called to verify this is what we wanted and shortly thereafter she went to the Rainbow Bridge. We will miss her but she is now in a much better place.

I am so sorry about Olga.


That does look rather familiar.

This is about when I thought the entire time in New Orleans was shot to heck. I'll give you a spoiler as some of you have heard a few tidbits by now, but it wasn't entirely ruined, it just didn't turn out how I planned. But in the next few hours it seemed all was lost.

I am glad that you managed to salvage some of the stay. What a shame that Luke's turned out to be a disappointment.

I had heard about their 25 cent Martinis, and definitely was up for that.

I would have been all over this.

It seemed Samantha finally saw fit to come home.

I am glad that she is OK. I kind of bonded with her when I visited last year.

Thanks for sharing.

Corinna
 

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