It's Sunday night here in the French Quarter and I've just come back from watching 2 parades down on Canal Street. These New Orleanians damn sure know how to throw a party. Talk about hundreds - and that's only what I saw on my side of Canal Street (was standing on the corner of Burgundy and Canal Street). Just got back to my room (here at Banana Courtyard where all y'all should stay if you come here, Miss Mary and Mr. Richard take real good care of their guests) and watched a bit on the news for when the parade came down St. Charles from uptown and whoa. Heaps more ppl up there. Am about to go back and watch Bacchus, one of the locals was telling me that Val Kilmer is the King this year of the Bacchus float. Am going for more necklaces! I've got something like 40 new beaded necklaces now. And I earned 'em all by hootin' & hollerin' and jumpin' for 'em (no flashin' involved whatsoever).
Was comin' back last night and stopped in at the local Esplanade Mini Mart - now ordinarily the guy there calls me Bebe, but they had a different guy on last night, younger and, I'd say, Chicano. Very friendly and engagin and, instead of Bebe, he calls me Sweet Girl, Sweet Thang and Sweetheart. Gotta luv this place :-)
I think it'd be a bit of an anticlimactic to get to Memphis - not that I'm going to put off Graceland. Was down at the French Market yesterday and finally got to try some Crawfish Etouffee, and the day before had Gumbo at NOLA and, before I go (hopefully tomorrow) I want to try a po-boy, a muffaletta and some jumbalaya. Surely it's not a trip to New Orleans if I don't!
Eep - must be time for me to head back down to Canal (about a 15 min walk from here and very safe if I walk back along N. Rampart Street - well lit, police/troopers all over) and see Bacchus and hustle for some more beads =)
Ooh, just quickly: Ernie, the historian from the tour last night, he said (and I'm still not quite sure if he was kiddin') that the reason Louisianians are so damn friendly is the whole voodoo thing. That to hedge yer bets greet everybody and smile while you do it. Even more so if the person ain't from around here. He said, so when they say, 'How you doin' today?' it's because they really want to know, how ARE you doin' today and are you gonna curse 'em LOL
