{"id":3892,"date":"2016-03-09T22:58:19","date_gmt":"2016-03-10T04:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=3892"},"modified":"2016-03-09T22:58:51","modified_gmt":"2016-03-10T04:58:51","slug":"cajun-vacation-day-5-happy-birthday-rick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=3892","title":{"rendered":"Cajun Vacation: Day 5 Happy Birthday, Rick!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy Birthday, Rick.\u00a0 Today is my son\u2019s 22nd<\/sup> birthday.\u00a0 On this day 22 years ago, he woke me up from a sound sleep to take care of some important business.\u00a0 He arrived about 4 weeks early and has been dragging his heels about things ever since.<\/p>\n

We weren\u2019t in any hurry today either.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have that much planned.\u00a0 I did want to do a trip to Cemetery #1, but it turned out to be $25 a person.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that important to me.\u00a0 We saw the cemetery on the way in.\u00a0 So the first plan was to find breakfast.\u00a0 Checking the lobby meant something expensive and maybe not that good.\u00a0 We headed to the street to find a restaurant.<\/p>\n

Can you believe that not that many places serve breakfast in the French Quarter?\u00a0 I made the executive decision to go to a little place that sounded interesting.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it had been replaced with a Vietnamese restaurant that wasn\u2019t open.\u00a0 We backtracked a bit to Caf\u00e9 Beignet and got coffee for Rich.\u00a0 He\u2019s not really human until that first cup goes in.\u00a0 We found a table on the patio and got gospel songs from a homeless man.\u00a0 He was very good and sang \u201cAmazing Grace,\u201d which is one of my favorites.<\/p>\n

Rich had a sparrow take an untimely accident on him.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t too bad and he could clean himself up.\u00a0 From here, I got money and we headed down to the river.\u00a0 I wanted to check out Jackson Brewery for lunch before going over to the French Market.\u00a0 I talked to the bartender for a bit and we decided to come back there.<\/p>\n

Down the shore a bit, we entered into the French Market.\u00a0 The first half was a market for foods and food stands.\u00a0 The smells were wonderful.\u00a0 We stopped to try some pralines.\u00a0 Rich got rum, Rick got peanut butter, and I got original.\u00a0 They were delicious.\u00a0 We should have had breakfast here!<\/p>\n

Further down, the flea market took over.\u00a0 Most of this was handicraft items being sold by individuals.\u00a0 I looked at the jewelry, but it was really good quality.\u00a0 I decided I could make any of that.\u00a0 There were leather goods and wood carvings.\u00a0 A few people had artwork or photographs that were interesting.<\/p>\n

I circled back around to find the guys had gotten water and Rich a second cup of coffee.\u00a0 Since the coffee was still hot, we moved to the park to watch the people and talk.\u00a0 People watching can be quite fulfilling here in the Big Easy.\u00a0 There are so many different things going on at the same time.<\/p>\n

We headed down to Jackson Brewery for lunch.\u00a0 Inside, we had choices to make.\u00a0 I would stay downstairs at the main bar, but Rich decided to sit upstairs and have a view of the Mississippi River.\u00a0 Rick decided not to drink quite yet.\u00a0 Rich had a pomegranate beer while I had the Canebrake IPA.\u00a0 I ordered the shrimp and grits.\u00a0 Rich got the alligator jambalaya and Rick got the Chignon du latt\u00e9 (milk pork) po\u2019boy.\u00a0 The food was so wonderful.\u00a0 We ate and watched the world go by outside and basketball for the ACC play inside.<\/p>\n

After lunch, I was trying to find a t-shirt for New Orleans, but not having any luck.\u00a0 The guys found theirs earlier this morning.\u00a0 We headed up St. Peter St to Bourbon St.\u00a0 First stop here was to the Tropical Island to try a Hand Grenade.\u00a0 Louie from work said that we had to do it.\u00a0 OK, we were game.\u00a0 A couple at the bar acted like they had already had several.\u00a0 They were excited to have someone come in and order.\u00a0 The taste is fruity, but with a bitter after flavor that was almost like an artificial sweetener.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that great.\u00a0 However, it was pretty potent.\u00a0 Rick managed to lob the grenades from our drinks into the overhead basket.<\/p>\n

While sitting at the bar, a couple of people came in and ordered shark attacks.\u00a0 The bartenders would sound the siren and ring the bells.\u00a0 A drink was set on the bar and a plastic shark was put into turning the drink completely red.\u00a0 It was a nice gimmick, but not one that I would try to drink for.\u00a0 As it was, I couldn\u2019t finish the drink I had.\u00a0 We slipped out and I deposited my cup in the trash.\u00a0 The guys kept their souvenir glasses and headed back to the hotel.\u00a0 We tried it, Louie.<\/p>\n

I was still on the hunt for a t-shirt.\u00a0 I had seen a large shop on Bourbon St that I wanted to check out.\u00a0 The guys left me to shop and headed to the hotel.\u00a0 I walked around the shop, but nothing looked like what I wanted.\u00a0 If anything came close, it was not in my size.\u00a0 I might have to go home without a shirt to commemorate my visit.<\/p>\n

At the hotel, I got on the elevator with a family of 5 from Texas.\u00a0 I know they were from Texas because the Mom, Dad, and the eldest son said it about 5 times between the two floors.\u00a0 I made my way through the sprawling hallways back to the room.\u00a0 It\u2019s funny.\u00a0 The hotel seems to be built between three different buildings, which requires you to make random turns to get way to our room.\u00a0 It\u2019s nice because it is us and one other room back here.\u00a0 Now that I know the way, it\u2019s not too hard anymore.\u00a0 Learning the intricate turns was a little difficult at first.<\/p>\n

Rich is napping.\u00a0 Rick is messing around some online game stuff.\u00a0 I\u2019m writing up today\u2019s blog.\u00a0 All of this is while we rest before taking off again.\u00a0 We are headed to Lafayette Square for Wednesdays on the Square.\u00a0 Tab Benoit and the N\u2019Wahing Johnnies are playing.\u00a0 There are supposed to be food booths to buy all different kinds of foods.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping there are different kind of drinks as well.\u00a0 We thought we\u2019d listen to some New Orleans blues and enjoy some time in the park. \u00a0I\u2019ll let you know how that went when we return.<\/p>\n

So sad.\u00a0 We got our chairs and walked down to the park.\u00a0 There was no concert about to start.\u00a0 There were no food trucks parked waiting for people to order up food and drink.\u00a0 We talked to a couple of people sitting around the fountain there.\u00a0 Apparently, they came in and tried to set up.\u00a0 The wind was pretty strong so they packed it up again and sent everyone home.\u00a0 No concert tonight.\u00a0 Darn.\u00a0 So we packed our chairs back to the hotel.<\/p>\n

After resting our feet for a bit, we went out to look for food and music.\u00a0 We already figured out that the best places to be were not on Bourbon St.\u00a0 Heading down Dauphine St., the first place was a martini bar that didn\u2019t really have much food.\u00a0 So we had one drink and moved on.\u00a0 Rick did try a Stinger and really liked it.\u00a0 The band was OK.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t care for the singer\u2019s style, but the sound was OK.\u00a0 We left and headed down Iberville to a small bar the guys thought was pretty cool last night.\u00a0 The music didn\u2019t start until 8:00.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, we needed food before we could really carry on.\u00a0 Between them, the guys decided to try the Vietnamese restaurant from this morning\u2019s adventure.\u00a0 It sounded good to me.\u00a0 Rich got Pho while Rick and I got different rice dishes.\u00a0 It was all pretty darn good.\u00a0 The place was really small and was filling up around us.\u00a0 We got enough food to be able to enjoy the evening and it was tasty.<\/p>\n

We headed down to Decatur St. to see what was happening at Big Mama\u2019s Blues Lounge.\u00a0 It was comedy night and not what we were looking for.\u00a0 We moved on to the jazz bar down the street.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the first act had finished up and the next group didn\u2019t even show up.\u00a0 That\u2019s OK because there was some pretty good blues music playing, the night was warm, and the bar was all opened up.\u00a0 It was a great night to be out and about in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Around 8:00, we picked up and moved on to Iberville and the 21st<\/sup> Amendment Bar.\u00a0 This place was tiny.\u00a0 There were three or four tables and the bar itself.\u00a0 The menu was mostly whiskey drinks, but there were some interesting mixes.\u00a0 I saw the Day of Death Chocolate Stout and that was my drink.\u00a0 Rich got the Bull in a China Shop and Rick did the peach shandy, which was surprisingly good.\u00a0 Shine Diehl was playing with a group of string musicians.\u00a0 It was kind of folk, Jazz, and ragtime with maybe a hint of old Jewish sound.\u00a0 It was different.\u00a0 Shine had this kind of donkey braying sort of laugh that he did after every song.\u00a0 All in all, it was pretty good though.<\/p>\n

We finished up our drinks and the band took a break.\u00a0 Time for us to make a break for it also.\u00a0 We were all tired from walking around town.\u00a0 Believe it or not, we walked somewhere in the neighborhood of 18,000 steps for the day.\u00a0 So for all the eating and drinking, we also walked it off.\u00a0 Not a bad vacation.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow is supposed to rain here and it has been raining cats and dogs in Memphis.\u00a0 Not sure what we will find when we head normal tomorrow.\u00a0 Hopefully, we can get into Memphis and back out again on Friday.\u00a0 I\u2019d really like to hear more music and get to see a bit of the Beale Street areas.\u00a0 Wish us luck.<\/p>\n

\"Rick<\/a>
Rick the birthday boy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich with his morning coffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Going<\/a>
Going into the French Market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich contemplating getting something from a food vendor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Jackson<\/a>
Jackson Brewery up on the levee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eating<\/a>
Eating lunch with a view of the Mississippi River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Alligator<\/a>
Alligator jambalaya with frog legs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Chignon<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Shrimp<\/a>
Shrimp and grits at Jackson Brewery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Windy<\/a>
Windy Day on the Mississippi River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Walking<\/a>
Walking down St. Peter Street toward Bourbon St.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Antoine's<\/a>
Antoine’s is oldest restaurant in NOLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Musicians<\/a>
Musicians playing in the street<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Museum<\/a>
Museum of Death by our hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Jazz<\/a>
Jazz band pouring out of hotel with group doing their own parade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mascot<\/a>
Mascot leading the parade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy Birthday, Rick.\u00a0 Today is my son\u2019s 22nd birthday.\u00a0 On this day 22 years ago, he woke me up from a sound sleep to take care of some important business.\u00a0 He arrived about 4 weeks early and has been dragging his heels about things ever since. We weren\u2019t in any hurry today either.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,12,13,15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3892"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3892"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3910,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3892\/revisions\/3910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}