Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Cranky Tour Guides Lament. Been There Done That. Been There Done That.

Hot from the news desk: Kathy was not at the airport when the wack-job machete wielding idiot attacked the TSA workers. Thank goodness. It was however kind of surreal to think that the Reeds and I had picked her up from that airport just 24 hours earlier.

The Reeds left around 7:30 on Friday and being the studly road warriors that they are, made it all the way to Corpus in one day. A good sign for Bob's return trip to Westcliffe.

Kathy and my day was pretty laid back after a 1 and 1/2 hour walking tour of the the universities and Audubon Park neighborhoods we had lunch at the Hi-Hat (been there) and wine and oysters at the Superior Seafood (done that).

Kathy at Audubon.



Saturday featured a trip and long walk around Lake Ponch (been there) and lunch at Willie Mae's (done that and gladly did it again).

We also stopped at the huge Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery (Hadn't done that.) Originally a horse track in 1838 it was converted to a cemetery in 1872 after the track stopped operating.

Notables buried there include - P.G.T. Beauregard, William Claiborne (1st Gov of Louisiana), Jim Garrison (US Attorney who investigated the Kennedy assassination), Al Hirt, Mel Ott and Louis Prima. (We didn't see any of them). It's truly a huge place.

The tombs go on forever.


Then off to Treme and Frenchman St. for the second time in three days. Kathy had watched some of the HBO series and wanted to see what the area was really right.

Sunday is a swamp boat tour (haven't done that) at the Jean Lafite Historic Park and Preserve about 30 minutes outside of the city. Pics at 10. Stay tuned for more insightful and witty commentary. (I'm hiring a new writer)

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Y'all.

Addendum: Just as a little background surrounding just who the cranky tour guide is and what visitors have to content with, I've attached the original note sent to this trips potential visitors.


Greetings from your tour agency.
Our records show that you will soon be visiting New Orleans and we wanted to give you a few simple rules of thumb for your visit.
1- Pack a pillow. The ones in your residence leave a bit to be desired but probably won't bother you for a short stay.
2- Pack an umbrella or rain jacket. If you've read your guides blog it should be apparent as to why.
3- Be prepared to eat out. While there is cookware in the residence, it's not something that you can cook a big meal with. If you like eggs and bacon for breakfast, it can accommodate you. But not toast. Coffee and a coffee maker are available.
4- Transportation is available and the driver has lost most of his fear of Louisiana drivers. Almost as bad as Texans.
5- And in case your tour guide forgets to mention it. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES STEP OUT IN FRONT OF A CAR AT A STOP LIGHT OR SIGN. These people rarely stop. It's kind of a slow and run it. Be sure and you will be safe.
6- If you like live music, there's plenty. Just be prepared to stay up after your normal bedtime. Things don't get rolling here till after 9 or 10.
7- And you know how your tour guide loves to guide tours. Think of something you want to see. There are still places that your guide would like to see (and will mention some), but your guide has seen most sights and will gladly take you again, because YOU want to see it or give you the keys to the transportation and a really annoying Magellan route finder.
On behalf of your tour guide, who is so looking forward to having company,  we wish you a wonderful and enjoyable stay in the Big Easy.

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