Inspired by our guests, we took on the city on Saturday.
Fueled by Paul’s prowess as an egg chef (have I mentioned that he can do the one-handed flip?), we left the house around 9am for a driving tour of the city. We drove through the Garden District and stopped for a tour of Lafayette Cemetery Number 1, famous for its above ground crypts (lesson: they are not buried above ground because of the low water table; they are above ground due to the influences of France and Spain, who followed the practice).
While in the Cemetery, we spotted an impressive facade in front of one of the tombs — and were surprised to find that it was actually *only* a facade! It was a movie set! I found some crew who were striking other parts of the set around the cemetery and chatted them up. The set is for the movie “Stay Alive” which is being filmed in New Orleans. It’s a horror flick. From what I gleaned from the crew and from the local paper, it has something to do with a computer game that may or may not be controlled by a supernatural being. This was not the last time we would bump elbows with members of this film (hint for upcoming celebrity moment).
After the Cemetery, we continued on to the Quarter. We parked by the river and walked along the riverside park into the Quarter. We toured on foot, taking in the historic buildings, Jackson Square, Ursuline Academy, French Market, and other neat parts of the city. We saw a wedding party, horse drawn carriages, walking tours, and Bourbon Street. Karim gave me a lesson in how to correctly pronounce the street names in French (I had a particularly hard time with “Rue” — although Karim did lift my spirits by telling me that the few phrases I do know in French I deliver with a very good accent.) Lunch was sandwiches in a small cafe near the Market.
Having had lunch, we headed back to Uptown and dropped Paul off at Audubon Park for juggling club. We were all tired and needed to decided to join Will in naptime. So the three of us went back to the house for a rest. (Typical me… I used the time to cook, clean, and read.)
Paul made it home about an hour before the babysitter. We all cleaned up and once Will was in the hands of a trusted adult (not us) we took of for the evening. At first, we tried to go to Jacque Imo’s (awesome local joint) but found the 2-hour wait too much. It was here that we had our *celebrity sighting* for the night. When I looked up to find Paul in the small crowd in front of the restaurant, I saw that he was standing elbow to elbow with Frankie Muniz, best known for his role as “Malcolm” in our favorite sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle. After a few moments of watching Paul not notice, I finally pointed it out (“Paul, it’s Malcolm!”) Unfortunately, I wasn’t subtle enough and little Frankie scurried away. (What did this young, wealthy actor look like in person? An awkward, shy, clearisol-dependent teenager.) Apparently, young Mr. Muniz is one of the actors in “Stay Alive” (the set for which we played around earlier in the day.)
Not willing to wait all night for Jacque-Imo’s, we went to our next favorite local haunt, The Olde College Inn. We had a great dinner and shared the bounty so that we all tried a little bit of everything.
After dinner, we went back into the Quarter and enjoyed an amazing set of music at Jazz Perservation Hall: the birthplace of American Jazz. Doors open at 8, music starts at 8:15 and runs in 35 minute sets, $8 cover. Standing room only; no drinks; no smoking; no flash. The building reflects its 250+ year history (it was built in 1750) and the white hairs that cross the brows of the six performers says that they having been playing these tunes for a long, long time. They play by request ($2 for “traditional”, $5 for “others”, $10 for “Saints”). Piano, Drums, Bass, Clarinet, Banjo, and Slide pump out Dixieland Jazz. When my beloved PapPap DiMarzio isn’t watching over one of us from his special place in Heaven, I know that this is where he hangs out. We can’t wait to go back.
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