Its day five, and this morning it was off to Croissant D’or again for another fine and inexpensive start to a day. We followed that up with a quick jaunt down into the French Market were I picked up my wife’s souvenir. I got her a….. you didn’t really think I’d say did you. She might read this, and I mean might. Anyhow, the Market is always fun to look around.
Then at noon we met our friend Bill to get some lunch at K-Paul’s. If you think you haven’t heard of this place, well, chances are you’ve heard of the founding chef, Paul Prudhomme, who I like to think of as the Dom Deloise of the kitchen. They have only recently started serving lunch, and this is a great way to get a taste of K-Paul’s without the 25-35 per entrée price tag that comes with supper. The choices are more limited with a set menu to choose from each day, but with meals coming in at 10 bucks or so a plate, you can see why it’s nice to have lunch there. I got the K-Paul's In-House Made Hot Sausage Po-Boy, and let me tell you when they say Hot at K-Paul’s you best believe it, brother. Luckily I had the cool refreshing taste of an ice cold Barq’s to cool off with.
After lunch it was time to head out of the Quarter again, and we made out way to Magazine Street where you can find tons of funky antique shops and clothing boutiques. I wanted to go out there and check out Funky Monkey where I had gotten a couple of my favorite shirts a few years back, but alas, there was nothing for me there. However, next door in Fun Rockin’. I picked up a very nice Lon Chaney Phantom of the Opera patch which will soon adorn something if I can manage to iron it on. We took a little adventure to find William’s Plum Street Snowballs because they had run out at the park yesterday before my Mom could get hers. With a little luck we found it and Mom got her Nectar Crème Snowball, and she enjoyed it very much. Although they looked tasty, the Bugg is not for cold stuff (ice is icky) and passed on it.
In the afternoon I got a chance to explore the Quarter on my own, and had some time to just walk around and observe folks. I’ve gotten so used to the city from my many trips here that I took some time to slow down and really take in my surroundings. Here’s a bit of advice my Mom’s friend John said when we were walking around with them yesterday, and I feel it appropriate to share it here. He said “people forget to look up”, and it’s true. So many of us are used to having busy schedules and walk around looking at the ground or staring into the distance. In NOLA, you do yourself a favor by turning your eyes skyward and getting a look at all the beautiful floral arrangements that line the wrought iron balconies. There are no two the same, and it is stunning to see their variety.
My travels took me down to Café du Monde and I kicked back with a Café au Lait and watched the “tourists” walk by. Yes, by the time I’ve been here a while I begin to think a bit like a local. However, I’m a tourist and I have places to be. It would have been nice if remembered that, and as my Dad called me to ask where y'at, I began to hurry across town to get back to our room and head out to DBA for some music. I don’t know if I’ve ever walked so fast in all my life. By the time I got back to the room my calves were burning, and I burst into the room to find it empty as they had gone on without me. With a quick call to them to make sure, I crossed my fingers that I could navigate my own way to Frenchman Street, and headed out again, this time slightly slower. As luck would have it the spirit of King Phillip was with me and I arrived at DBA in plenty of time.
Tonight our disappointment from missing Paul Sanchez was a thing of the past as we settled in for two hours of songs from the former singer of Cowboy Mouth. His set consisted of a mix of off the wall covers and his own tunes, and I loved every minute. A word has to be said about the covers with ranged from Bob Dylan’s “Dark Eyes”, “It’s Good to be a Cat” from Disney’s Aristocats, and Jelly Roll Morton’s “I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say” (a personal favorite of mine and I was thrilled to hear it). As his set closed out he left us on a pair of tunes, the traditional “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans” and his own tune “On the Foot of Canal Street”, that left me feeling both joyful and full of remorse that my trip would soon be coming to a close.
To end the night it was back to La Peniche for a late dinner, and I choose to get a spot of breakfast for supper with eggs, bacon, grits, and toast. All of which were cooked right well. The bacon was even crispy as I liked it and my Mother lamented the fact that even when she orders crispy bacon she can’t get it. I guess I had the magic ordering touch.
That rounded out the day, and we headed on in for the night. That’s where I’m speaking to you folks right now. With only two days left (and a travel day), I have had a wonderful time, but the melancholy of leaving is starting to set in. So until tomorrow folks I’ll leave you with the movie local of the day, and a clip of Paul Sanchez doing “On the Foot of Canal Street”
As always,
T.L. Bugg
As promised here is the for Hard Target....
And "At the Foot of Canal" by Paul Sanchez...
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