Today was a day for the miles. We walked 6 of them. We had planned with a move in mind. Since we’ll be staying at the Hilton Riverside tonight as part of our cruise, we packed early and moved our luggage down to Hoyt’s office, then headed out for college visits!
It’s been a few years since I’ve visited colleges, but today I got two for one. Loyola and Tulane are right next to each other separated by the Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church (where I stopped in for Mass.) We took gorgeous pictures of each school. Everything was in bloom. Tulane was especially beautiful with the sweeping live oak trees, lovely Georgian architecture, and one tree that was streaming with thousands of Mardi Gras Necklaces, all sparkling in the sun.
From there, we caught the streetcar back to the Grand Victorian and said goodbye to wonderful Hoyt, who stood by the door waving as we left by Uber. Our driver was a delightful woman who advised us to have crayfish and peach daiquiris. She took us to our next stop, the chaos of the Hilton Riverside. The place was buzzing. People everywhere, every one a basketball fan. And since the Superdome seats 70,000 and the riverboats and cruise ships (headed for the Gulf) create their own crowds, the population in the city was screaming. We escaped to the French Quarter on John’s quest for a fine meal and my quest for street music.
At the Court of Three Sisters, we found both! Without reservations (boy were we lucky), we were seated indoors. The musicians would be back soon—and the food was buffet… Loving both had crayfish and peach daiquiris. Red shells piled high and delicately mixed into other seafood dishes. Hmmm, delicious! My hands were dripping with juice. The trio was a standing bass, tenor, and a guitar. Their first tune was “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” played basanova style! Then to a Miles tune, “All Blues.” One more tune and we had to go!
Around the corner was Preservation Hall where we had tickets for the 2:30 seating. When I made the reservations, I was looking for either a lead trumpet or a lead clarinet. Among all the choices, one stood out as absolutely perfect, someone we’ll never forget. A quartet with a lead trumpet player named Will Smith, no kidding! They were wonderful! Louis Ford on clarinet had the style of always standing up when his solo jumped to the upper register. Loved every note. They played Milenberg Joy, I Beg Your Pardon, and When You’re Smilin’, St. James Infirmary, Shake that Thing and that was the show.
From there, it was back to the streets, looking for jazz. Lots of bands were booming loud music, sometimes at each other from across the street. It was the cacophony that put extra speed in our steps. No worries about theft as there were police everywhere, but the charm of the place was wanting. Finally, I checked my list. Lafitte’s Blacksmith bar was next. Maybe there would be some action on the way. We were up to 4 miles so far in the day. At the landmark, all we could do was peek inside the darkened shack. People were on every stool, standing from here to bar, milling about in the doorways, seated in all the outdoor chairs, and even overflowing to the streets where they stood drinking cocktails and beer with great cheer. We took it in and moved on.
Still looking for street music, I got John to stop at a single violinist just doodling like he didn’t even play. I’d filled my pockets with dollars and was eager to tip, but this guy wasn’t even warming up. Then I read his sign. “Bad advice given.” Now here was an opportunity! John helped and I gave him my problem (ask me later) and he gave the best bad advice I’ve ever heard! I happily shed one of my dollars and we left laughing.
Checking the GPS, we realized that we were a long way from the hotel. In addition to sore feet, John was lugging his 40-pound camera backpack. We really did need to make our way back to the happy Hilton. With no time to traverse all the streets for music, we headed for the river. As we got closer, the action picked up again. There was art for sale, scarves and all kinds of doo-dads. Then a familiar face! Seated in the middle of the street, now with two friends, all with their tiny typewriters was our poet from the night before! Alexander! We had a nice reunion and exchanged stories. I found out about his college experience (of course!) and then pulled out the poem he’d written for me for him to copy. He told us where to find live street music, but sadly it meant going several black away from our destination, which was at least a mile away. We just couldn’t.
On the long and ragged walk back, we did happen upon a rather bad band trying to play Dixieland. Good for them— too far to give a dollar, but we nodded. The hotel and the evening brought us into the swarming crowds of Lafitte’s right in our hotel. People everywhere. All restaurants booked. The whole town in overload. So, we ordered room service with plenty of liquor!! (One beer each.) Good night!