Trip Reports - It's not snowing in New Orleans

But we’re not going through Chicago!

The day began at 11:20 a.m. when my cell phone’s pager went off. Message from United Airlines. Flight 1224 SEA-DEN has been canceled. With the blizzard shutting down Chicago, a canceled 777 is bad news. I called the 1K desk and got a recording saying that all employee-owners were busy helping other customers. I pulled up our reservation on United Connection and saw that we had been booked on the same flights the next day—a 24-hour delay. This would not do. We hurried our preparations and piled into the Pontiac for a rapid drive down the secret freeway.

I had Hunnybear park the car while I made tracks for the 1K room. I got there and there were no angels on duty, just one harried old elf holding down the fort. He pulled up my record and began to explore the options when one of the angels came back. She took over and booked us in standby on the next flight to DEN, telling me to call Hunnybear and have her check our luggage onto that flight. Over the cell phone connection we got that done and prepared to wait when I happened to notice that the flight right across from the 1K room was going to DEN, delayed 2 hours, leaving at 1:35. I asked the angel to book us in standby for that flight as well, which she did.

A few minutes later the angel phone rang. She picked it up, talked for a moment, then asked me, “Is it OK to split up?” I said, “Absolutely not. We’ve got to be on the same flight.” She spoke into the phone a moment more and said, “Oh, she meant is it OK to put one of you in first class and one in coach.” I said, “Oh, yes. That would be fine. Give Hunnybear the seat in first.” Hunnybear insisted that I take the seat in first and I insisted that she take it. Fortunately the situation was resolved by both of us getting the last two seats in first on this tiny Airbus 319.

We were so happy to be on board that this short flight was a joy. We got good service from Tom, who took our lunch order first. Drinks came accompanied by the “classic pretzel and cheese cracker mix.” Lunch choices were “chicken or some sort of sandwich.” We both took the chicken, which arrived piping hot with some nice vegetables and a load of penne pasta. Dessert, served on the same tray, was a deliciously light lemon cake with meringue topping. Wine was the Amberhill Chardonnay and the Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, both old standbys that are excellent. Lunch was served on the Noritake china with “real” salt and pepper shakers.

During the flight I tried my new Sony NC-10 noise-canceling earplugs for the first time. They worked great and Hunnybear wanted a pair for herself! The flight arrived about an hour and a half before our connection and we proceeded to the Red Carpet Club West to connect to the Internet.

The connection to MSY was on a 727, once again with great service. Katharine, the feisty redhead serving first class, offered us a choice of salmon and mixed grill. We had one of each, both tasty but overcooked. Katharine told us about a place on Bourbon street that served a drink called the Hand Grenade, a green concoction served in a special glass shaped like a grenade. We landed on time, picked up our luggage which actually arrived as scheduled, and hopped a $21 cab to the Sheraton.

We had prepaid the Sheraton through Starwood Vacations in order to get a cheaper rate and 10,000 bonus points. There were two agents staffing the SPG line! We checked in immediately and were given a small room on the 43rd floor. There was once again no Platinum amenity kit, but we did call down and ordered bathrobes, which I was surprised they had, and extra pillows. I asked about an upgrade but they said they were fully booked and to try again tomorrow.

We set out in search of hand grenades and found them at the very end of Bourbon St. Hunnybear and I each got one and wandered through the partying mob back up Bourbon St. Lots of people were wearing beaded necklaces and some of the women apparently found them too hot as they kept removing articles of clothing, then changing their mind and putting them back on, all to the approving cheers of the mob.

We arrived at a place called Rhythms with outdoor tables and a live band when the phone rang. Catman had landed, his flight from Newark delayed two hours. We told him to met us at Rhythms, which he did. We had a round of “Big Easys” and talked into the night before we staggered back to the hotel.

QL, great report, awesome as always.

My NC10s are just lifesavers. I am now aware that the 757 for instance can be very noisy and that is stressful, the NC10s cut out the stress more than I could ever have imagined (the Airbus 319 is pretty quiet, but still, it's great to have them noise cancelling phones!)

Question: what's a hand grenade, aside from the obvious?

I am soooooooooo jealous of you guys....

Great report, QL, as usual.
Have a great time tonight at Dickie's.
I'll miss you all.
You'll hear from me tomorrow!

Linda

The Hand Genade is a signature drink made with rum and fruit juice and Midori. One was enough. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

QL: Great trip report as always! I always feel like I'm there because your descriptions are so vivid. And since New Orleans is one of my favorite places to be "there," I'm smiling after reading the report. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I assume you're in no condition to post a report tonight; look forward to some details of Saturday night's dinner when you come to.

QL....

The Hand Genade is a signature drink made with rum and fruit juice and Midori. One was enough.

That's kinda obvious...after one you forgot how to spell... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

shadow, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/redface.gif

Riverboat ring your bell

Fortunately for me, no one even dreamed of getting an early start the next morning. We got up after 10 and soon my cell phone rang. It was Catman. Apparently we had plans to meet MileCrazy and Holly for breakfast at 11:15. I didn’t know if these were new plans or if we had made them last night, my shards of memory having scattered like shrapnel from a hand grenade. In any case it left me just enough time to write and post my trip report and get dressed.

The place we had originally picked, near Jackson Square, was a healthy walk down Decatur St. by the river. We got there and found MileCrazy and Holly waiting. We made our introductions and then determined that the place we were at had nothing but coffee and doughnuts. After the Krispy Kreme experience in Tampa I suggested that perhaps a place that had some protein on the menu in addition to doughnuts would be more suitable. It was no problem, because we walked across the street to the Jackson Square Café. Breakfast was over so we had lunch. Everyone else ate light, but I ordered a big seafood platter with fried catfish, shrimp, and oysters and a little bowl of jambalaya. The fish was fresh and the meal was fine but nothing special.

After lunch we walked around Jackson square and looked at the paintings for sale by all the local artists. My last time in New Orleans I bought three oil paintings from a woman who identified herself only as Nancy H. I think she may have been on the lam. Anyway we looked for her but didn’t find her, although we did see some nice paintings of cats that enthralled Catman briefly. The highlight of the tour around the square was the street performance of a real New Orleans jazz band. They were playing “Sweet Georgia Brown” arranged for sousaphone, trombone, and assorted other fun instruments. Hunnybear liked it so much she called her brother in Toronto to listen to it.

When we got back to the Sheraton we found Burkey waiting for us. We made our introductions and then Hunnybear went over to the tour desk to find out about swamp tours. It turned out we had just missed the swamp tour but we could still make the riverboat tour, so we booked that for 2:30 ($10 each). That gave us an hour to stroll around, so we walked around the French Quarter. New Orleans is a very attractive city with its unique architecture and great views of the Mississippi river. We ended up at the river and listened to a calliope concert, singing along with most of the tunes, before we boarded the Cajun Queen for our one-hour tour.

The riverboat ride was very pleasant. During the ride Catman regaled us with stories and plans for the upcoming Catman-do in New York. We saw a torn-down pier that the tour guide said used to be named Desire. It was named for the same street named Desire that the Streetcar named Desire was also named for. The hour was over all too quickly and we walked back to the hotel. Hunnybear and I had planned to work out before dinner but we napped instead.

As we came down to dinner we met GK and auh2o in the lobby. After making and renewing glad acquaintances, we found they had discovered that one reason the hotel was so full this weekend was that they were having a cotillion. Not being either from a rich family or from a place with much in the way of high society, I had never seen one of these things. Apparently it’s a very formal ball at which all the teenage girls present themselves when their parents decide they’re ready to start dating. It’s also known as a debutante ball or a coming-out. Rather than risk mingling with all these dressed-up young girls, we hurried back to Bourbon St. to have dinner at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse.

Out of all the people who were originally scheduled to come this weekend, attrition from business, weather, and illness had taken a severe toll. We were left with only six. Even Beckles, our host, couldn’t make it because of a last-minute family emergency, so we fended for ourselves.

I wish I could say we’d found another gem, but the only thing that shone about this place was the quality of the beef, which was excellent, and of course the company. Catman regaled us with stories and pland for the Catman-do, GK mesmerized us with descriptions of life as a vagabond, but the restaurant itself was mediocre and wines were overpriced. The shrimp cocktail I started with was flaccid and the remoulade tasted like French dressing. Onion rings were doughy but the spinach was great and full of garlic. Dessert was an uninspired chocolate cake with no frosting but topped with ice cream, always a good idea. We enjoyed two overpriced bottles of Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel. The final nail in the coffin of this place was that they had the gall to add a 20% tip on top of meal and tax! GK put it like this: “The restaurant has an attitude that they did not deliver in terms of food and service.:

We headed back to the hotel, and Catman, Burkey and I decided to satisfy our curiosity and do a little reconnaissance of the cotillion. We took the escalator up floor after floor of empty ballrooms, then were finally rewarded on the top floor. A sympathetic lady allowed us a peek in, but the girls apparently had just finished the Grand March and were nowhere in sight. Suddenly the King And Queen exited the room right in front of us, dressed in white with satin capes and tiaras. Members of the royal court were everywhere, looking like the cast of extras in a fairy tale. I got one photo, then we headed back down.

Hunnybear and I begged out of further carousing tonight, much to auh20’s consternation. “Why do you always drink too much the night before I arrive?” he asked. We bid the gang good night and went up to the room to watch Fight Club, one of my favorite movies, and get a good night’s sleep.

Commander Catcop’s Palace

Hunnybear and I worked out in the hotel health club first thing this morning. The gym was first-rate, with a large number of high-quality treadmills, step machines, and bicycles and even a very cool Reebok cross-country skiing machine that Hunnybear tried. There was also a large selection of weights and body-building machines. The pool was being renovated—a good time of year to perform that work, as it was outdoors. There was also a large locker room and sauna.

After the workout we scanned Three Perfect Days in New Orleans to find some lunch recommendations and ran them by our local friend John. We settled upon Commander’s Palace. I gave Catman a call on his Catphone to see if he wanted to join us, but—surprise!—he was already there, dining with MileCrazy and Holly! We hurried to grab a cab over ($7) and asked to join their table, a sunny four-top in the corner of the upstairs room known as the Coliseum. It wasn’t possible, because another party had that table booked in a few minutes and they were almost done, but we got a nice table nearby and visited with one another during the leisurely meal.

Many people consider Commander’s Palace the best restaurant in New Orleans and I certainly can’t argue. Jackets are required for men. Each table had three colorful balloons tied to the centerpiece. A live New Orleans jazz band strolled around between the tables, the huge bass player belting out echoes of Louis Armstrong himself. Sunday Brunch was a three-course meal with many choices for each course. Hunnybear started with cod cakes, which were excellent, and had a nice eggs-Benedict-like dish with gravlax instead of ham for her entrée. I started with their signature turtle soup, which was delightful, and had a delicious baked egg concoction with artichoke hearts and oysters for the main course. As a rule, we don’t eat dessert, but Hunnybear tried their signature bread pudding soufflé and I sampled the frozen chocolate mousse cake before declaring surrender. We were stunned to open the bill and find scrawled all over it, “The Catman Has Picked Up Your Check!” Naughty Cat. Thank you for the nice surprise.

We had some time to carouse before being picked up by John for dinner, so we met the gang on Bourbon St. at a place called Bourbon St. Blues Co. which was actually a hard rock bar having a three-for-one happy hour. It was a bit loud and smoky, so we went over to the famous Pat O’Brien’s at Bourbon and St. Peter. We poked our heads in to see the famous double-piano bar but on this perfect day we sat outside in the patio by the fountain and sipped snifters of a delicious green drink called a Rainstorm made with Malibu Rum. Ling met us and slipped easily into the community. Catman regaled us with stories and plans for the Catman-do, then around four Hunnybear and I went outside to be picked up for dinner. John, my old friend from umpire school, drove us across the 24-mile causeway over Lake Pontchartrain (pronounced PON-cha-train) to his beautiful new home and beautiful wife Lisa and son John. They entertained us in the fined New Orleans Italian style for quite some time before John returned us to the hotel to meet up with the gang.

At the hotel we asked the concierge to make lunch reservations tomorrow at another restaurant reputed to be excellent: Delmonico’s. She waited on hold for quite some time and told us she would come find us in the bar, which she did. That’s the kind of excellent service I have come to expect from Starwood Hotels and which was in rare supply at this particular property this weekend. To cap the evening Catman, Burkey, Ling, Hunnybear and I went two blocks south to the new Harrah’s casino. I’ve never seen so many slot machines in my life. We found Hunnybear’s favorite, Egyptian Gold, in the nickel-slot area and Catman and I sat down on either side. Luck was with the Cat tonight as he hit it big: a jackpot of 1,250—nickels.

When we returned to our hotel room we found that the bathrobes, which had taken us 12 hours to get, had been removed. I called my old friend at Guest Service, used to me by now, and had fresh robes delivered within minutes. After the long day we had no trouble drifting off to sleep.


[This message has been edited by QuietLion (edited 02-21-2000).]

The Hand Grenade can be found at the Tropical Isle ... about 10 blocks down Bourbon from Canal on the left side.

Rhythms (In the 200 block on the left side coming from Canal) is an excellent place to go when it's not too cold or raining (as it is outdoors) ... the live music is always very good and there is plenty of space so it isn't packed like many of the other places on Bourbon usually are.

As usual Literary Lion... Our Hemmingway of the boards... another collection of FOUR PAWS UP Reports.

And sorry I can't stop talking about the DO!!
I"m really excited about it! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I also love to tell a great story, like you do so well http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

A special thanks to you and Hunnybear, Burkey, Holly and MIleCrazy, Beckles and Nancy, Goldwater, Ling and G-K for giving me such wonderful memories and such a fun time.

Indeed, we all did have a blast over the weekend in New Oreleans!! I was a day late getting in, but ended up staying until today, so no loss.

Last night, while QuietLion and Honeybear were dining with some local friends, Catman introduced Ling and I to the Ruth's Chris Steak House that started it all. We all had quite a wonderfull meal, topping Dickie Brennan's the night prior. The upcomming Catman-Do was well talked about at dinner, with the Cat in Action trying to persuede Ling to coming to the Do. The Cat is pretty convincing, you know. As QL said, we hit Harrah's later that night, and after bidding goodnight to QL, Honeybear, and Ling; Catman and I went to Rhythms, had a few beers and smoked our hand-rolled New Orleans Robusto, not too bad.

See ya'all at the Do, in a few.

The wine may have been overpriced, but with the vodka before, whisky right after, then all that beer... my head still hurts. For the record I did nothing at all on Sunday, and it was great. Just about managed to read a book in Jackson Square in the sun, but needed lots of coffee shots.

Got back to Mexico at 2am last night, and thankfully the hotel did have a room for me.

Thanks for a great evening out (and of course an excellent trip report). Am now looking into EZE-JFK combos.

Cheerio
GK

Catman

I didn't realise those beads you so generously supplied were the real thing.

Major hassle at the airport security, with a stray strand of shiny red metal in my pocket.

Am still on for the 'Do.

Last plane to Seattle, almost

We decided on a repeat of yesterday’s health-club visit, a good idea given the quantity of food we were about to eat. We had made plans to visit Delmonico’s, newest and greatest restaurant of famed chef Emeril Lagasse, for lunch with John. He picked us up in front of the hotel, or tried to. A city bus had somehow smashed into a pole in the center median strip on Canal St., blocking traffic to the hotel. So he pulled up behind the bus and we ran over to jump in the car.

Lunch at Delmonico’s was a delight. It is an elegant, service-oriented place with a long tradition before it was taken over recently by Emeril. I started with a signature seafood gumbo, which was delicious although I didn’t detect any okra in it, only rice. Next we shared a Caesar salad for three. Hunnybear had an amazing cioppino-style Creole dish, John had shrimp remoulade, and I had fabulous baked oysters with crab meat, which upon tasting John remarked was one of the 10 best things he had ever put in his mouth. As a rule we don’t eat dessert, but Delmonico’s had a tableside Baked Alaska for two, which I ordered while Hunnybear was away from the table. I devoured one half, covered with meringue and pecan-caramel sauce, while John and Hunnybear barely made a dent is the other half. Lunch came to $100 with tip for the three of us, no alcohol.

We had about an hour and a half to visit the excellent aquarium ($13 adult) before packing up for our penultimate trip home to Seattle. Highlights were sharks (one baby nurse shark in the petting tank) and many different kinds of jellyfish. It’s right on the Mississippi near the riverboat ride.

Checkout was fine---they had double-charged for the movie, which started in the middle the first time we tried it, but removed it when I called. Both the concierge and the desk clerk asked how the stay was. We had a detailed chat with the concierge and gave a brief summary to the clerk. I said I would follow up with an email---it’s a shame to have a nice hotel marred by numerous service problems.

We took a cab to the airport for the flat fee of $21+tip. United had one agent serving the First Class/Premier line and four agents serving a coach line with no one in it, but every time someone finished there was one more person in the coach line who got served before us. After four or five iterations of this, the FC agent finally finished with her customer and waited on us. We asked about Red Carpet Clubs and were told that there was a Delta Crown Room in the airport, which was the only one United flyers could use. She said she and several other agents were here from San Francisco helping out for Mardi Gras. Nice work if you can get it. We wheeled over to concourse D to the Delta Crown Room only to be told that we could not go in because we must be flying Delta that day. So we proceeded to the gate.

We boarded on time, turned left, and proceeded to seats 1C and D on this 757 to Denver. Attitude of the whole cabin crew was excellent as we got smiles, hung-up coats, and preflight drink service. It was a menu flight, although an abbreviated service rather than the full three-course dinner. I ordered pork loin and Hunnybear had a chicken wrap, although it looked much nicer than a wrap, more of a large dumpling. Mine arrived overcooked at one end but good on the other and accompanied by a delicious sweet-potato “piette,” like a crustless quiche or a frittata. The chicken arrived a little cold so they put it back in for a bit. Wine was once again the Martini Cabernet and the Amberhill Chardonnay. I got thanked for being a 1K! One interesting tidbit: when they announced the mileage for the flight, it turned out you would get less mileage for continuing to Colorado Springs than by getting off in DEN!

We landed on time but waited over 20 minutes to get to the gate. This happens far too often at DEN, and I especially disliked it today because Dave Rottweiller was meeting us for a drink at the airport. We headed up to the RCC and I bought him a Coke while he told us about an email conversation he was having with someone who was pretending to be an artificial intelligence pretending to be a human. I barely had time to upload and download email and our conversation was all too brief. We said goodbye and headed to B43 to board the 767 to Seattle.

Once again the crew was friendly and helpful, although an older crowd this time. Video of the Grand Canyon played while we boarded. No fish. There were crumbs all over our seats, something that should not happen in first class but happens frequently. They had no limes for our preflight mineral water but that was more than made up for by the working laptop outlets! This is only the second or third domestic flight I’ve been on with laptop power. I removed my battery to avoid risk of damage and partied on throughout the flight rather than watch “Third Rock” for the fourth time.

I find the 767 FC cabin cramped. The seats and aisles feel too narrow and the overhead bins seem small. It feels more like business class than first. No menu on this flight, but we had a choice of snack: ham salad or chicken sandwich. Hunnybear and I both nibbled at the chicken, which was very well spiced and quite good. There were chocolate-chip cookies served with the meal, which we both passed on. I received a scolding from the purser for that.

On both legs we had excellent wet, hot towels. I commented to the stewardess about how good they were and we both agreed that it was a pet peeve when the flight attendant didn’t put in enough moisture. We landed about a half-hour early because of winds. Baggage claim was fairly quick but the priority bags came off last as frequently happens in Seattle. We shuttled over to MasterPark and, for the last time, took the secret freeway home.

The end.

I'm not sure why the UA folks told you to use my CRC http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif ... the rules are pretty clear that you can only use it on the day of a flight (and the same goes for us DL folks using the RCC).

HOWEVER, UA does have a "club" in New Orleans ... it's not an RCC ... and its not a 1K center ... it's a room with a couple love seats and a couple of desks and some drinks ... it's right by the first gate on the left as you enter UA's C concourse. The only reason I know about it is Matt Wald showed it to me when he was here ... it's a dive as far as clubs go, but it's somewhere you can plug your computer in to and get a free drink (no alcohol though).

As for the whole Dickie Brennan's debacle ... I'm utterly embarassed. The one time I've been there the food was incredible (sounded hit or miss for you guys) and the service was excellent (I could try to blame Mardi Gras ... but I don't think that's it, though the description of a lot of "teenagers" working there doesn't match what was the case when I was there last summer). As for the wine, I wouldn't know overpriced wine if it bit me on the ... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif . I'll make it up to you guys next time ...

Of course, the real shame here is the seemingly hit or miss state of Brennan restraunts ... Dickie Brennan's http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif , Commander's Palace http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif , Brennans http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif .

I find the 767 FC cabin cramped. The seats and aisles feel too narrow and the overhead bins seem small. It feels more like business class than first.

Agree 100%!

Real time in New Orleans...

Hanging out at ee's while he's at work, and he lives at a great location, three blocks from Magazine Street (with lots of good restaurants, antiques, and different stores) and ten blocks from Tipitina's Uptown. www.neonSculpture.com (http://www.neonSculpture.com) I've been driving around the city today, and New Orleans is a lot more than JUST the French Quarter. I remember MileCrazy asking me on Sunday, "if you don't drink and party, why would you come to New Orleans?" Something like that.

I don't know, I guess the stereotypes (like NYC is a crime infested city and you'll get mugged, and DC is all about politics..boring) will prevent some people from traveling to that specific city. Not me. I want to say New Orleans is a great city, and I wish more people would have made it to this get-together. I enjoyed meeting QL and HB, the famous Catman, burkey, Holly and MileCrazy. All different personalities and fun to be with. My introduction to Ruth's Chris Steak House was memorable. My first time at the FIRST Ruth's Chris Steak House; and I will have to say that was the BEST steak I have ever eaten. And believe me, I have eaten plenty of steak. Catman trying to work Cat Magic on me...today I checked into flights for NY for next month!

Tomorrow I leave, and I thought...I should have called Beckles but I was feeling under the weather when I arrived on Sunday and slept most of the day today. Thanks for the memories.

Linda

It makes me so sad to think of all the grand fun I missed staying at home being sick http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif while you partied in one of my favorite cities. I actually had a dream that Joe and I were walking through the Garden District--as close as I came to New Orleans this time around.

Glad you all had such a wonderful time. See you in New York--my Real Most Favorite City. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Punki: DITTO on NYC!!!

I already miss NAWLINS.

Beckles: If any consolation: the steaks were pretty good. And you SHOWED UP TO HANG WITH US for awhile.

*THAT* IS WORTH MORE THAN ANY STEAK FROM ANY STEAKHOUSE, EVEN RUTH'S.

Beckles, your arranging the whole thing was worth more than any service problems at dinner. I'm sure I speak for all present when I say: THANK YOU! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif