Lunch at Acme: a dozen large plump silky grays, kind of
bland in the way that Gulf oysters often are this time of
year, but a problem I had never encountered before here.
Usually Abita amber is a good foil to the oysters. Today,
it dominated. So instead of a second dozen, I got a second
beer. The place is somewhat homogenized and pasteurized
since Katrina: the floors and restrooms are clean, and
there's no more monument to gluttony (the plaque with names
of people who have eaten more than 15 dozen at a sitting).

=

Papa Joe's BBQ, Canal St.: I asked for a rib sandwich plus
a side of RBR. The counterman suggested that I get the rib
dinner, which comes with two sides, for about the same cost.
So that's what I did. What comes: a couple spareribs; a
couple baby backs; a big chunk of rib tips. These are done
in the parboiled style, so the flavor is relatively bland;
the sauce is sweetish but inoffensive; it doesn't have
anything awful like HFCS or fake smoke. The ribs were pretty
decent otherwise; the rib tips were tough as nails, and I
couldn't figure out how that happened. My sides were double
red beans and rice; these, though enhanced with the sweetish
BBQ sauce, were quite good.

=

Things done, in addition to the usual wander about the
Quarter and buy the occasional beer or fancy drink:

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park - actually, it's just
the visitor center that is here; the actual attractions are
spread out across the whole southern part of the state. But
there are interpretive exhibits that can easily take an hour
or two of your time.

New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park - while at the
former, I met a college classmate, who put in a pitch for
this: turns out it's a rather bare room with a stage on one
end, a projection booth, and a ranger. Also, there are short
photoessays on major and minor New Orleans jazz figures on
the walls. Integral to the experience is the walking tours
of the city, for which brochures are available here.

I'd thought about taking the Natchez on a sightseeing tour,
but then either parsimony or my allergy to hokey tourist
things spake, and I took a riverfront walk on my own
instead.

=

Checkout of the hotel is noon. I got up at 6:45 and went
down to the breakfast room to load up on carbs so I could
zone out until checkout time. Poured myself a glass of
juice and went to take a sticky bun. Some waitress person
came out and said, oh, no, it's not open until 7 (not noted
in the hotel literature or by the front desk); I said, well,
I'll just steal this roll and take it back to the room. I
think her literalness was marginally satisfied. Not so my
appetite. It was about the worst sticky bun I'd ever had,
rivalled in unwholesomeness by the age-raddled things you
get wrapped in cellophane in convenience stores and vending
machines, where you can hardly tell where the plastic stops
and the pastry begins.

Did manage to snooze for a while before checking out.

Took the bus back; it took 40 minutes, just 10 more than a
cab would have at this time of day. Another $1.60.

Lunch at Acme at the airport. The oysters are a buck less
per dozen than downtown; they were also, surprise, somewhat
better. The kicker: a MGD was $5.70++. Down by the gate you
can get a Heineken for $5.20++. Let this be a warning.

Wi-fi is free, though. If I'd known, I'd have come here an
hour earlier. As it was, I just had time to do my FT
routine minus part of the United forum, before boarding was
called. New Orleans has an impressive array of gate lice.
It was hard to fight my way through from the next gate, and
by the time I got through, they'd called zone 2 (and none of
the madding crowd moved even then).

0701 US1888 MSY PHL 1450 1845 319 2A

My seatmate was another of those business types, but this
one was polite and didn't ooze beyond his space. Quite
attentive though poker-faced FA. Glenlivets plus working
Empower made the flight go quickly. Again, no meal but the
usual snack basket. Hey US AIR, why did you substitute the
nasty sour cream and onion Sun Chips for the Cape Cod potato
chips? Even reduced-fat potato chips beat Sun Chips cold.

US 777 PHL BOS 1930 2103 319 2A

Same aircraft as the previous flight. I decided not to trek
to the club for half an hour, instead spending the time
looking for a working electric outlet. On my tenth try I
found one, by gate 16. None of the others in nearby gates
have any juice. Boarded up on time; same crew as last time,
so the FA poured me my first Glenlivet before I got around
to asking for it. Though there was a sizable line waiting
for takeoff, there were no significant glitches, so we
ended up landing quite early.