It had been less than 3 weeks since returning from New Zealand and the Maldives, but there were still many trips in the pipeline for me, this time to New Orleans. Kaleb had already arrived several days earlier; he was entering the second month of his sabbatical and had gone back east to meet up with family and friends, then fly to New Orleans. I made do with an extended weekend as I was running out of vacation days - taking off on my own on a red-eye flight Friday, returning Monday night with Kaleb. I had booked a one-way award ticket on US Airways using United miles before the US/AA merger. All the "saver" economy tickets were gone (lowest miles option), so since it cost the same in miles to book a saver first class ticket versus standard economy, I of course went ahead and booked a seat "up front". It involved a stop in Charlotte with an almost 3-hour layover, but the flight was basically free, and I had the Citi Executive AAdvantage credit card which provided entry into the US Airways Club to pass the time.
It was all going according to plan, until at the airport, I receive an email notification that the flight was delayed until 1:15am due to equipment issues (the display at the gate wasn't updated as quickly). This meant that I was going to miss my flight from Charlotte to New Orleans, as well as sit at the airport for over 3 hours before the start of my journey. When I went up to the gate agent to inquire about my missed connection, I was pleasantly surprised that they already were prepared, handing me new boarding passes to get me to my destination, which involved flying from Charlotte to Dallas, then Dallas to New Orleans (on American Airlines), arriving in the afternoon instead of morning. With this new itinerary, I'd have flown by New Orleans twice before actually getting there. The new tickets remained in first class, keeping me comfortable while zig-zagging across the country. Too bad it wasn't a paid ticket, so I could earn the extra miles! Well, I did manage to earn a few miles for the inconvenience...when I was rebooked for the missed connection, I noticed that the fare class changed from award space to paid F. My United Airlines frequent flyer number was on the reservation since I had used United miles for the trip. Since US Airways had just merged with American, I pulled up my reservation online and changed it to my American Airlines frequent flyer number before flying to see if the new tickets would earn miles, something I had remembered from reading too much
FlyerTalk. I ended up getting credit for the AA flight from Dallas to New Orleans. I don't think the systems were merged completely as I didn't get any miles for the Charlotte to Dallas flight on US Air metal, but I was already fortunate to get anything in the first place.
The first class seats on the US Air flight were just a bit wider than coach. The legroom left much to be desired and this is coming from someone of average height. Of course, sitting up front is still better than a full coach cabin! Beverages were served during flight; most of my cabinmates enjoyed wine while I had water as it was a red-eye and I wanted to get a couple of hours' sleep. (Alcohol can be relaxing for some, but it has the opposite effect on me as I suffer from ADS - "
Asian Drinking Syndrome" :) ) Around 8am, the flight attendants gave out breakfast boxes fresh from the refrigerator.
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| not much legroom |
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| packaged cold breakfast box |
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Having a couple of hours' layover in Charlotte, I took advantage of the
Citi Executive AAdvantage credit card benefit and entered the
US Airways Club. (American and US Airways merged into one company late last year) Time flew by with wi-fi, snacks, and watching the planes come and go.
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| hot chocolate with probiotic yogurt |
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| view out the club windows |
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Arriving at the gate for the Charlotte to Dallas flight, ironically, I noticed the adjacent gate was boarding a Charlotte to New Orleans flight departing around the same time. I went over to the gate agent to ask if there was any stand-by available, but they were sold out. I'd have to continue flying halfway across the country again. Lunch on this leg consisted of a packaged turkey and cheddar sandwich. It wasn't too bad.
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| edible |
In Dallas, my connecting flight was at a different terminal, so I got to ride the elevated
Skylink train for the first time since using their old underground inter-terminal system, the TrAAm, more than 10 years ago (I don't normally fly AA). I do admit that I miss the old TrAAm's "bong-bong-bong-bong" alarm played on the speakers.
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| escalators to Skylink |
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| where is everyone? |
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The short flight was uneventful; I finally made it to New Orleans! To get to the French Quarter, I had considered
taking the bus ($2 fare) for the experience, but as my time was limited, the fact that the bus route required a transfer on weekends, and having the freedom to drive wherever, I ended up renting a car through National. They had a last-minute special for New Orleans, so I was able to get a midsize rental for $15/day plus taxes and fees. It can pay to check the specials page once in a while to see if your destination is listed and also if any coupons can be applied since you can always modify your reservation. I recommend signing up for National's
Emerald Club so you can get Emerald Aisle service (if you rent a midsize) to bypass the rental counter, choose any car in the specially marked Aisle spots and drive off. Sometimes there are cars above midsize class parked in the spots that you can choose for no additional charge. Up for grabs was a shiny red Camaro, but I needed to carry passengers so I selected an Impala.
You could also take a taxi from the airport, the fare being a fixed $33 (plus tip) for up to two people in the car (different fare scheme if more than 2). Depending on your time in New Orleans and what you plan to do, you can do the calculations whether taxi, rental car (plus parking fees), or bus works for you.
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| the walk to rental car center |
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| I could have selected this car in the Emerald Aisle |
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It was an easy drive from the airport to the flat in the French Quarter, found on
Airbnb.
The location was excellent, with much within walking distance. Parking
was expensive...the adjacent lot cost $30 for overnight parking with no
in/out privileges. It was difficult to find unmetered and unrestricted
street parking.
Kaleb and his hometown friends had already been staying there since Tuesday, and done sightseeing, tours and plenty of eating and drinking. I had never visited New Orleans before so I couldn't wait to try out the food and experience Bourbon Street.
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| view out the window |
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| interesting entry way decor |
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| roomy, sparsely furnished flat |
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| an electric player piano! |
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We walked to
Muriel's for dinner, which served Creole cuisine. Most of us ordered the prix-fixe dinner, which was a good value. When I saw escargot was on the menu, I had to have it too. :) The plates were huge, rich and tasty. I certainly couldn't eat like that at every meal time, yikes. If I had to do it all over again, one of us would get the prix-fixe, and the other just a soup or salad because there was enough food to feed 2 people.
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| escargot in garlic butter sauce with flaky shell |
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| pecan crusted alligator |
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| turtle soup with sherry |
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| pecan-crusted baby drum (fish) |
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| seafood "bayou"baisse |
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| pain perdu (bread pudding) in rum sauce |
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| black bottom butterscotch pudding |
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After dinner, we waddled over to the main square to take a few photos. Then we walked back to the flat to freshen up before hitting Bourbon Street at night. The street was packed with revelers. You had to watch where you were walking because there would be an occasional pool of vomit.
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| Jackson Square |
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| Mississippi River |
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| Bourbon Street crowds |
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| hello! |
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| getting their daiquiris on |
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| even more crowded as the night went on |
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10 second clip of walking down Bourbon Street: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
On Sunday morning, we headed out for breakfast
beignets and a bit of sightseeing.
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| fried sweet goodness |
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| Louis Armstrong Park |
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| "X"s represent wishes |
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| General Andrew Jackson |
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| interesting shops |
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| want to buy a haunted house? |
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| artisans on the square |
We had brunch at
Stanley; there was a wait, but they had a high-tech system where they text you when your table is ready.
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| Eggs Stanley with fried oysters |
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| Breaux Bridge Benedict (say that 10 times fast) |
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We spent the afternoon shopping for souvenirs.
Pralines are famous in New Orleans so we bought a bunch from the
New Orleans School of Cooking...delicious!
That evening, we drove out to a bar called
Cure to meet up with friends who lived near New Orleans, followed by dinner at
Midway Pizza next door.
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| creative cocktails |
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| puffed pork skins |
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| big beer |
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| cheesy bread sticks |
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| King Creole deep dish |
We returned to the flat and went out again to Bourbon Street. Even though it was a Sunday night, there were still crowds and plenty of people-watching. There was a guy wearing nothing but a small handkerchief over his unmentionables! The wind happened to blow at the wrong time and some of us got an unexpected eyeful. (thankfully not me)
Monday was our last day...our friends from New Orleans suggested that we try
Katie's for brunch. I
read that the restaurant filled up quickly, so we got there 15 minutes before opening; there were already several people waiting. The dining room was full of patrons within an hour of opening...on a Monday!
Verdict: yummy! Large portions, of course. I had ordered a huge fried seafood platter to try all the varieties; the person who brought the food over was surprised to find out it was mine. Even including sharing with my tablemates, less than half of the platter was eaten, it was that big.
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| Katrina survivor |
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| different kinds of tabasco |
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| gumbo |
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| chargrilled oysters (nom!) |
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| actual fresh vegetables |
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| my big ass seafood platter (half of it was fries) |
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| poboy |
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After brunch, we headed to the airport and had an uneventful Southwest flight back home. It was nice to be able to use the
Companion Pass to fly 2-for-1, and on points as well!
My stay in New Orleans was very brief; I would come back again and sample more of the cuisine, and bring nicer clothes to enjoy a jazz brunch at
Commander's Palace. Unfortunately I don't drink, so I cannot get the full New Orleans Bourbon Street experience.
Stay tuned for my next outing a couple of weeks later...a 3-day cruise from Vancouver to San Francisco with the girlfriends...onward!
***
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