Tuesday came too soon and, with it, my final hours in New Orleans. I slept slightly later than on Saturday or Sunday, but got up earlier than on Monday in order to pack. The majority of my beads were NOT going in my suitcase, as they weighed a ton. I only picked out some of the special ones to take with me. The others were put in a plastic bag ready to deposit in the trash or to give to children or other tourists, if wanted.
I ran by Hotel Villa Convento again to say “goodbye” to T. and, once again, use the free WiFi for a awhile. One more pit stop at Trashy Diva to buy a dress, then off to Central Grocery to get my muffelatta. The line was shorter than the previous time, but I got my muffelatta. Rather than buy a half of one (as usual), I went for an entire one, beings it had been a little more difficult to come by on this trip.
Lunch was (hopefully) going to be at Galatoire’s, even without a reservation. They opened at 11:30 a.m. and I was there at noon. Unfortunately, no one was there to greet me and/or seat me. I waited about 10 minutes, during which time a group of 4 tourists and another group of 3 locals showed up. The 4 tourists were seated before me, apparently because they had reservations. I heard the locals say, though, that they (the tourists) should have been seated upstairs. Generally, locals and anyone of importance are seated downstairs where all the action is, while many unfortunate tourists are seated upstairs. The only time I’ve been seated upstairs was when my ex-husband and I had a reservation one evening; that was my first time eating at Galatoire’s. Every other time they’ve seated me downstairs. On this occasion, I was seated downstairs again. Galatoire’s was offering a very reasonably priced prix fixe menu for $18 that included a chicken and sausage gumbo, a Creole shrimp omelette and mocha panna cotta. That was perfect for me, except for the fact that I was craving their shrimp remoulade. Thus, I ordered both. My lovely waitress brought the shrimp remoulade first, which I devoured. Theirs is one of my favorites due to the healthy dose of horseradish that they put in it! I finished most of my gumbo, but was fading by the time the omelette arrived. I made it slightly more than halfway through the omelette before giving up. Yet when the mocha panna cotta was set before me, I managed to down the entire thing, whipped cream and all, with no problems! I’d decided that Tuesday was to be an alcohol-free day, but drank plenty of water.
I was back at the studio by 3:00 p.m. to slowly take my suitcase down that flight of stairs. It was slow going not being able to bend my right knee that well. Once my suitcase was downstairs, I sat in the courtyard awhile. The shuttle was picking me up at 4:30 p.m. a few blocks away. The owner of the studio happened to come out into the courtyard, at which point I asked her if I should throw the beads away. She said that she knew of an organization that recycled them, so it was fine for me to leave them with her. She also said that she hoped I’d keep in touch and, even if I didn’t stay at one of her properties next time, she’d like to show me some local places. That was nice of her!
At 4:00 p.m. I rolled my suitcase over to the Inn on St. Ann and waited in the sun. After about 10 minutes one of the employees came out and asked if I’d rather wait inside where it was cooler. He rolled my suitcase inside, offered me a seat and even gave me a bottle of water. The shuttle was there shortly, so he told me not to worry about my suitcase as he’d take care of it while I got in the shuttle. Once again, I love Southern gentlemen!
My flight was on time. I napped for the most part, with the exception of when I got out 1/4 of my muffelatta to eat. You could see the jealousy in everyone’s eyes! Thus ended yet another wonderful trip to the Big Easy.
In the French Quarter
T. at Hotel Villa Convento
Near Jackson Square
Inside Central Grocery
In the French Quarter
In the French Quarter