Return to the Fog

Posted on 29 March, 2015 by Tina

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

In the French Quarter

T. at Hotel Villa Convento

T. at Hotel Villa Convento

Near Jackson Square

Near Jackson Square

Inside Central Grocery

Inside Central Grocery

In the French Quarter

In the French Quarter

In the French Quarter

In the French Quarter

Categories: Food/Restaurants, Photos, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Muffelatta Monday

Posted on 29 March, 2015 by Tina

You know what was on my mind for Monday, right?  I intended to have a muffeletta, come Hell or high water!

My first stop was at Hotel Villa Convento, though.  I’d met T. on my last trip to New Orleans (we’d gone to Celebration Hall together) and she works most mornings at Hotel Villa Convento.  We discussed where we’d been in the Irish Channel for the Irish Parade, as well as where we’d been on Super Sunday to get pictures.  While there, I also took advantage of their free WiFi.  (Since my studio was located in a brick-enclosed courtyard, the free WiFi there didn’t actually work 98% of the time, which relegated me to buy things at CC’s Coffee House or lounge in the lobby of the Royal Sonesta in order to post things on FB!)

People on TripAdvisor had been talking up the muffelatta at Albert’s Cheese and Wine Bistro in the French Market, so that’s where I headed (because Central Grocery is closed on Mondays).  There was already a line at the counter.  The cute young guy informed me that it would be at least 15 minutes to get my order out, but that was fine with me.  In the meantime, I wandered around taking pictures.  My muffelatta was done in the allotted amount of time, which was great, because people who ordered after me had to wait closer to half an hour as the line was getting ridiculous.  I, however, had a lunch reservation at Mr. B’s Bistro, so had to take mine to go.

I’ve eaten at Mr. B’s Bistro at least twice before, possibly three times.  They’re most famous for their BBQ Shrimp, which I’ve never ordered because I have an aversion to ripping the heads and legs off of crustaceans.  Someone on Yelp mentioned that they’d asked if the chef could remove the heads, though, so I thought I’d give it a try.  My lunch order consisted of their classics – the Gumbo Yaya and the BBQ Shrimp.  The waiter did indeed say that the chef could remove the heads, but would NOT remove the shells.  Fine by me.  The Gumbo Yaya is a country style gumbo with chicken and Andouille sausage; rich, as most New Orleans dishes are.  Since Mr. B’s has cocktail specials during weekday lunch, I enjoyed a $5 Champagne Royale with that.  When the BBQ Shrimp arrived, the affable waiter tied a little bib on me, as well as bringing a bowl for the shells, plus lemon slices and a damp napkin to clean my hands with.  The bowl of BBQ Shrimp consisted of 6 large shrimp in a buttery, peppery sauce, along with some bread to soak up the sauce.  I also ordered a $1.50 Bloody Mary.  I still managed to make quite a mess ripping those legs and shells off!  The BBQ Shrimp were very good, but I didn’t feel obliged to sop up all of the sauce with more bread.  There was still dessert to think of, you know.  I wavered between the Strawberry Shortcake and the Lemon Icebox Pie with Raspberry Sauce, but the waiter steered me towards the Lemon Icebox Pie.  He said to choose that “Hands down!”  It was decadent in a way that I never knew pie could be.  There wasn’t a crumb left, believe me!

I then took my muffelatta back to the studio to put it in the refrigerator before venturing out any more.

It was a beautiful Spring day in New Orleans, so I wandered off to the Marigny to take pictures.  The Fauborg-Marigny is a lovely area across Esplanade, not too far from the Quarter.  It’s mostly popular for the many clubs on Frenchmen Street.  The beautiful houses on Esplanade and along Royal Street are worth seeing, though.

When I got back to the Quarter, I stopped in at David’s Antiques.  Their poison rings and silver jewelry were 50% off.  I picked up a small poison ring, a silver chain, a silver charm and another loose cameo.  The owner remembered my buying a couple of loose cameos the last time (in fact, I was wearing the ring I’d had made with one of them), so she gave me a little discount.

A “new,” or possibly renovated bar had been written up.  Located in Broussard’s, I sat myself at the bar at Empire Bar.  Luckily for me, it was Happy Hour.  They even have an Absinthe Hour within the Happy Hour.  I’m not usually a fan of rose, but their rose was from the Bastianich family.  I remember liking one of their roses at my New Year’s Eve dinner a couple of years ago at a Mario Batalli restaurant in Los Angeles.  I ordered it post-haste.  The bar was beautiful and the lone bartender was very professional and efficient.  Several people came in after me, followed by maybe 12 people on a cocktail tour.  The bartender worked like a well-oiled machine!  After my two roses, I went back to the studio to get ready for dinner.

I was hoping to have dinner at Eat Restaurant, but it was closed on Monday.  I then wandered over to Galatoire’s, but it was also closed on Monday.  So I did what any self-respecting woman would do – I skipped dinner and went to Patrick’s Bar Vin.  I’d gone there on my last trip and made friends with Patrick, the owner.  When I walked in, he was sitting at the bar alone; no other people were there.  I’d apparently just missed the before-dinner crowd.  We said “hello” and were chatting.  Another couple came in, as well as two other men.  Patrick was telling the couple (who he knew) and me that some customers/friends were taking him to the Houston Rodeo later that week.  He’s never been to a rodeo before (he’s Belgian), but intended to make a fashion statement by wearing a Louis Vuitton cowboy hat, pink pants and pink boots.  We were, for the most part, advising him against the pink pants and pink boots.  I told him that he could wear one or the other, but both would be too much.  Meanwhile, one of the other two men piped in to say that he was from Houston and he thought Patrick should wear whatever he wanted!  He DID suggest a huge belt buckle, though!  When the couple left, they invited Patrick to join them for dinner, which he agreed to.  Since he was still there chatting with me, I asked if he wouldn’t be late for dinner.  He replied that he didn’t want to be rude to me.  I told him to go ahead and do whatever he needed to do!  He stayed a bit longer, then headed out to join his friends for dinner.  In the meantime, the guys next to me told me that they worked for Sebastiani Winery; one had even lived in San Francisco before.  They were staying at The Saint, a trendy hotel on Canal Street.  I’d never heard of it, but they said it’s a really cool place, so I looked it up later and I WILL hit up the bar there sometime in the near future.  They’d just arrived that night and were tired, so headed back to their hotel after one drink.  Another gentleman had shown up and ordered a drink.  The bartender poured his drink, plus a glass of wine.  Apparently, he’d been there earlier with a female friend that had been drinking wine.  He told the bartender that his female friend wasn’t with him at the moment, but to kindly give the glass of wine to me.  Why, thank you!  I LOVE Southern gentlemen!  We chatted awhile, during which time Patrick returned from dinner.  It was a Monday night and everyone was tired, so Patrick bid me “adieu” after a bit, as did the other gentleman.  Once I finished that third glass of wine, I called it an evening myself.

Back at the studio, due to missing dinner, I got out that muffelatta to give it a try.  My consensus – average!  Foiled again.

In the French Quarter

In the French Quarter

Musicians Across From the French Market

Musicians Across From the French Market

BBQ Shrimp from Mr. B's Bistro

BBQ Shrimp from Mr. B’s Bistro

In the Marigny

In the Marigny

Washington Park in the Marigny

Washington Park in the Marigny

Empire Bar

Empire Bar

 

 

Categories: Drinking, Food/Restaurants, Photos, Shopping, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Powwow on Super Sunday

Posted on 28 March, 2015 by Tina

I was up early again on Sunday morning for my breakfast date with B. and his son, C.  B. and I had met in New Orleans pre-Katrina, thanks to Virtual Tourist.  Back then, we’d met for drinks at The Kerry (an Irish pub next to the fire house on Decatur), had more drinks at Molly’s on the Market, ate a pizza at Angeli, then ended at dba on Frenchmen Street.  Several years after Katrina, we’d sort of lost touch.  I knew that he’d gotten married and had a son, but we hadn’t really been contacting each other.  Due to my New Year’s resolution to reconnect with people from my past, I thought this was the perfect time.  B. picked me up at 9:30 a.m. and introduced me to C., who was riding in the back seat, of course.  We went by one possibility for breakfast, but it was small and full.  We went to another one, but they mainly had pastries, coffee and chocolate.  He asked if I was ok with it or wanted to go elsewhere.  Well, if we were going to have pastries, anyway, I preferred to try out District:  Donuts and Sliders, which is located near where the Irish parade began the day before.  We parked close to Magazine Street and walked towards the restaurant.  When I admired the blooms on a Japanese magnolia tree, C. asked his father to pick one so that he could give it to me.  Awww, C. is already a Southern gentleman in training!  District is a place that B. and C. frequent, anyway, particularly on weekday mornings.  On this Sunday morning, there was a huge line, but it moved relatively quickly.  They ordered a strawberry lemonade donut and a milk and cereal one, plus a biscuit and drinks.  I snagged the last Vietnamese iced coffee donut, along with some iced tea.  We found seats at the counter in the back and dug in.  My donut was good, but very messy.  As I took a bite, all of the filling oozed out the other side!  B. happens to know one of the owners of District, who stopped by us to say “hello.”  B. told me that he no longer gets to travel much now that he’s raising a family, though they went to China a few years ago.  He confessed that he’s never even been to Europe yet, let alone any other part of Asia.  He hopes to remedy that soon.  He does, however, have a lakefront property that he rents out via AirBnB, so if any of my readers are interested, I can put you in touch with him.

As he drove me back to the Quarter, B. asked what my plans were.  I said that I needed to get cash somewhere, then take a cab to either St. Bernard and Claiborne, or to LaSalle and Washington to see the Mardi Gras Indians.  He was kind enough to take me to a Chase ATM, then to St. Bernard and Claiborne, as it was closer to my studio.  Unfortunately, at 11:00 a.m. there were no Mardi Gras Indians to be found.  He didn’t feel comfortable dropping me off there to wait, so he took me back to the Quarter.  We promised to be better about keeping in touch in the future.

About an hour or so later, I caught a cab to LaSalle and Washington.  I KNEW that the Mardi Gras Indians would be there for certain, as it had been announced on the news that morning.  Yet when I told the cab driver where I wanted to go, he looked at me incredulously and asked “Are you SURE you want me to drop you there?!”  I insisted that a parade would be taking place, but he seemed skeptical.  Once we were near the area, we noticed that roads were already blocked off and people were out in their yards and in the streets selling food and drinks.  There was already a party atmosphere in the air.  When he dropped me off, I immediately saw a few Mardi Gras Indians.  Once the parade started, there were many, many more.  It was difficult to get good pictures, although many of them stopped to pose, because so many people crowded around, then put their cell phones directly in front of your face to take pictures, which ended up ruining your shot!  Also, as the Mardi Gras Indians turn this way and that, they send out their spy boys and wild men to clear space for them to walk.  Even so, I was pleased with the majority of the shots that I did get.  The whole experience was amazing to me.  When the parade was over, I bought some incredibly tasty jambalaya from someone who’d set up a truck next to their house. I also stood in line for a blackberry snowball.  As I was at the intersection of LaSalle and Washington enjoying that snowball, the crowd around me danced to Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle.”  I appeared to be one of the very few Asians for miles around!  Being unfamiliar with the area, I asked some locals how to get back to the French Quarter, since cabs seemed to be lacking in the area.  They directed me to walk 7 or 8 blocks down Peter Street (?) to St. Charles Avenue; from there, I could walk, catch a cab or jump on the streetcar.  As I thanked them, they offered me a shot of Fireball whiskey, but I had to pass, due to the heat and not having eaten enough yet!

When I made it back to the Quarter, the only thing on my mind was a muffelatta from Central Grocery.  Wouldn’t you know it?  They sold out 2 people in front of me!  I then stopped at Petite Amelie and ordered one there.  They were sold out as well, so I settled for a very mediocre portabello mushroom sandwich.  It did NOT satisfy my craving.

I went back to my studio and actually passed out for about an hour.  I then woke up, freshened up, changed and thought about going to Eat for more butter beans with shrimp.  Alas, they were closed on Sunday.  I went to Kingfish, sat at the bar and ordered their “Junky Chick” Rotisserie Chicken.  The Cajun marinade-injected chicken was dusted with herbs de Provence, served with Applewood-smoked bacon bits, cebollitas and smashed potatoes, and was (sadly) very, very average.  The smashed potatoes were the best part.  When the bartender asked how it was, I honestly said it was “ok.”  When the woman next to me said that it smelled amazing, I told her not to order it ’cause she could probably make it at home and it would be better.  Not surprisingly, I didn’t finish it.  Later, when the woman next to me ordered the Shrimp Gaufre, I said that HERS smelled amazing.  She admitted that it was very average, too.

Having been disappointed in my last two attempts at a real meal, I wandered to the far end of Royal Street to Verti Marte.  They’re open 24 hours and have a little deli with a HUGE menu in the back.  I got a grilled shrimp po’ boy, a moon pie, an aranciata and headed back to the studio to enjoy my snack.

Mardi Gras Indians

Mardi Gras Indians

Mardi Gras Indians

Mardi Gras Indians

Mardi Gras Indians

Mardi Gras Indians

Locals Enjoying Crawfish

Locals Enjoying Crawfish

Inside Petite Amelie

Inside Petite Amelie

Categories: Food/Restaurants, Friends, Holidays/Special Events, Photos, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kiss Me, I’m Irish!

Posted on 28 March, 2015 by Tina

Saturday morning I had a reservation at Red Gravy for breakfast.  This restaurant is owned by an East Coast Italian woman, the red gravy refers to marinara sauce and it’s located just across Canal Street in the Central Business District.  On Yelp and Tripadvisor, there have been numerous complaints about the service, rudeness and the owner, so I was hesitant.  In fact, I’d booked it on my last trip, then decided to cancel the reservation after all.  This time, I went through with it.  The restaurant was about half full on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m.  The interior was quite cute – homey and intimate.  They gave me the option of sitting at a table or at the bar.  I chose the bar, of course!  Service at the bar was likely to be much more one-on-one than sitting at a table.  After all, I’d be right in the bartender’s face the entire time!  The bartender turned out to be very friendly and efficient.  The menu had many enticing choices for breakfast.  I was debating between the cannoli pancakes and the polpetta omelette, but went for the latter.  The polpetta omelette is an omelette filled with Italian meatballs and covered with marinara sauce and Parmesan, which also comes with fried potatoes and toast.  The bartender suggested either a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa, but I wanted a Bellini.  He made a very good one, too!  The polpetta omelette was better than average and, most certainly, filling.  My bill seemed a tad high at approximately $28, considering that this was New Orleans and not San Francisco, but I’ll take that into consideration if I ever think about returning for those cannoli pancakes.  When I mentioned to the bartender that I’d be heading out to the Irish Channel to check out the block parties, he assured me that I’d have a great time.

The cab driver who dropped me in the Irish Channel said that it was one of the best and safest areas, contrary to what I’ve heard before.  The mansions with their huge yards were beautiful.  Many of them were hosting their own St. Patrick’s Day parties with the plenty of decorations, massive amounts of food and music blaring.  I have never in my life seen so many people dress up and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the way they do in New Orleans.  It was astounding!  Seeing little Creole children dancing to rap music while wearing “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” t-shirts with shamrocks painted on their faces made me smile!  The Irish parade began at Magazine and Jackson, but it was already packed.  I waited about a block away on Magazine as the route supposedly went down Jackson to St. Charles and back on to Magazine.  After sitting on the curb downing some ice cold beers in the hot sun for an hour, I decided to squeeze in at Magazine and Jackson, anyway.  The parade was taking forever to make its way down Magazine.  I actually made it right up front and had the time of my life catching beads and everything else they threw.  Some of the throws included boas, flags, flowers, beer cozies, cabbages, coins, Irish Spring soap and (who knows why?) Top Ramen!  When the parade ended two hours after it began, I was so loaded down with beads that they were constricting.  My purse was also full of them.  I made a little pit stop at the Trashy Diva branch on Magazine Street hoping they might have something on sale (they didn’t), then continued walking all the way down Magazine Street and back to the French Quarter.  It was a pleasant walk through a charming neighborhood.  I wanted to stop at several places, but decided against it because it was more important to get back to my studio and rid myself of most of my beads.

In the Quarter, I stopped in at Boondock Saint for a beer first.  That bar is allegedly owned by a retired cop (?) and frequented by a fair amount of off-duty policemen.  There’s even a window for policemen on horseback so that their horse can stick his head in and get a sugar cube.  A friend and some Tripadvisor people were planning to meet there.  I texted the friend, but she hadn’t made it there yet.  I left after one drink beings I didn’t know any of the Tripadvisor people and still needed to rid myself of the beads.

There was yet another detour on my way back to my studio – Killer Po’ Boys in the back of the Erin Rose Bar for a meatloaf po’ boy.  It didn’t taste quite as good as before;  I should have got the Jameson grilled cheese instead.

After freshening up and depositing most of the beads in my studio, I later set off for another parade in the Quarter – the Italian St. Joseph’s Parade.  I stood on Chartres to view that.  What made me laugh was that three men in their 40’s and 50’s were there together.  Two of the men stood back on the sidewalk, but the other was out on the street next to me whooping and hollering for some throws.  He didn’t get as many beads as the ladies, so I gave him a few of mine!  Meanwhile, his friends told him that they were tired of waiting and were ready to get some drinks.  “But I want just a few more beads!” I heard him say.

When the parade was over, I walked over to Muriel’s, deposited myself at the bar and ordered an appetizer of Gulf shrimp risotto and a fleur-de-lis, a delicious raspberry cocktail concoction.  The Gulf shrimp risotto was very tasty and the perfect amount for me.  The guy next to me was admiring it!

After eating, I stopped in at Kingfish again.  A friend of mine from L.A. happened to be in town for the night, A.  A’s older sister was married to a New Orleans native.  A. texted me that they were heading for the Quarter and asked where I was.  She met me at Kingfish, but her sister and brother-in-law went to a brewery on Decatur for dinner; they told us to meet them there when I was finished with my drink.  About halfway through my drink, A. suddenly asked “Wait a minute, can’t you take that with you?!”  Duh!!  I’d completely forgotten that I can take my drink out in the street, as long as it’s in a plastic cup.  I asked the bartender to pour the remainder of my drink in a plastic cup, then we were off to Decatur to meet her sister and brother-in-law.  The 3 of them ate, but I merely had another drink, as I was still full from the risotto.  We moseyed down Decatur Street after dinner perusing the T-shirt shops and stopping for some frozen daiquiris.

Once they left, I was crossing Bourbon Street when I slipped on something.  It could have been anything – beads, plastic, alcohol, paper – who knows?  I fell forward and landed really hard on my right knee.  It took approximately 1 second for two Southern gentlemen to pick me up.  One commented “There’s so much shi* on these streets!  I hope you’re ok.”  I actually felt like crying ’cause it hurt THAT bad, but I assured him that I’d be fine and soldiered on, though with a visible exaggerated limp.

Around midnight I was sitting in Chartres House waiting for John.  I’d texted him before midnight to meet me there, which he’d agreed to.  By 12:45 p.m. he hadn’t shown up.  That’s about the time I glanced down and noticed a HUGE blood spot seeping through my jeans.  That convinced me that it was time to head back to the studio.  I sent John another text saying that they were closing the bar, which they were, and maybe we could catch up the following day.  I then hobbled back to my abode.

Paintings in the Quarter

Paintings in the Quarter

More Art in the Quarter

More Art in the Quarter

Float in the Irish Parade

Float in the Irish Parade

Sign at a Tattoo Shop

Sign at a Tattoo Shop

In the Irish Channel

In the Irish Channel

In the St. Joseph's Parade

In the St. Joseph’s Parade

 

Categories: Drinking, Entertainment, Food/Restaurants, Friends, Holidays/Special Events, Photos, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do You Know What It Means…

Posted on 28 March, 2015 by Tina

to miss New Orleans?  I certainly do!  That must be why I’ve been there about 15 times.  My most recent trip began a week ago.  It started with a 7:20 p.m. flight from SFO to IAH.  Whenever one uses air miles for virtually free tickets (this only cost me $10 in taxes), the airlines tend to fly you all over the place to reach your final destination.  They only flew me to Houston, but I landed around midnight and had about 7 hours to kill before my connecting flight to New Orleans.  I could have picked a shorter connection, of course, even using my air miles, but I wanted to arrive in New Orleans in the morning rather than in the afternoon.  Time is precious!  Naturally, nothing seemed to be open in the huge expanse of the Houston airport.  I went from one terminal to the other via Translink, along with about 4 Turkish Airlines employees.  When I got to my connecting gate, which was deserted (as expected), my biggest decision was whether to attempt to snooze in the bar stool leaning over the nearby bar, in the wheel chair or in the massage chairs in the hallway.  The massage chairs were the most comfortable by far, so that’s where I parked myself.  It wasn’t long before an older couple walked by and saw me napping there.  Since their connecting flight to Nicaragua wasn’t until 8:00 a.m., they joined me!  Actually, the woman talked to me for about 2 hours while her husband dozed off.  When she realized that I was getting sleepy, she said she’d let me sleep while she read.  When I woke up, the 3 of us wished each other safe flights and were off.  I went to get something to eat, then returned to my gate.

My flight arrived in New Orleans to some drizzle.  I was prepared with some sweaters, boots, a light jacket and an umbrella.  My AirBnB studio was on the quieter end of the French Quarter, about half a block above Dauphine, which is a block above Bourbon Street.  I waited in the brick-enclosed courtyard for the maid to finish cleaning my room.  Once that was done, I freshened up, quickly changed and went to the corner of Dumaine and Dauphine to have lunch at Eat Restaurant.  My lone previous experience there had been back in 2009 when I had fried green tomatoes and spaghetti for dinner.  My recollection was that they were fine, but not overwhelmingly memorable.  Wanting to start out light this time around, I merely ordered the spicy deviled eggs with bacon (5 of them), along with a side order of butter beans with shrimp.  The spicy deviled eggs were also offered with salmon rather than bacon, but I’m not a salmon fan.  They were good, though not particularly spicy.  The butter beans with shrimp came with white rice on the side.  I’m not familiar with the proper way to eat this.  Do I put the rice in the butter beans?  Do I eat them separately?  I chose to do the latter, though the rice didn’t seem like the long-grained rice that I prefer.  However, the butter beans with shrimp were smokey, rich and had an underlying zing to them!  I regretted not ordering the entrée size!

Wandering around the French Quarter, I stopped in at Trashy Diva on Royal Street to peruse the well-made retro dresses.  Their dresses are extremely well-fitted, so I’ve been known to (depending on the style) wear everything from a 2 to an 8.  You definitely have to try them on.!

At 4:00 p.m. I parked myself at Orleans Grapevine for Bacon Happy Hour.  Yup, bacon at Happy Hour.  I ordered a glass of pinot gris and they gave me a glass full of bacon slices!  No problems with that!  The bartender mentioned that she’d invented a CoorsCato – Coors mixed with moscato – but I didn’t want to risk it.

An Irish parade was scheduled in the Quarter around 6:30 p.m.  I wandered over to Decatur Street to position myself for viewing.  It was a short parade, maybe thirty minutes, but full of the fun and quirkiness of New Orleans.  After the parade, I stopped in at The Grill to say “hello” to John and Jack.  Unfortunately, Jack no longer works there.  John and I agreed to meet for drinks the following evening, when he’d be getting off work at midnight.  After that, I had a quick drink at Kingfish (they have free WiFi), then decided to call it a night because it had been a LONG day!  Besides, in New Orleans, it’s always best to pace one’s self!

The Courtyard of my French Quarter Studio

The Courtyard of my French Quarter Studio

Customers at Kingfish

Customers at Kingfish

Categories: Entertainment, Food/Restaurants, Holidays/Special Events, Photos, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Only Time Will Tell

Posted on 26 February, 2015 by Tina

There are people in my life that I love (though very, very few) and there are people in my life that I have very deep feelings for (although, also very few).  I have a long and tumultuous history with the people in my life that I love.  Of the people that I have very deep feelings for, I may or may not have a long history, but there are often extenuating circumstances.  My path was clear as recently as a year ago; there was a plan in my mind and steps were in place.  Then there were a couple of distractions; in fact, a huge one as of late.  Now I’m in limbo as to what to do, as my heart goes back and forth as to which is real love, which is guilt, which is passion and which is mainly physical.  I feel as if I’m being pushed and pulled by certain people who are, though not exactly demanding, but wanting of my time, energy and possibly love.  I can’t make everyone happy or give everyone what they need exactly when they want it.  After years of being unhappy and verging on being suicidal, I’m trying hard merely to keep myself in a positive place to deal with all of this emotional turmoil in my life.  It doesn’t mean that I don’t love someone or that I don’t care, but it’s not fair to give me a guilt complex when I already spend so many nights in tears dwelling on the damage I did in the past and wondering how to make amends in the future.  This has certainly been said before, but if things/timing had been different in the past…  you know the rest.  I love in my own way, and I’ll care always and forever.  Let that be enough for now.  (I’ll probably regret posting this, then delete it in a day or two, but until then…  )

Categories: Relationships | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Aloha, Popo

Posted on 26 February, 2015 by Tina

My grandfather passed away on February 7th in Reno, Nevada.  He was haole and probably the 3rd or 4th husband of my Filipino grandmother (my mother’s mother).  Even though she’d been married before, he was the only grandfather I truly remembered.  He taught me to play poker when I was just a kid.  He, my brothers and I would then play for hours.  He also taught my older brother to play chess, who, in turn, taught me (because he didn’t have anyone else to play with).  Strangely, I don’t have a lot of memories of my Grandfather because he didn’t live near me for most of my life.  He used to work for NASA in Cape Canaveral, Florida.  We went to visit them once when I was probably in third or fourth grade.  I remember a shuttle being set off one evening.  Grandpa was holding me up to see it, but I fell asleep in his arms.  I remember him always smoking a pipe or a cigar and speaking in his booming voice.  One summer I spent with my Tutu and him in San Francisco.  My Tutu was crazy.  She’d wear platform shoes, get in the Cadillac with the sunroof top and drive to Vegas all by herself – instructing me to tell Grandpa that she’d gone to the store!  When he’d ask where my Grandma was and I gave him the spiel, he’d just roll his eyes ’cause he knew!  The last times we spent together were in Makaha, Hawaii.  My Filipino grandmother had passed away in 1978 and he’d remarried a woman from Palau.  When I stayed with him in Makaha, his new wife always cooked vegetables for me (I HATE cooked vegetables; prefer them raw) and always gave me the fish head to eat (which I’d root around, but never really eat) because she thought that’s how people on the Mainland ate.  When he was taking me to the airport the last time I saw him, she asked  him to wait while she ran to the store to pick something up for me.  She brought back candy leis and leis made of those small bottles of alcohol for me.  She’d taken a long time, though, so he yelled at her a little bit and she cried.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  There was a family reunion in Reno in May.  I’d originally intended to go until someone told me that my mother was going; I haven’t spoken to her in years ’cause she always treated me like the red-headed stepchild, even from my earliest memories.  Not only did I want to see some of my cousins and meet new relatives, I really wanted to see my Grandpa again, but refused to go because of my mother.  In the meantime, one of my mother’s cousins had mentioned that Grandpa couldn’t afford to go because he was paying for his wife’s dialysis, thus was low on money.  So I paid for him to go, although I wasn’t going myself.  Then I contacted my cousins and told them to be sure and take care of his wife, so that she could go, too, which they did.  I wrote him a letter to tell him that I loved him and hoped to see him soon, though that never came to pass.  I always remember him walking along the beach in Makaha smoking his pipe, wearing his Aloha shirts and staring out at the ocean and the surfers.  I thank him for always taking care of my Tutu, who I loved more than anyone in this world.  My cousin said that he died peacefully, with his wife holding his hand.

I love you and miss you, Popo.  I apologize for not having seen you in all these years.  Please kiss Tutu for me when you see her again.

Categories: Family | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Few Days in Monterey

Posted on 22 February, 2015 by Tina

Our Company off-site was in Monterey, California on Thursday and Friday.  Since the presentations began promptly at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday and since 4 of us were driving down together, that required me to get up by 5:30 a.m.!  I showered, packed and rolled my overnight bag to the car rental place to meet up with the 3 other women, none of whom had ever been to Monterey before.  I haven’t been there in more than 20 years, so was certain that things had changed a bit!  The car rental place was disorganized and it was something of a chore to pick up the car, but we were on our way by 7:20 a.m. or thereabouts.  The traffic wasn’t too bad, so we made it to the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa on Cannery Row by 9:40 a.m., although we were the last to arrive.  I did have time to check in and grab something to munch on by 10:00 a.m., though.  We had a couple of presentations, lunch was served buffet style, another presentation, a break and a final presentation for the day.  At 3:30 p.m. we walked over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where we had about an hour and a half to walk around by ourselves before going on the private one-hour after hours tour at 5:30 p.m.  There was always a huge line to get into the Aquarium on my past two attempts, so I’d yet to see it.  At $37.95, the entry fee seemed a tad expensive to me, but the Company paid, so I can’t complain.  My favorite part of the Aquarium was the jellyfish exhibit, which yielded some amazing photos.  During the after hours tour, our guide said that their pride and joy happened to be the kelp forest, however.  There were surprisingly many volunteer divers working after hours to clean the tanks, collect “eggs” and feed the fish.  Since many volunteer divers in the past had been wheelchair bound, a special elevator had been funded and installed to make it easier for them.  When our guide mentioned that both the octopus and the sea otters were highly intelligent creatures which needed daily stimulation, one of the guys in the group asked “What happens if they don’t receive stimulation?  Do they get bored or depressed?”  Apparently, yes!  Once our tour ended, the group hopped in cabs en route to dinner at Il Fornaio inside the Pine Inn in Carmel.  We four women happened to catch the “Soul Cab,” as the driver referred to it, complete with a blue disco ball hanging from the ceiling and smooth “soul” music playing in the background.  Once I mentioned something about him jamming Ashford and Simpson, he was surprised and challenged me to name the other songs that came on during the 15 minute drive.  My track record was perfect – R and B was my music genre of choice back in college!  We had a private room at Il Fornaio for the roughly 20 of us.  The set menu was salad, a choice of 4 entrees and tiramisu.  Though the beef looked tempting, it stated that it would be cooked rare, which I detest.  I’m from Kansas and like my beef done well to medium well!  Thus, I went for the chicken.  They were also serving endless bottles of sauvignon blanc and pinot noir; I indulged in several glasses of both.  During this time, I chatted up the newest analyst, who’s from somewhere in New York and is extremely quiet.  We both agreed that people in San Francisco are flakey and not overly friendly, except when they’re bragging about the City and/or themselves!  After dinner we walked over to Sadie’s, a bar in Carmel.  I ended up sitting at the bar with the MD’s, who told me to start off the drink orders.  My go-to drink is usually rum & Coke, but I gave up sodas for Lent, so instructed the bartender to make me a dirty martini that was so dirty it would be toxic.  The bartender had a bit of an attitude, as if he thought I couldn’t handle it.  Not only did he make a HUGE one for me (a triple?), he also made it extra, extra dirty, then told me that I BETTER finish it!  Threats from a bartender?!  Believe me, I finished it, though it took me awhile.  My memory gets a little foggy after that.  I was in a cab on my way back to the hotel in Monterey, but don’t recall who was riding with me.  I was apparently drinking Frangelico and Bailey’s at the hotel bar, along with the analysts.  Someone said I also got lost on my return from the Ladies’ Room!  Hey, it IS a confusing hotel as far as the layout!  At that point, M. (who will be joining us as an analyst in May or June), W. and possibly J. (both analysts) took a cab to a bar in downtown Monterey.  There I drank beer and vodka shots with the boys; M. said she’d quit drinking by that time.  There was some confusion as to how we were getting back to the hotel; maybe there weren’t any cabs around.  We ended up using Uber.  M., W. and I were staying in the same tower on the same floor of the hotel.  She had her hands full with W. and me, as we were in rare form by then.  As we walked by a room with a hotel employee inside, W. supposedly walked in and grabbed a chair, for no apparent reason.  The hotel employee, who informed us that he was Tongan, found us highly amusing.  He must have felt sorry for M. because he assured her that he would make sure I got to my room, if she made sure W. got to his.  I have absolutely no recollection of any of that, but he most assuredly got me safely to my room.  I do have a vague memory of me laying on the bed in my robe, with the Tongan guy sitting in a chair next to my bed.  He’d returned to my room with a glass of champagne for me, but I don’t recall why.  I must have asked him for one!!!  I remember him smiling and saying to me “Maybe you SHOULDN’T drink that glass of champagne!”  I assured him that I was feeling no pain, though, and would be fine.  He was a perfect gentleman and left, once he made sure that I was ok.  Luckily for M. and W., the Tongan guy saw them in the hallway still struggling to get into W.’s room.  W. couldn’t find his room keys, thus was cleaning out his wallet (and subsequently throwing his credit cards on the floor) in the process of searching for them.  He’d throw his credit cards on the floor, M. would pick them up, then they’d repeat it all over again.  Since the Tongan guy had a master key, he was able to let them into the room.

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. on Friday with that champagne flute next to my bed, which made me laugh, as I only barely remembered the evening!  Although I wasn’t hung over at all, I still kind of felt like crap on a stick, but had to shower, pack, check out and be downstairs for the 8:30 a.m. presentation.  M. filled me in on what happened the previous night during breakfast.  I told her that there’d been a Tongan guy in my room with a glass of champagne, but I couldn’t recall where I met him or why he brought champagne to my room!  She explained how we met him, but said I must have “the magic touch” for him to bring the champagne!  It worked out well for W. and her, though.  If the Tongan guy hadn’t brought the champagne, they would have still been in the hallway for who knows how long trying to figure out where W.’s keys were!  Presentations were over at 12:15 p.m. and we had another buffet lunch before departure.  Believe me, three of us were asleep during the majority of the road trip back to San Francisco, leaving the other woman to fend for herself!  Although she just moved here from Pennsylvania two weeks ago and isn’t that familiar with Northern California, we made it safely back.  Thus ended my little Monterey adventure!

IMG_1410

IMG_1414

IMG_1416

IMG_1425

IMG_1449

IMG_1453

IMG_1461

IMG_1465

IMG_1458

 

 

Categories: Entertainment, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whips & Chips & Dips & Chains

Posted on 17 February, 2015 by Tina

Buzzfeed has this article entitled “50 Movies That Are Sexier Than ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.'”  First of all, what’s all the hype over “Fifty Shades of Grey?”  I read the book, but haven’t bothered to see the movie yet.  Why are people always so fascinated by b&d or s&m type of things?  Let’s just say I’ve done a little experimentation of my own, but like to joke that the book reminds me of a typical weekend in L.A. with a guy from the Westside!  (No!  I won’t be answering any questions to clarify a damned thing!)  Of the movies that Buzzfeed mentioned, I listed the ones below that I’ve seen, along with my impression.  Some of them I saw so many years ago that I can’t be specific at all, but give my general impression upon hearing the title again.

“Belle du Jour” (1967) – Mildly sexy.  I think Catherine Deneuve is beautiful, even now, but sexy…  ? 

“American Gigolo” (1980) – Don’t remember much, but I DID like Richard Gere back in the day.

“Body Heat” (1981) – Sexy AND had a great plot!

“An Officer and A Gentleman” (1982) – Not sexy, but liked the movie.

“The Hunger” (1983) – Strange, but mostly went ’cause I’m a David Bowie fan.

“Nine 1/2 Weeks” (1980) – Sexy, especially the part where he blindfolds her & has her eat different things.  The book, on the other hand, was rather disturbing.

“No Way Out” (1987) – Not sexy.

“Angel Heart” (1987) – Rather sexy.  Mickey Rourke was sexy back then, but Lisa Bonet probably out-sexyed him in this movie.

“Wild Orchid” (1989) – Sexy, especially the Brazilian couple he watches having sex (?)

“Henry and June” (1990) – Not sexy to me; didn’t particularly like this movie.

“Basic Instinct” (1992) – Sexy; liked the bathroom scene, as well as the famous one where she spreads her legs.

“How Stella Got Her Groove Back” (1998) – I’m all about dating hot, younger men, but not a really sexy movie to me.

“Cruel Intentions” (1999) – Too contrived, but a little sexy.

“Y Tu Mama Tambien” (2001) – HATED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!!!

“Original Sin” (2001) – Sexy!  I don’t always believe that Angelina Jolie exudes sex, but she was so nonchalant about it in this movie that it worked for me.

“Unfaithful” (2002) – Very sexy!  Loved the way he seduced her in his apartment.  Plus, the way she felt after the first time when riding home on the train, I could actually RELIVE the times I’d felt that way, just by watching her amazing acting job.  Also liked the sex in the bathroom AND the angry sex in the hallway.

“Love and Other Drugs” (2010) – I don’t know about sexy, but it was sad.  I’d also gone through a break-up at that time, so was feeling emotional about the movie.

“Magic Mike” (2012) – In-your-face kind of sexy with hot men dropping their GrrrAnimals all over the place!  Channing Tatum, say no more!

“Blue is the Warmest Color” (2013) – A very long movie that was sexy in the intense lovemaking scenes, the quiet flirting in the park and the strange scene in the restaurant after they’d broken up and were having a “talk.”  Let me clarify for those of you who have no idea, this is a lesbian love story.

For honorable mention, I’d also seen a movie long ago called “Two Moon Junction,” that I’d found very sexy.  Don’t even remember why now, but it always stuck in my head.

Let me know what you think of the list above, whether you agree or disagree.  If you’ve got some more suggestions, please feel free to comment!

 

Categories: Entertainment, Movies, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spreading My Wings

Posted on 16 February, 2015 by Tina

It’s only mid-February, but I already have  5 vacations planned, plus two Company-related events.  This week is a Company event in Monterey.  We’ll go there on Thursday morning, have some meetings, have a private evening tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, have dinner in Carmel, spend the night at a hotel on Cannery Row and attend more meetings on Friday morning, but will be done around 12:30 p.m.  Because there’s always a long line to get into the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I’ve not been able to see it on my previous two visits there.  Actually, this turns out to be the perfect extracurricular event for me!  I might also drag my DSLR along to take pictures of Monterey in the evening or early morning, if I make it out of bed by then!

There’s also a Company conference in Newark, New Jersey in April.  I fly in the night before because it begins promptly at 8:30 a.m.  I generally spend the night because, when there’s a 3-hour time difference, flying in and spending one night, then flying right back has a tendency to mess with my sense of timing!  Plus, 5 1/2 to 6 hours scrunched in my seat, usually with screaming/crying children in the vicinity is not my favorite mode of transportation with limited sleep!

In a month I’ll be back in New Orleans (yes, AGAIN!).  My very specific purpose in this trip is to attempt to photograph the Mardi Gras Indians.  The Mardi Gras Indians are African-Americans in New Orleans who have formed tribes to honor the Native Americans who took them in and helped them during the days of slavery.  There are supposedly something like 30 to 40 tribes, possibly more, in New Orleans.  Some of these tribes release music as well, the most famous being The Wild Magnolias.  The main members of these tribes wear spectacular costumes of brilliantly colored feathers and come out on three main occasions during the year – Mardi Gras itself, Super Sunday (the Sunday closest to St Joseph’s Day) and St. Joseph’s Day.  The weekend of my trip to New Orleans encompasses Super Sunday.  Although I’m very excited about possibly photographing the Mardi Gras Indians, they won’t come out if it rains because it will damage their costumes, which costs them thousands of dollars and countless hours to make by hand.  Thus, I’m praying for good weather!  In addition to it being Super Sunday, it will also be the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day, meaning there will be several parades and block parties going on as well.  There’s a large Irish community in New Orleans, so I can only imagine the celebrations that will take place.

Mid-May will be my major vacation of the year – back to Thailand (but only to Bangkok) and Bali, but flying to Cambodia for the first time and spending four nights as well.  Since many of my traveling friends have listed Angkor Wat as the most impressive site they’ve ever seen, it’s time for me to make that trek.  Although neither Malaysia or Vietnam were favorite travel destinations of mine, I have a feeling that Cambodia will be quite different.  Angkor Wat is the main temple, but there are also Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Sri (?) and several others.  Friends have said that they’re all in close proximity, making it easy to see several within a day.  Cambodia seems to be the origin of that bamboo tattoo that I was seriously considering getting in Thailand.  In Cambodia they call it the “yantra” tattoo.  I have no idea if the same mystical traditions are associated with it, but I’ll do my research.  My ex-boyfriend in Thailand will not be happy if I return to Bangkok with a yantra tattoo proudly displayed on my person, as he mentioned that he wasn’t a fan of my tattoos, but the tattoos are for ME and not for anyone else.  Besides, he and I are not together, so his opinion doesn’t exactly matter.  Remember how I didn’t get to see Muay Thai in either Koh Samui or Bangkok last October?  Cambodia has kick boxing, too!  Since I’ll be in Siem Reap, I was thrilled to find out that there’s a small stadium there which has kick boxing matches every Wednesday (and possibly other evenings, too; the info is conflicting).  For something like $15 or $20, it will be much cheaper than seeing it in Thailand.  For something fun, I can have my photo taken Apsara-style (i.e. in traditional Cambodian clothing).  Hopefully, they can rush the photos if I pay them extra or maybe they could take the photos with MY camera if I pay them more.  On my second trip to Bali, I’d had my photo taken in Candidasa dressed up in traditional Balinese clothing; it was a fun photo session with the ladies suggesting poses and instructing me on the proper way to hold my hands.

Surprisingly, I’d accumulated enough air miles on Delta Airlines for a free ticket in the continental U.S.  (The ticket to New Orleans is a free ticket on United Airlines.)  I’d considered going back to New Orleans in October for Halloween and the Voodoo Festival.  Key West was another consideration, but the flights to get there using air miles are RIDICULOUS!  Not only do most of them take more than a day, they require 2 or 3 layovers.  Charleston, South Carolina is another destination I’ve always yearned to see, but I wanted to be near the ocean.  Miami was the logical choice.  It’s warm year-round, is right on the Atlantic Ocean, plus has a thriving art scene and night life.  Although I’m not an authority on Latin culture, I AM a fan of Cubano sandwiches!  I can’t wait to taste an authentic one, at least more authentic than what’s on offer in San Francisco!  I hope to stay in the South Beach area or Art Deco District; am still checking out accommodations, but have plenty of time.

My other two trips that are already planned are to go home to L.A.  One trip is at the beginning of May because I’m incredibly homesick.  The man who hosted me at his home on my last trip (via AirBnB) is happy to have me back.  He confirmed with me privately, via text, so that he doesn’t have to pay the “service” fees to AirBnB, which saves me money, too.  I can always contact him directly from now on.  This time around, I booked the pool house!  The second L.A. trip is in mid-June for the Playboy Jazz Festival again.  They haven’t even released the line-up for the Festival, but it doesn’t really matter to me, as it’s more about the experience.  I’m in the process of convincing 3 of my college friends (1 from Fort Hays and 2 from Chico) to go as well.  When the tickets go on sale on March 3rd, I’ll be harassing them via text

I can be happy knowing that I’m “branching out” to two new places this year – Siem Reap, Cambodia and Miami, Florida.  In the meantime, there will undoubtedly be another trip or two to L.A. and Las Vegas before the end of the year, as it depresses me to be in San Francisco during any major holiday.  Alas, Hawaii doesn’t look possible thus far.  Not only are air fares high, but I won’t accumulate enough air miles this year.  Hopefully, there will be an airfare war or some special fares during low season!

Categories: Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment