AllYouCanJet.TV

Just landed at JFK after a great afternoon in New Orleans. I’m very glad I got to experience the city – I didn’t see myself spending a week’s vacation there so AYCJ was the perfect way to check things out without a huge time (or cost) investment.

We landed at Louis Armstrong International and I was immediately overwhelmed by how hot and humid it was. Granted, I spent years living in the Washington, DC area so I’m pretty familiar with how it can be in the south but compared to the almost-over-air-conditioned airplane it was like opening the door to the oven!  After a really frustrating wait for a bus that never materialized, Ben and I grabbed a cab to the French Quarter.  We had the driver let us off at Jackson Square and immediately proceeded to the “Moonwalk” – a river walk / boardwalk with a great view of the Mississippi River.

From there we pretty much just criss-crossed the French Quarter taking in the sights / atmosphere. What a fascinating place to people watch, and what interesting architecture / construction style. Ben and I both remarked about all of the wrought iron railings and porch screens, and how much more european it felt with the narrow streets and two and three story townhouses.  We stopped for a snack of beignets and a cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde – what a strange version of the doughnut, it was more like a funnel cake made into a square and bombarded with powdered sugar.  From there we wandered around Jackson Square, listened to a guy playing a sousaphone out in front of the St. Louis Cathedral and then figured it was about time for a late lunch.

Ben had talked to Chris Horn and it was suggested we check out the Gumbo Shop.  I think I owe Chris a few ciders when I see him next, what a fantastic place!  I was torn between what to get and was glad when Ben chose the Jambalaya – I wanted to try it too but had my heart set on the Crawfish Etouffee.  Both were stellar and I really liked that they served them with a fresh loaf of french bread.  Our stomachs happier we set off to put a bit of a smackdown on our livers

Chris had also remarked that we should check out the Old Absinthe Bar for a “hurricane” – we’d walked by it first thing upon reaching the Quarter and had wanted to check it out anyway.  Let me just say, those things are DECEPTIVE. They bury a shot of light rum, another of dark and a third of 151 proof in there!  The bartender gave us a free large salty soft pretzel which was quite welcome as a contrast to the almost-syrupy sweetness of that evil, evil drink.

After punishing our livers a little more we walked back to the taxi stand outside a hotel on Bourbon Street.  Thankfully we looked at the traffic report on Google Maps on the iPhone, there was a huge backup on I-10 between the city and the airport. The cab driver knew a good detour when we mentioned it and we got there with time to spare (even after the annoyingly long line at TSA – two agents working an entire terminal, dumb).