Mr B in Big D: A Week in the "Big Easy"

Terry and I just got back from a wonderful week in New Orleans over the Labor Day holiday. We had such a wonderful time in the city they call the "Big Easy." We left Friday morning, and were on the road for the 8 hour drive from Dallas to New Orleans. It was a really pretty drive through the pine forests of East Texas and Louisiana. You also go over some really long bridges that span the swamps and bayou's of southern Louisiana, and it's creepy because if you wrecked there is no where to go but into the swamp. We stayed in a condominium in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The room wasn't like a Marriott condo, but it worked for us just fine (except the single pane windows that let in all the sounds of the crazy street into the room.)

You can tell the french quarter is 300 years old. The streets are narrow, the buildings are old, and very unique. It's certainly not the cleanest looking either, but that lends to the gritty nature of the city. Everyone there was warm and friendly, and had a very easy southern charm. You can also still see some effects of hurricane Katrina. The French Quarter was spared alot of the flooding (it's actually on higher ground), but there are still some trashed buildings, next to fixed up ones. Outside of the quarter, there is still ALOT of work that needs to be done to rebuild the city.

New Orleans also has some amazing food. I had the best cajun food I have ever tasted. We sampled the Gumbo, Seafood, Jambalaya, and a Catfish PoBoy sandwich (however I refused to try the oysters on the halfshell, looked like snot!!!). There are a ton of quaint local spots where the food is amazing, and everyone is in the party mood and laughing and having fun. It's so fun to just walk in the french quarter and smell the food from the restaurants, hear the jazz music coming out of the clubs, see the people hustling about.

New Orleans is the place to be if you like crazy nightlife and having fun. Well then there is Bourbon Street! Everything you hear about it is true, and more. It is lined with bars and more bars, ladies of the evening, sex shops, and everything else. It is wall to wall people, beads flying off the balconies, crazy people in costumes, and everything you can imagine going on all night long. It is truly an interesting sight to behold, and everyone there is out to have a good time.

Over Labor Day weekend there is the "Southern Decadence" festival in the French Quarter. It is New Orleans gay festival of the year. Sure enough there were thousands and thousands of gay people there from all over the country. This city knows how to throw a party. The police (which unfortunately aren't usually very gay friendly) even were incredibly nice. We got lost one night and wandered by 2 police men. They were so nice and could tell we were lost and were going to end up in a not so great neighborhood. We ended up chatting with them for a few minutes and they told us about the city, and Katrina, and showed us how to get back to Bourbon Street. They even let us know at what times Bourbon Street was the most fun. The cops in Dallas don't do that!!! We always felt safe, there were Police everywhere, and they just let people have fun and just made sure nothing too crazy happened. It was so much fun hanging out in the Gay area of Bourbon Street during Southern Decadence. It turned into one big street dance for a couple blocks. You couldn't help but dance and just watch all the people. Of course it was hot and rained most nights, but you didn't care and just partied away with all the other soaking wet guys out there. Heck I even lost a shirt somewhere on Bourbon Street, oh well nobody had one on anyhow I fit right in. I just have a really great memory of looking down Bourbon Street and seeing a sea of thousands of gay men smiling and having fun, and the wonderful feeling of being with "my people."

It's funny, but even the condo we stayed at turned into a big social party. The first night there Terry and I went up to the rooftop balcony to have a drink and look out over the streets. Well a group at another table told us to join them, and pretty soon everyone else in the place were all sitting around the patio laughing and having fun. Everyone was friendly and inclusive as there were gay couples, straight couples, single people, everything. Every night like clockwork around 7:00 we'd all show up and hang out on the patio. We met some great people from all around the country. I even ran into a lady from Las Vegas that grew up in Brigham City, and went to Lincoln School like I did. We both about died when we found that out. What a small word it can be.

We also did a little sight-seeing while we were there during the day. New Orleans still has the old electric trolly street cars running as public transportation. We rode the St.Charles St streetcar around New Orleans, and that was really pretty cool. The cars really do "clang, clang" down the track. Heck one time we went around the corner and the bar on top of the car fell off the electric line, and the driver had to get out and put it back up on the wire, crazy!! One of the cars really is named "desire" as well (of the "Streetcar Named Desire" fame.) The line goes by some fabulous old southern mansions, and by Tulane and Loyola Universities. There are some beautiful old streets lined with hundred year old oaks. You truly can feel the history of such an old unique city. Their cemetaries are also really interesting. Everyone has to be buried above groud as the water table is too high. So it's just hundreds of year old masoleums and really something interesting to see.

Well anyhow that is a little snapshot of our vacation to New Orleans. We loved the city, and the experiences we had. Now for a few pictures: