July 4, Waterfront Blues Festival, Fried Chicken.

Read it all--you'll find out about the fried chicken, I guarantee it.
 

For my first ever Waterfront Blues Festival, I decided to take advantage of the Blues Benefactor Pass option.

• I wanted four-day early entry (turns out that I could arrive as early as 10:30 a.m., if I had the energy which I did on July 4 and July 5--hey, two outta four aint' bad for an ol' lady); 
• I didn't have to use priority re-admission (in the case of the festival having been closed due to the size of the crowd by the fire marshall--I never left until I was actually ready to be gone)
• I wanted a seat and shade (turned out to be a metal bench with a back in the Benefactor Tent with the walls rolled up and tied out of the way on all sides except to our backs, therefore shade and a breeze when one arrived, plus the tent's central location between the Miller Stage and the First Tech Stage meant I could hear everything from whichever stage had an act performing, plus the fireworks went off right in front of me on July 4--I managed to get a seat on the front row each time I came back to the tent from the Honeybuckets or the other stages);  
• I wanted to go to at least one of the Waterfront After Hours All-Star events across the street at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom (turns out I had access to all three but only had energy for one--July 4th Patrick Lamb Allstar Revue--waiting until 2:45 a.m. to get a cab wore me slap out); 
• I didn't know that I wanted Smart Park parking garage validation (until I rode with a friend in her car on Saturday);
• I wanted plenty to eat and drink that I didn't have to bring with me to the park or have to carry around the whole time (turned out to get four meal tickets, four beverage tickets, one Sunday a.m. omelette with Dave's Killer Bread minus the included mimosa because I desired no alcohol headaches, as well as Frito Lay snack bags, iced Pepsi products and bottled water for the taking, at a table at the back of the Benefactor Tent in front of that closed wall); 
• I wanted a festival T-shirt and poster (turned out to get the size I wanted and that the poster was rolled up in cardboard tube after having been signed by the artist Gary Houston because I purchased an additional poster from him which he also signed); 

All of that to say that after my first early entry on July 4 and the discovery of how the Benefactor Tent would work, which by the way should be renamed the Benefactor Oasis, in my humble opinion, I took advantage of picking up my merchandise early on, then walked over to see where the other two stages were, the FedEx Crossroads Stage and the Oregonian Front Porch Stage--they were, respectively, nearer to or north of the Hawthorne Bridge. 

That's when I discovered the Jackson Square food vendor, complete with a huge banner emblazoned with Fried Oysters, Fried Chicken, plus a menu that included sweet iced tea and ice cold watermelon, along with other items. It was too early for cooking to be going on, but I liked the look of the place and determined to come back later on. After all, I had ended up buying a wonderful soft-sided cooler with an adjustable strap in which I put a bit of cheese and crackers, applesauce, some peanut butter and crackers because I really had no idea what sort of snacks were provided, plus I knew I'd be at the festival way longer than one included meal ticket would take care of, and I had no desire to spend money on food--whew!

So, I stopped by a few hours and loads of great music later to take a look at the fried chicken. Yep, a look. While I was not the least bit interested in waffles, even less in syrup, all it took was a quick glance to make up my mind to try the chicken. It was the right brownish-golden color and coated-crispy texture. So, I handed over my meal ticket to Nick, the personable young man at the cash register. In a moment I had the paper plate you see in the photo above. I had handed back the little container of syrup. Why anyone wants waffles and syrup with fried chicken, I'll never understand. Thank goodness I was able to find a seat at a nearby table and chow down! The best fried chicken I've eaten since I was in McComb, Mississippi, in 2009! For real. Tasted like my Mama or my grandmothers had cooked it--me, even, back in the day when I fried food. And you don't get yourself messy by dropping anything from fried chicken on yourself, so I made up my mind to return again and again, a decision I didn't regret for one second, period.

I still don't regret eating fried chicken for my main meal of the day for four days in a row. And I'm planning to go back next year to the Waterfront Blues Festival; I'm hoping that Jackson Square will be there with this fried chicken. Anyway, I walked it off going back and forth at the festival and didn't eat all of the waffles.

Vacation, Day 2, 10/22/2009, Part 1

If you looked at yesterday's blog, more than likely you guessed where we planned to go this morning, first thing--Cafe Du Monde.


Well, I have to tell you that I never figured out the thermostat in our beautiful room, but we did have the ceiling fan and those fabulous high ceilings, so we all managed to get a good night's rest despite the humidity.

I felt so much better that I decided to get out my little laptop Honk and try to connect to the wireless. Hooray! I checked e-mail, cleaned out the junk, then downloaded the photos I'd taken on 10/21/2009 to the computer. Mama still had some energy although her arms and shoulders were sore from holding onto her walker for that long walk the night before. We three talked about our much shorter walk from the Place D'Armes Hotel on St. Ann to the Cafe Du Monde on Decatur--a mere tenth of a mile. That right there tells you why I picked that hotel. My main goal for our overnight in New Orleans was for Mama to be able to walk to the Cafe Du Monde and get herself some beignets and coffee without feeling like she was being a burden to anyone.


Well, OK, I'll 'fess up--I wanted some beignets, too! My dearly departed husband LeRoy and I used to order the beignet mix and the coffee shipped to us in Kansas City. He'd been to New Orleans with several buddies back in the late '60's or early '70's. He fell hard for those two staples of the Cafe Du Monde. Sometimes on Sundays we'd load up our little LUV truck with our electric skillet, a bottle of Crisco or Wesson oil, his Chemex coffeemaker, some filters, the beignet mix and the coffee in the gold can. We were brunch-on-wheels for our best buds in KC. What good memories I'm having as a result of our being in New Orleans!

Check-out time at the Place D'Armes is 11 a.m., so we had to get a move on once we'd all finished our daily ablutions. As we walked through the courtyard I again marveled at the lush plants. I mean I see plenty of them up here in Portland, but these in New Orleans were so lovely. And the two climates are so different--it makes it all so interesting when you can witness for yourself those difference and then enjoy the similar outcomes.

Another portion of the courtyard


Look at these ferns!


While we walked and talked and watched out for uneven surfaces for each other, I planned to peel off when we came alongside Jackson Square so that I could take a few photos before we made it all the way to Cafe Du Monde.

Here's what I found on the Internet about the building we walked beside on St. Ann.

The Presbytere, taken from St. Ann Street, looking towards the cathedral and the Cabildo which is not visible at all in the photo.

Flanking St. Louis Cathedral on either side are identical Spanish Colonial buildings. On the right (facing from Jackson Square) is the Presbytere, on the left the Cabildo. Both are massive, two-story stuccoed brick structures. The lower stories have wide porticos with semi-circular arches. They were designed by Gilberto Guillemard, a French architect serving in the Spanish military. Rear wings were added in 1840, and the French mansard roof (the third story) was added in 1847. Construction of both buildings, as well as the cathedral itself, was financed by Don Andres Almonester y Roxas.

Andrew Jackson in the center of Jackson Square--it looks like his hat is touching that crane. The building is the Cabildo which also houses part of the Louisiana State Museum.


Construction of the Presbytere began first, in 1791. It was located on the site of the residence of the Capuchin monks, and was to become the Casa Curial (Ecclesiastical House), or Rectory, for St. Louis Cathedral. Construction stopped in 1798 and wasn’t completed until it was taken over by the wardens of St Louis Cathedral in 1813. The building never served its intended purpose – the diocese first rented the building as a courthouse, then finally sold it to the city in 1833. The city continued to use it as a courthouse, until 1911 when it was given to the state for use as a museum in conjunction with the Cabildo. The Presbytere became the natural science museum to complement the Cabildo’s role as a history museum.

Wow! That's some big looking sky! I quickly turned around and walked through the gate, out onto the sidewalk along Decatur where you can always find carriages for hire.


I quickly turned around and walked through the gate, out onto the sidewalk along Decatur where you can always find carriages for hire. I'm guessing here's one on its way back to where it began.


We're close now! I can smell the beignets!


Cafe Du Monde, from their Web site:
History
The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The Cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans.

The Original Cafe Du Monde is a traditional coffee shop. Its menu consists of dark roasted Coffee and Chicory, Beignets, White and Chocolate Milk, and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. The coffee is served Black or Au Lait. Au Lait means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. Beignets are square French -style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar. In 1988 Iced Coffee was introduced to the cafe. Soft drinks also made their debut that year.

I drank fresh-squeezed orange juice, well after I'd finished my three beignets. I didn't want any clash of tastes going on in my mouth, nope.

Beignets
Beignets were also brought to Louisiana by the Acadians. These were fried fritters, sometimes filled with fruit. Today, the beignet is a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. They are served in orders of three.

Before we crossed the street, I turned around and took this shot. I like it because I can almost see women and men from yesteryear, strolling along. Since it was about 9 a.m., not much was happening right then, but I still like the perspective on the photo.


Here's that same carriage, just after it passed us at the intersection. Some day I'll go back to New Orleans and ride in one of these--that's good goal to have. Plus my friend Michelle e-mailed today to tell me about the Carousel Bar and Lounge in the Hotel Monteleone (there's a photo of it in yesterday's post). The bar revolves and overlooks Royal. That's another good goal to have, to don my motion sickness bracelets and have a seat at the bar!


Here we are, pre-beignet-clean. If you've never eanted one of them, you don't know what I'm talking about--sorry. Every time you take a bite, powdered sugar flies. Naturally it lands all over the place. I put the camera away before I took the first bite.




This man entertained everyone, singing and playing his trumpet and testifying for the Lord. I made sure to leave him a tip--he was pretty good.


While Mama finished her last beignet, Kay walked down Decatur, in search of fresh fruit at the market. I walked up onto the levee to take photos.

The Mississippi River curves here. I don't know if you can tell it or not in this quickly snapped shot. Back when my sons were in elementary school we rode a paddle wheeler on the river--it was a memorable but short trip. The calliope was so loud!


That might be the very boat, there with the two black smokestacks and the Natchez on its side. That green roof is on the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, another great place to visit in New Orleans. The gift shop there is where I believe I saw George Clinton shopping the rubber sharks. If it wasn't him, it was his double!


We walked back to the hotel. I got Mama to wait in the lobby and got one of the hotel's nice employees to come get our luggage. Kay came back, disappointed in the fruit selection and ready to hit the road for her home in south Mississippi.


Last, two sort of iconic French Quarter photos.

The wrought iron, the narrow street.


Finally a blue sky to add to the beauty of St. Louis Cathedral.