chasing rabbits stateside

I arrived in New Orleans very early tuesday morning and negotiated the city's public transport to Gillian's flat east of the city. A quick chat and then off to explore the French Quarter. The side streets are charming and the architecture exactly that you see on postcards, lacy iron railings on over-hanging balconys, cute or downright weird shops with ornate signs hanging over the streets. Live music plays from the early hours, I've been catching up on my required quota of jazz. Its so hot I feel like I'm being cooked - but its not unexpected and I love it, I'm enjoying the fact that the good weather is almost guaranteed and I need never leave 'home' with a jacket.

My accent and tattoo are, as ever, attracting an 'interesting' assortment of people; a horse drawn carriage driving musician told me all about his upcoming European tour, a drunk gay guy revealed extremely intimate details and offered to marry me so I could have an American passport. Body art is popular here and my unusual tattoo gains plenty of attention.

I've eaten the local speciality, Muffalettas - created in 1906 by the owner of the Central Grocery Store (from where I bought mine), it has ham, salami, provolone, a relish of olives, capers, carrots, garlic, celery, pimento, bits of cauliflower and olive oil. Delicious but messy. Accompanied by Barq's root beer and sat looking over the Misissippi river, perfect. I, of course, had to have cafe au lait and beignets (light, square shaped doughnuts dusted with icing sugar), at Cafe Du Monde, a New Orleans institution.

I've opted for a slower pace in New orleans, but whether thats through choice or the weight of the belly I'm developing, I'm not entirely sure !!

Gillian has been a very kind and generous host. A phd student at Tulane University, studying medical ethics, I stayed in her cosy university apartment. I'm loving this way of travellng. I don't think I'll ever want to stay in a hotel again, its the people that I'll cherish the most from this trip.

On the first evening Gillian and her friend Liz took me to Frankie and Johnny's for dinner and then onto a cigar bar for drinks. The second night started off with champagne, delivered pizza and a dvd. An hour later we were whisked off to Muriels, an extremely classy restaurant on the corner of Jackson Square. Here we continued with champagne and I was given a tour of the building, a former plantation owner's mansion. It is a building of extremes. In one section you can see the marks on the brick wallthat indicate where the bunks that held the slaves were secured. A ludicrous number of people were forced into bunks no more than a foot above one another. Huge numbers died in the building. Upstairs rwo rooms had been transformed into the most rich, decadent parlours. Great swathes of red and gold velvet luxurious curtains divided the rooms, art work from various centuries were decoratively framed. Dozens of plush cushions were scattered on leather sofas. Red and yellow lighting cast an exotic glow. It was like entering into another world. Unsurprisingly the building is reported to be full of ghosts. Sadly they kept quiet while I was there. It was quite a night to end my visit to New Orleans.

posted by KP @ 10:47 AM