2004-02-04
Day 1: Being a tourist in New Orleans
I'm in New Orleans....its lovely. And by lovely, really I mean it's freezing cold and would be nice to have someone to snuggle with and protect me from would-be muggers, etc (etc=policemen that holla at me, 'psychics' sitting outside the St. Louis Cathedral licking their lips at me and making eyes, drunk guys that talk to themselves and scare me, and the group of Filipino women I've run into today---actually, they made me smile and happy). Ahem.
It's weird; I've never been in New Orleans (or much of anywhere, really) alone. Usually I have Suzie with me or someone, but this time it's just me while everyone else is in class or working. Today I went to Elna Ruth's candy shop in the French Quarter and hung out there for a while. It smells exactly like it did the last time I was there; that scent needs to be bottled, it's so nice. Amusing fact: Gennifer Flowers, who had a 12-year affair with President Clinton, has a restaurant right next door to the shop. I went on a business errand with Elna, and afterwards we had the best spinach and artichoke sandwhiches ever at Italian Pie. When we got back to the shop, I went purusing around the French Quarter, called my dearly-missed boyfriend, and visited my favorite New Orleans spots. I went to Earth Savers and was very disappointed, but that's probably a good thing, because Philosophy lip gloss alone was $13. I found this Bumble & Bumble sea texturizing spray I've been looking for forever, but once I saw the price tag ($36), I peaced out. I visited the St. Louis Cathedral (where I swore when I was little I would get married one day), but there was some sort of mass being held, so I'll have to go back later. I went to the French Market (Cafe Du Monde, to be exact), and got a small cafe au lait and an order of beignets (which I didn't eat all of). It was odd sitting there alone and made me feel super self-conscious (the Watch Your Valuables signs didn't help that), but it also made me feel very coming-of-age. The last time I was in New Orleans, I must have been about to enter high school, and a lot has changed since then. I've grown up, for starters. Which Lady couldn't get over when she saw me this morning. It was kind of sad in a sense, remembering my past trips to New Orleans and thinking how different things look to me now that I'm older, but in a good way as well. The city has lost some of its romance for me, but the music played on street corners helps with that.
This evening we dropped by the coffee shop Suzie works at (PJ's) and surprised her. She didn't know I was here, and she was very excited. Cool thing about working @ P.J.'s - you get a card so that you can get free coffee/tea/whatev at any P.J.'s anywhere, and your relatives always get free drinks. And I must say, since they have that rad machine that brews the coffee cold, that is THE BEST iced mocha I have ever had in my life (and although I am not usually a tea drinker, their Japanese Apricot Green Tea kicks ass as well). Her work shirt was super cute, too. I want to work at P.J.'s, dammit.
Tomorrow I'm going to see Egyptian relics (do you have any idea how neat it is to see that in New Orleans when the next Anne Rice book I'm set to read is Queen of the Damned?!), the wax museum, House of Blues, and the voodoo museum, as well as some graveyards, if I can fit that in. And hopefully I can go to the Riverwalk as well, since that's where The Body Shop and Crabtree & Evelyn's is located. And then tomorrow night I'm staying at Suzie's new apartment, and I just may go to the infamous Bruno's!! No, not the supermarket. You have no idea how much that excites me, if only for ALL of the stories I've heard that it's involved in. Hopefully if we do go out, Elly will come too. She's so much fun.
I miss my boyfriend. I've seen him for a total of (maybe) six hours in the past two weeks. And not because of lack on his part, either. I got home Sunday evening, and we had plans for Monday. He'd planned on taking me to Dothan, and making a big day of it, etc, but then Kenny had to be a buttface and want to go home early, so those plans got ditched, and James volunteered/offered to drive me to Pensacola (Monday afternoon)to meet Kenny. How sweet of him is that? For someone who hates driving, it's pretty impressive. <33333
I suppose I'll go to bed now? Hopefully I can sleep. Damn this computer not letting me check my AOL email. Oh yeah...so apparently my uncle's in the hospital, and my mom's mom was in it last night?
aigre-douce at 1:50 a.m.