New Orleans Fun for the Graying Nomads

Our home for 3 weeks

Dave's mouth was hurting. There we were, on the road headed to New Orleans, and the pain was getting worse. As he drove, I searched Yelp on my phone for a highly rated dentist. It was Thursday. We would arrive for a three-week housesit in NOLA the next day. I got him an appointment for Monday. Such a relief. But I wondered if he'd need to see an emergency dentist over the weekend. 

When we arrived, Judy, the homeowner, greeted our road-weary selves and plopped us in the sweet little guest house behind her beautiful shotgun home. The house is in Gentilly, a lively district with friendly neighbors and music drifting over at night from a band jamming in their yard. Judy had stocked the room with treats for us: crackers, hummus, a bottle of champagne. 

We spent the evening together, learning the routines for the adorable Bichons Billy and Trixie. And we prompted Judy to tell us stories about living in this vibrant city. For many years she worked at the radio station, and she knows many local musicians.

cuties

Dave drove Judy to the airport the next day, and we moved from the guest house into the main house. Setting up--finding places to put our clothes, toothbrushes, books and the ukulele--then shopping for food and putting it all away is what finally allows us to relax and settle into a new home. 

Poor Dave did all of this with a pulsating face that was swelling up before our eyes. It was agony. Finally Monday came. It would be the first of five trips to the dentist to take care of a cracked tooth and get a root canal. The dentist lived up to his Yelp review.

When the day finally came that Dave could eat more than soft foods (yay!), we went to Sweet Soulfood and got this vegan deliciousness:

jambalaya, mac n cheese, fried cauliflower, collards and cornbread

We were pleased to discover a lot of vegan options throughout NOLA, including a vegan bakery. And it was good to see that all the restaurants (and most of the music venues) required masks and proof of vaccine. 

Kermit on trumpet

Our first music event was at Kermit Treme's Mother in Law Lounge. To get there, we drove past a massive party beneath a freeway overpass, where thousands of people gathered for BBQ to the sound of blasting boomboxes and revving cars. Kermit's place is quintessential New Orleans, a small bar with low ceilings, an intimate stage, and a sprawling back patio with another stage and an offering of BBQ. Kermit Ruffins is a mainstay of the town, a true entertainer.

With Jonesy and Candis on the patio

There we met up with our friend Candis and her guy Jonesy. Dave has known Candis for years, and we've rocked out at many music events. We've also hung out with her in Hawaii and Tahoe, and she once guided us on a raft trip down the American River. Turns out that Jonesy is great friends with our neighbors in Baja! He immediately felt like our buddy, too.

Even though Jazz Fest was cancelled, The Radiators kept their show dates, which meant getting to see Dave's all-time favorite band with his tribe.

So happy to boogie with Jude at the Rads show!

One afternoon we went to the Broadside to see Anders Osborne, our favorite singer-songwriter. The place had the vibe of the fair, with food, families, dogs, and dancing. I love outdoor music...and music that ends in time for me to get to bed early!

Outdoor, daytime music is the best!

We'd hoped to take the ferry to Algiers, but it wasn't running. Still, we saw a lot of the city driving around...and walking through the French Quarter. 

NOLA Halloween wackiness

A classic

I had two wonderful literary experiences. One day, we were exploring the French Market, and amidst the vendors selling voodoo dolls and Mardi Gras beads I saw a guy sitting at a table surrounded by books. Ah, one of my peeps. He told me his novel, Hood Struggle, is a gritty account of his young life in Baton Rouge. His goal is to publish "raw and uncut literature." I've since read his book, and it lives up to that description. 

the writers

One day I met up with Lynn, another friend who was in town, and we enjoyed a walk around Royal Street, with its charming storefronts, galleries and shops. Later, I popped into Beckham's Bookshop, my favorite kind of used bookstore that feels like you're walking back in time, with hordes of dusty books jammed on floor-to-ceiling shelves, the overflow stacked in slanting piles.

Queen Sugar, a novel that's been on my radar for years, caught my eye. It takes place in Louisiana, so it felt meant to be in my hands. Sitting in Cafe Du Monde, I opened the book to see two of my friends mentioned in the Acknowledgements. I love those moments where time and space collide.

Read Queen Sugar; it's a phenomenal novel

When we made plans to come to NOLA, we thought we'd be attending French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest, filling our hours and days with tons of live music and huge groups of friends. But both fests were cancelled. And honestly, it was nice to explore the city in a low-key way. 

We also spent time at home. We may be nomads, but we're also kind of homebodies. Perhaps we just need more down time as we get older. And when we housesit, we enjoy being with the animals, in this case, Billy and Trixie. They are also aging, to the point that they need to be lifted up and down the stairs. As I helped them, I thought about how one day someone might need to do so for me. I hope they'll do it with the same tenderness.