Last weekend I hosted the first (of what I hope will be many) house guest in my charming apartment. The one and only Elisa Jones flew in from Ft. Lauderdale for the weekend to hang out and take in the City. I've known Miss Jones for about 22 years now, and we always have a good time. In fact, the two of us moved from Boston to San Francisco in the early 90's and road tripped our way across the country, stopping in New Orleans for a day to check out the scene. That particular stop didn't go so well for Elisa, as a spate of late night hurricane consumption produced a green, hungover young lady who used I-10 for a vomitorium as we headed towards Texas. But that's a story for another day.
This trip was a bit more restrained, yet filled with booze, good food and music. Peaches also had a friend in town, a nice man named David, and the four of us set out to take in the sights and sounds of the Big Easy. We had a failed attempt to see Kermit Ruffins play at Vaughn's in the Bywater, but managed to take in the Lost Bayou Ramblers at DBA on Frenchmen Street. I've seen this band several times this year, and they are absolutely awesome. They play Cajun and Zydeco music, and you can't help but shake your moneymaker when they start up. The show was at the end of a long day of touring around the City, which commenced with a round of watermelon margaritas (to combat the heat) as we headed to the streetcar to head uptown and enjoy some food at the fabulous Camellia Grill. It was fun to walk around the City and play tour guide--made me realize that I've learned quite a bit of the history about New Orleans in the year that I've lived here. Of course Brandon has a fairly extensive knowledge about the place as well, and his ability to convey a story made for a lively afternoon. We enjoyed dinner at my place, Chicken with 40 cloves of Garlic, a simple and delicious dish.
Saturday Elisa headed to Lake Charles to see a friend, which was a good break for me as I had to work and needed to give my liver a rest. Sunday evening we headed out for some drinks at the Lantern and then wandered over to Bourbon Street to listen to some blues at the Funky Pirate. Had a couple of mojitos at Cosimo's in the Quarter before heading home for a late night musicale.
So a good time was had by all. Elisa's visit reminded me of my delight in playing host and having friends come to visit. For my thousands of readers, this is an invitation to come by and hang out for a few days. There's an embarrassment of riches here to enjoy.
