Woke with a groggy clarity that only comes from knowing where you are even though you are not home – I was staring out at the back yard – still half asleep – and there was something so serene, so New Orleans about the vegetation, so familiar suddenly about where I was, that it made me smile.
Of course, moments later I remembered the red, red wine (that goes to my head) – a night that started at the Can with a slide show from St Maarten and then it was onto Swirl for delicious Tapestry Shiraz and Maximus Cabernet – next I remembered Arlene – cooped up in the Can with no doggie door – and so I have to make – yet again – a swift exit.
Once home, I realized I could still make Pilates once the Bean was taken care of, so I quickly made my way uptown. In the midst of teaser position number 20 my mouth was so dry I thought I was going to dry up and blow away.
Went by the LaLa to begin cleaning up and K called on his way to Houston and managed to start taking the day down a notch as he is want to do. Bolts lost, window handle missing, some obfuscated talk about the pantry doors and why Giovanni was not painting the right side of the door, according to him – mind like Mississippi mud – no wait, Michigan mud – dull and stressed, not rich and fertile like the Delta.
I decided to head back home for a re-sleep, but even with my eye mask on, couldn’t muster even a disco nap, so up I was again roaming the small Can compound of my apartment when TL called for poboys. The Lagniappe last week featured Jazzy’s poboys, now open in the 9th Ward – the owner used to work at Parkway – and so off we went to support the 9th and eat some wine absorbing roast beef poboys.
Detour – we find out Jazzy’s wasn’t open for an hour – so nice pitstop at CC’s on Esplanade to read the paper and drink a nice latte with a shot of caramel – yum. My horoscope says I will have a 3-star day – it also has a bunch of other mumbo jumbo that is cryptic and not encouraging.
Another detour when a phone call comes that the turkeys to be fried tomorrow need a home – so back into the hood to save the turkeys. Then off again to Jazzy’s on Port Street in the 9th – worth the trip – we walk into the joint and there is this suave R&B playing and a disco ball illuminated by a revolving kaleidoscope light and we make our way to the bar and soon are eating delicious, gravy dripping, soggy roast beef poboys. How good is that? Double yum.
Back to the hood to drop off one for G, who won’t come out and play, and then take the other half of mine to Swirl for Kerry, who I know will eat it. Then onto the next stop, which is La Boulangerie king cakes for the Saints gathering tomorrow and best yet, onto some celebrity stalking in the quarter to find the Brangelina crib.
Unexpected detour – Design Within Reach – which has opened up a retail store here on Magazine Street – it’s a great space and had a lot of the pieces I’ve been wanting to get a closer look at – and how great is it to have this gleaming modern furniture here in NO, post K, and so we furniture shopped – how fun!
Up and down Chartres, Ursuline, St. Philip, Royal – can’t find the Brangenlina crib – we think we might have spotted it close to Decatur when TL gets a brainstorm that H can tell us because he has the inside line to these things – we get the right address but now are out of the Quarter, so instead we go by the lower tier celebrities – H&T’s new crib on Hagan and are asked in to take a quick spin of the place. T has all her folk art up (years of working for the Jazz & Heritage Festival) and they have turned their new house into a home. Sweet!
So I started and ended my day with a big smile on my face – love that!
Now GO SAINTS!