week five: shes cranky

A side note before I recap: people go on and on about how friendly Southerners are. Well miss me with that. I’ve been left on read by a couple folks here and it feels about the same as good ole chilly Seattle.

Anyway.

Week five has been quiet and sometimes lonely.

Monday the internet at home was futzy so I ran back and forth to the co-working space a few times. Tried to have a birthday call with the fam in the evening and gave up in tears after it froze for the third time. I texted my landlord and she was snippy about it. I heard her talking animatedly next door and felt so angry. Then I had an Incident in the kitchen with a possible rodent or big bug; I panicked, closed the door and got into bed, scared and tired. I didn’t sleep much. It was a really low point.

Tuesday I couldn’t sleep so got up and went for a walk in the heavy, muggy, gross morning. Saw a dead possum laying on the ground near my landlord’s trash cans, belly up and covered with flies. UGH. When I got back, I asked my landlord to come over and she did, with bug spray and news that her dog had dragged the possum inside and through her side of the house Monday night! That was the loud talking. Christ. I cleaned up and made it through a long day of meetings. Talked to a friend who may be coming to visit soon. May be. Maybe.

Wednesday and Thursday not much to report. I went for a couple of runs, bought roach traps at the hardware store, had delectable coconut cake from Bywater Bakery, tried the carrot bacon at Horn's (but felt discouraged by the neighborly chit-chat that skipped right over me), wrote, worked, missed my partner. I did meet a super nice woman who teaches CPR at my co-working space, we chit-chatted and she was so positive and encouraging when I said I was a writer. Got takeout from the Thai place on Royal but it wasn’t great,and got yelled at by a panhandler so I skipped a possible happy hour and went home.

Friday I worked and then got myself to a care facility on Elysian and assisted a documentary filmmaker with interviews with LGBTQ elders about the AIDS crisis in New Orleans. It was a privilege and also really fun to be on a set, arranging chairs, scouring the facility for pictures we could use for backgrounds, grabbing tissue when one subject wept, admiring another’s vintage diamond brooch. Afterward I helped move the gear to a storage area, got lost with the director on a rutted-out street, then relaxed and smoked a spliff. I’d thought we were going for a drink but the director was tired and distracted and the night was ebbing away so I unwisely walked in the dark down Franklin for home.

Saturday I’d hoped to museum hop but there were thunderstorms and a tornado warning all afternoon so I stayed in. Rain came down in buckets, and the wind picked up. The internet gave up the ghost at 1.30pm, not to return until 3pm Sunday. It was a long, quiet day. Friends had sent me a care package (heart eyes emoji) so I read a Neil Gaiman book and an old paperback and eventually went to bed around 9pm.
By Sunday morning, still no internets (ANGRY emoji) so I got dressed, messaged the landlord, and headed out. I walked in 70-degree sunshine to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, passing Saints and Raiders fans decked out in gear, glitter, body paint, and costumes. A twinge, wishing I was part of the fun, but the museum was quiet and packed with amazing Southern art. Afterward I checked out some galleries along Royal, including my old favorite Antieau Gallery where I picked up 2 zines, and then Mortal Machine and their punk rock art.
Then over to Fritzel's for an incredible Irish coffee and a jazz trio, average age probably 70. (Livewire says Richard "Piano" Scott but it wasn't.)
Still no internets at home so I went grocery shopping (Community Coffee was half off so I got more chicory coffee) and then to the co-working space. Felt very down and discouraged. 
This week: hoping to volunteer at a thrift type store and pull myself together. Until then.

*

I’m trying to stay positive and not get discouraged. Most of the friends who promised to visit have gone very silent. So I’m guessing I’m alone until mid-December. It stings. I’m lonely and miss my partner and fellow-adventurer most of all. But, I’ve been finding volunteer opportunities--there’s a film festival next week and possibilities at Habitat--so I’ll do what I do which is figure shit out.

 

museum, rest, repeat

I neglected to write about some fun times in Virginia and DC in September, with some of my favorite people in the world. A dear one and I spent a day on the National Mall, checking out the mesmerizing if limited Kusama exhibit at the Hirschhorn, then browsing the other galleries. Next was coffee and a stroll to the Museum of African Art, its three floors packed full of captivating art and photography. A downpour caught us as we left, and I looked at the Capitol in the distance, imagining what it was like on J6. The traitorousness of that day still sickens me. We took refuge under an old bridge and finally made our very damp way to the Museum of the American Indian. The grounds are gorgeous and welcoming, and we spent another few hours learning and browsing.The exhibit on Native American imagery in logos was fascinating and infuriating.

Then, dinner time! Gypsy Kitchen offered up a busy sidewalk table, with lots of people watching (leather pants, crop tops, teetering boots) and delicious Mediterranean food.

The next day was an early one, throwing our suitcases in the car and heading back into DC to catch a bus to New York City. Traffic slowed us down but we arrived around 5pm into sunny afternoon madness at Madison Square Garden/Penn Station. A 20-minute rush across town to check in at our hotel, to find the room wasn’t ready. So, a change of clothes, dropping the bags off with the bellman, and out into the city. We wandered down Third Avenue and found pizza, warm cookies, and a thrift store, in that order; when the room was ready we checked in, rested a moment, then headed back out to the chaos of Times Square to soak up the city. On our walk back, my companion looked up and saw the lit-up Chrysler Building, as a pedicab circled blasting Jay Z’s “New York.” Corny, but iconic.

The next day we fortified ourselves with coffee and pastries from the nearby Daniel Boulud establishment, then headed to the Museum of Arts and Design https://madmuseum.org/exhibitions. What an amazing venue. We lingered over the Machine Dazzle costumes and the jewelry exhibit. Across the street though Magnolia Bakery beckoned, so we got banana pudding and a slice of red velvet cake and headed to Central Park to rest and enjoy a treat. Next was a dash through the American Folk Art museum https://folkartmuseum.org/ and its touching and clever Morris Hirschfield exhibit.

Another break for coffee, and my companion had a thought. She’d never visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Was I game? My feet said, Hell, no but my heart said Yes so we walked uptown, passing a line of thousands for a Global Citizen concert.

We spent about 3 hours in the galleries, not even close to enough, but my pal was happy and we finished the evening at a sidewalk Italian restaurant with (not great) pizza and a glass of bubbly. My partner flew in that night, sweaty and tired and minus a guitar.

The next day was good-bye, and we embraced tearfully at the newly remodeled Amtrak Station at Moynihan Hall, fortified with Blue Bottle coffee. Then my partner and I hopped Metro North to visit family for a few days. Not much to report other than a quick hop north to Burlington, Vermont, for the aforementioned apple cider donuts, tart apple cider, and wonderful heritage apples.

Then it was back to New York City where I checked out the FIT exhibits on Balenciaga/Dior, and shoes, https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhibitions/index.php hit a couple more thrift stores, dined on margaritas and Mexican food with pals on the Lower East Side, then caught another Amtrak train.

some kind of normal: week three

Last Monday was a day of airport goodbyes, or at least see you later’s. Feeling wistful, I decided I’d try to figure out public transportation back to town, from the airport. I couldn’t find any public bus signs in baggage claim so I asked at the information desk, where a shrugging man pointed me out where the rental car buses pick up. I stood out there for awhile, not seeing any signs, so I consulted google again and it pointed me upstairs to departures. Finally I saw the familiar RTA sign, with 2 different stops marked. Hooray! I boarded 10 minutes later and quickly realized I was on the bus a lot of hospitality workers take into the city. This bus didn’t have accurate sign notifications so I looked as best I could out the window, trying to determine where we were. Finally I saw Canal Street, googled a passing address, and realized we were at my stop! I made a quick stop for organic produce (a waste of time but oh well), stopped for a fresh-baked sesame bagel at Flour Moon Bagels and started the hour walk home.
It was a quiet night, of acclimating myself to a mostly-empty space.

*

Tuesday was a tough work day and also my first day at the co-working space. I don’t love being near a kitchen and chatty people but the wifi is fast and there’s coffee and I can jump into a private pod if I need to. So, it will have to do. Work has been stressful and unforgiving so I spent most of the day revamping a struggling project. The walk home is pleasant and I chef’ed up dinner, listening to a podcast and feeling a little less haggard.

*
Wednesday: today was double shot day (covid + flu) so I tried to hydrate, did some work, and then headed out to Walgreen’s. Nothing happens fast here and this was no exception, but the technician was friendly and I grabbed Rosalita’s tostadas and an elote on the way home, in case I needed comfort food. I dialed into a super friends happy hour Zoom later on, to catch up on what my PNW pals have been up to.

*
Finally, on Thursday, my legs agreed it was time for a run. It was in the 50’s so I pulled on leggings and headed out to Rouse’s. A very drunk guy was proclaiming his love of Halloween and pumpkins (PUNKINS!), so I grabbed salad stuff and acknowledged that they were pretty great punkins, and headed back out, stopping at Ayu Bake House on my way home for a vegetarian muffaletta stick (major YUM) and an Ayu Bun for later. 

*
The weekend! With a Cox internet outage looming, I got coffee and a pillowy, cinnamony apple fritter at St. Coffee and sat on the pleasant patio enjoying the birds and the succulents. The owner came out to wipe tables and lamented how hot and dry summer had been; she’d watered and watered. It looked beautiful, I said, and walked myself to the co-working space. I spent hours pulling documentation together, tried to tune out the pizza party (ugh), figured out how to use the fancy coffee maker, then went home, changed shirts and hustled to my volunteer gig, with a pit stop at Louisiana Music Factory to pick up a fake book. The evening show was not well attended, despite a guest artist from Argentina (the attendees barely outnumbered the band), but I chatted with employees and a bitchy bartender, got a free whiskey drink, and made it home in time for a friendy-friend Zoom with pals.
This was my first museum weekend so I got up early, spent an hour at the very quiet co-working space doing some writing, grabbed iced coffee--strong and not acidic: win!--from Baldwin & Co, then walked up Esplanade to the New Orleans Museum of Art. I lingered a moment crossing Bayou St. John--I haven’t seen much water other than the Mississippi of course. I spent 90 happy minutes wandering the galleries, especially pleased by the exhibits showcasing Black photographers, and up-and-coming artists. The 91 bus did not materialize so I walked back down Esplanade in the heat, took a detour through Treme Fest, then, wilting a little, I trekked down to the Spotted Cat for Saturday afternoon jazz. I had thought the band Doro Wat might be Ethiopian but it was of course four white guys (le sigh). They were solid and good though, playing and singing the classics with panache, despite the lurchings of drunk tourists (five tipsy tanned girls in pink “NOLA 2022” ball caps, the usual bleating oldsters). I ordered a Miller Lite and grabbed a seat, only dropping in a tip and leaving when the old guy next to me wouldn’t quit humming. Then it was back to the co-working space, the soundtrack a band warming up for a wedding reception next door, then home for a hot shower and date night on Zoom, bittersweet but nice.

*
Today’s agenda: writing and resting, and plotting a road trip north.

so much music: week two

Tuesday, I did a volunteer shift and met some very bored college students. It was a HOT (85 degrees F plus 90% humidity) day so I walked in the shade as much as I could. Later on, had a video chat with family and a sweltering dinner in.

 

On Wednesday I found a cheaper grocery store (hooray), worked some, then toured a co-working space hoping to find a backup to this unstable wifi at my rental; the co-working space is amply furnished with beefy internet, luscious a/c and all you can drink coffee. Um, yes please. After a friend Zoom hh, we walked to Bacchanal to check out the Wednesday night wine situation. http://www.bacchanalwine.com/ 3 youngish white dudes were playing the most atonal jazz, so aggressively unmelodic that I’m pretty sure they were having a laugh on all of us. The courtyard is magical though, lit with solar fairy lights under the fragrant sky. To refresh ourselves, we stopped afterward at https://www.parleauxbeerlab.com/ Parleaux Beer Lab for a tasty drink on a nearly empty patio.

 

Thursday was horrendous work-wise, and also a day to go back to the pharmacy (no joy, they wouldn't refill my prescription for another day), then wander down Frenchmen to check out The Three Muses We perched at a bar table and enjoyed rootsy jazz played by a clarinetist and pianist, older gentlemen whom you might have taken for accountants. Also made a pit stop at Louisiana Music Factory to peruse the incredible collection of New Orleans and Louisiana music, as well as the instructional books. 

Friday. The weekend! I staggered through two stressful meetings amid bad moods and crashing wifi, went back to the pharmacy and this time successfully got my stuff, dropped by St. Roch Market for roti canai and a beer at Laksa NOLA — St. Roch Market (strochmarket.com), then down to Congo Square in the balmy evening to check out the Reggae Festival. Nola Reggae Fest (neworleans.com). While the music wasn't stellar--the sound guy spent at least 2 hours jumping on and off the stage, to the consternation of the very good local band--the passing scene was amazing, the crowd dressed to impress, vendors selling African-inspired goods, delicious food, cold beer, and a pleasant vibe all around.

Saturday we were determined, despite heavy heat and humidity, to get to the Crescent City BBQ and Blues Festival at Lafayette Square. Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival - The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc. (jazzandheritage.org) We pre-gamed with coffee and avocado sandwiches from Satsuma (both surprisingly meh), made a quick stop at the Pepper Palace to stock up on hot sauce, Pepper Palace - From Wild to Mild!, then made our way, already hot and tired, to a very crowded square, sipping on a vegan Vietnamese iced coffee from the Orange Couch.  The Orange Couch (theorangecouchcoffee.com) We spread out a blanket and waited as a fairly whiny white girl finished up a set (why did she say she was from California), then enjoyed Mem Shannon and the Membership. The food lines were too long to get barbecue, so we abandoned ship and walked toward home, stopping by the reggae festival (sound still not good), then by Loretta's for a praline and a warm bag of praline-stuffed beignets (OMG)Loretta's Authentic Pralines – Loretta's Authentic Pralines (lorettaspralines.com). At home I laid on an ice pack for awhile, feeling achy and overheated, facilitated a call for a conference, then summoned all my energy to go back to Lafayette Square for the evening. It was not my best night; tired, hot, cranky. I apologize again to my very patient partner. We got ourselves happy with beers and other libations and settled in to enjoy the confident, rich delta blues of harmonica-master Charlie Musselwhite.

Sunday was my partner's last day to party for awhile, so we fortified ourselves with bloody Marys at J & J's, went home to hydrate, waited out a blistering rainstorm, then headed out in the hot wet afternoon, up St. Claude to grab an umbrella, then bean and avocado tacos and a Mexican beer at Rosalita's Backyard Tacos (rosalitas-nola.com). It was a three band night and each one was a pleasure. (The Bourbon Street crowds, including a lot of drunk and happy Bengals fans, were not great.) First up, the Marla Dixon Band at Live jazz - Fritzel's Jazz Bar | Nightly live jazz performances (fritzelsjazz.com). Marla Dixon plays trumpet and belts out classic jazz songs like a pro, pausing and vibing when the Sunday night crowd of street-racer cars roll by outside on Bourbon Street.  After that was a quick hot slice of cheese pizza from Mango Mango (surprisingly tasty) and then Marty Peters and the Party Meters at 21^st Amendment, a tiny space which the 4-piece band good-naturedly filled with well-played jazz classics. Last stop of the night was d.b.a. for our beloved Treme Brass Band. Treme Brass Band | New Orleans LA | Facebook. As the first time I saw them years ago, founder and drummer Benny sat on a pew outside the bathrooms, patiently waiting for the set to start. I wished him a good evening and kept going. The band started quietly and patiently and built to full-throated jazz celebration, with a Sousaphone, a piano, and at least two guest horns sitting in. When the singer came to the barroom floor to pass the bucket and sing Basin Street Blues I felt teary and happy. 

My third week begins somewhat quietly and sadly. More to say in the days to come.

one time in New Orleans: week one

After a 10pm Saturday arrival and restless sleep in a new place, we put on shorts and walked in the balmy morning to Bywater Bakery | Breakfast, Lunch, Cakes, Coffee & More! | Restaurant for coffee and a heavenly apple fritter. This was stock-up day, so we trudged to the Dollar Store for soap and supplies, and to Robert’s for fairly expensive groceries. The Saints game was on the TV over the liquor department, and when Minnesota scored in the 4^th quarter, the entire store seemed to erupt in yells.

On our way back we again walked past the Bywater Bakery where a jazz duo was playing and singing, so we lingered on the corner to listen.

Later in the day we walked through the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. Even though it was barely four p.m. the day was festive, with a few day drinkers already overcome, and lots of tour groups and looky-lous.

Monday was also a shop and stock day, with another trip to the dollar store and one to Walgreen’s so I could buy calamine lotion for my legs which had broken out in an ugly red rash. Heat? I wondered. No more pants or shaving my legs for now. I talked to the volunteer coordinator at a local museum about volunteering there once a week. Around 4.30pm we wandered over to the Bywater Brew Pub - Brewery, Restaurant & Bar | New Orleans for happy hour at a pleasant sidewalk table, enjoying locally brewed pilsener and Marzen, fried pickles, cheesy fries and a tofu banh mi. The waiter said the cook had been in Portland for awhile but she was back to cook Vietnamese food.

Tuesday: back to work for me, unfortunately. A quiet day of cooking at home, getting to know the neighborhood and working. And, buying a fan, because: heat.

Wednesday: after I finished work we hotfooted it across the FQ to Home - The Bombay Club - The Bombay Club (bombayclubneworleans.com); I had a Manhattan and my partner had a martini, along with Bombay chips. A jazz pianist and a vocalist entertained at 8pm. Then we tried to go to Café Istanbul to see Kid Merv but like squares we got there too early and walked home.

Thursday: a jaunt to Rouse’s Grocery for coffee and vegetables, then a pit stop at the Spotted Cat to sit on the patio with overpriced Dos Equis beers and listen to a vigorous jazz quartet and chat with some retired folks and pet one man’s dog.

Friday: I took the day off, fed up with the bad Wi-Fi. After coffee and a sitdown at the park with my partner’s guitar, we walked ourselves to Magazine Street to stock up on a few thrift store items. It was a hot hot day and around 2.30pm we made a pit stop at San Antonio for 2-for-1 margaritas, chips and salsa and black beans, and bean nachos for me (including a luscious queso). We managed to squeeze aboard a very crowded street car to get back to the FQ, and slowly trudged our way to Port of Call - New Orleans' Best Hamburger (portofcallnola.com) for a beverage.

Saturday: my legs were worse so I got up early to make an urgent care appointment. The PA thinks it’s dermatitis (probably not scabies or ringworm, he said, comfortingly). ☹ A pal was in town so after I did some writing and a few errands we met the pal and his girlfriend at J&J’s nearby, for Abita beers and some good old west coast catch up time. Then we parted ways so I could pick up my prescriptions and then my partner and I could hop the 55 or 57 bus up Elysian Fields to Gentilly Fest (neworleans.com), where Big Sam's Funky Nation (bigsamsfunkynation.com was to play at 7pm. A man at the bus stop saw us running to make the bus and gave us a day pass; we rode in air conditioned luxury about 30 minutes north of the Bywater, to find ourselves at a bustling festival with vendor tents, a host of food options and excellent music. One man, Michael, stopped us near a booth selling bejeweled sunglasses. How did you find this? He asked, after we said we were from Seattle. He shook our hands and wished us well. The Big Sam show was amazing, so confident and soul pleasing. We nearly missed our bus back, confused by a road closed sign and absolutely no sidewalk. A merciful bus driver waited a few seconds so we could climb aboard and ride a nearly empty coach back to EF and St. Claude.

Sunday: up and out to see a klezmer band that was part of NOLAxNOLA (neworleans.com) at Bywater Bakery. A crush of people who left when they figured out what klezmer music is. We had coffee and an oatmeal cookie and enjoyed the weirdness. Then at 2pm I had reservations at StudioBE to see Brandan "BMIKE" Odums art, which was enormous in scale and ambition and impact. Then a jaywalk across town to try and buy bus passes (fail: the machine was broken), a pit stop for fresh hot beignets, a meltdown on my part when we missed the street car, then realization dawning as the streets immediately clogged with fans exiting the Super Dome post-Saints/Seahawks game. We started to walk towards our final Nola x Nola event at The Jazz Market — The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra / NOJO (thenojo.com), dodging cars stuck in traffic, passing the also-stuck street car, huge tailgate parties with smokers and grills and loudspeakers, one heckling the slowly moving cars; and then we were there, 30 minutes late but also right on time, as the band started about 10 minutes after we arrived. We were 2 of 5 attendees and it was intellectual, precise, heady jazz, in a deeply chilled perfect-acoustics auditorium. I sipped ice water and enjoyed. Afterward we still couldn’t find the street car and the neighborhood went from ok to burned-out-car very quickly, so we hurried back under the overpass and into the FQ. For dinner we wanted po boys, but Daisy Dukes was closed and Siberia no longer serves food; so SNEAKY PICKLE + BAR BRINE (yousneakypickle.com) it was, for a delightful dinner: martinis with garnish adventure, fried green tomatoes, okra seared and tossed in gochujang, fries in a tangy vegan ranch sauce, the most amazing pillowy gnocchi in a peanut sauce, and then a Snickers pie for dessert. AMAZING. 

Monday: Another week is already starting and neither of us slept well, so we took ourselves the six blocks to Home - Elizabeths Restaurant Nola for an 8am breakfast outside. As we sipped our first coffees, two men rolled up, bleary and laughing, just off work at a karaoke bar. They ordered breakfast-rita’s and full breakfasts and laughed it up with us for a bit. My partner enjoyed a duck hash/sweet potato waffle, while I had a classic eggs and hash brown brekkie, with a fluffy buttery biscuit and a bowl of the creamiest grits. The servers were kind and friendly. It was the only way to start the week.

apple-mania

Recent travels took bsp to the Northeast and I was excited about finding apple cider donuts. It took a couple of days, including a creepy Airbnb with a copy of The Amityville Horror prominently featured on a bookshelf, and a detour to the local airport to fetch lost luggage, but finally we made it to Shelburne Farms and its apple-centric farm stand. I bought Macintosh apples, which have a tart, winy taste that reminded me of being a kid, hot apple cider, also tart and crisp, and a half-dozen apple cider donuts, crisply fried, creamily apple-y and dusted with cinnamon sugar. It was one of those times when reality and memory happily coincide.