Make Or Break

A trio of break dancer/acrobats/comedians in the small amphitheater to the south of Jackson Square in NOLA. They had a huge crowd. That guy in the third picture puts U.S. Marine exercise drills to shame. Wonder if they have a team chiropractor.                                 

Viva La Liberta

Libertine Don Giovanni might have enjoyed Bourbon Street, New Orleans' center for people who want to seriously misbehave. The second picture is of a very dirty car. The message seems to be Hello Kitty, kiss my ass. The, um, person in the third picture was seen a few minutes later handing out flyers for a transvestite show. The bottom picture expresses an essential Louisiana attitude.

All of the N.O. pictures posted this week were shot last Sunday afternoon and evening. After a big dinner with my colleagues that night I got smacked with a nasty and sudden stomach bug. Gradually getting better but imagine, going to New Orleans and losing weight. Haven't gotten any comments written on my friends' blogs but I'll shape up now that I'm home.                    

Ho Hum, Another St. Louis Cathedral

I've been in three St. Louis Cathedrals. Back home, of course, Versailles and this one in New Orleans. Worth a visit if you are in town - it's right on Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter. There were a lot more tourists than the devout when we were there.                         

Refreshments

Drinking in the street is permitted in the commercial parts of the French Quarter. Not like in St. Louis on St. Patrick's Day, where it is an occasional tolerance of naughtiness. On Bourbon Street, it's a 24/7/365 activity.

At a meetings some years ago, a New Orleans lawyer and I were  talking about Louisiana liquor laws. I asked if the state had an open container law (it is generally illegal in the US to have an unsealed container of an alcoholic beverage inside a car). "Sure," he shot back, "you gotta have one." All this is titillating for visitors but it's still pretty sad.      

Meanwhile, On Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street is the heart of the entertainment and restaurant district in New Orleans. Damn near anything goes, as long as you don't bust up the merchants' property or harass others. Tolerance is the policy, so the individual in the top photo, taken at about 4 in the afternoon, does not raise eyebrows among the locals. The tourists get a buzz off it but, hey, it's part of the floor show.

Perhaps the man should have checked out the sign across the street. I think it refers to a cocktail, not a religious concept, but why not take a chance? As they say down there, laissez les bons temps rouler.         

Good Night, New Orleans

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Home late Saturday night and just time for a quick post. In many ways, New Orleans' nature is best expressed in the dark.

Out to shoot new local material today.

A French Quarter Pirate

My friend Micki Beth is a lawyer in the same specialty as me, practicing in Montgomery, Alabama. She has the good fortune to own a house in the French Quarter of New Orleans. On Thursday night, she hosted a pre-dinner reception in the courtyard of the historic building. That's where I met her neighbor, who calls himself Captain Twist. He makes his living as a street pirate and entertainer in the quarter. True to his profession, he eventually held Micki Beth and her dog hostage until another glass of wine was delivered.

Afterward, a group us us went to dinner at RioMar, where chef Adolfo Garcia, pictured below, cooks up wonderful Spanish-style seafood, some prpared in olive oil but not the other stuff.

All good things must come to an end. Home tonight.

STL DPP On The Road: New Orleans

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I have some law biz here in the Big Easy Monday. Since Mrs. C. is approaching one month from her hip replacement, I thought it would be nice to give her a treat and spend the weekend here. Pure altruism, right? After dinner at the restaurant Iris in the French Quarter (which is fabulous, by the way) we walked around for a bit. Chef Madden was on the street behind his restaurant having a smoke break. The light on him was fabulous. I told him so and asked if I could take his picture. Once again, I am so grateful to Bobbi Lane, the best teacher I've ever had in my life, for teaching me how to approach people like this.

More from NOLA as I wander around this weekend.

WHAT'S TOMORROW? The second anniversary of this blog. Have to do something about that.