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New Orleans,  The Archives,  The places we've been

Pride, Jazz, and Art in the Big Easy

August 17, 2023 /

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that a person could do SO MUCH in just one day. You may remember that it started off with a tour of St. Louis Cemetery, the home of the Voodoo Queen and the future home of actor, Nicholas Cage. We ended the day walking two miles back to our hotel sometime just after 3am. In between, we experienced pride, jazz, and art in the Big Easy! Join us as we unpack one helluva day in New Orleans.

Trolley Ride and Lunch

Red trolley with yellow doors on the road
The Trolley
Woman and man sitting inside a trolley
Yay! Air Conditioning!!

Though it was barely 11, the temperature was hovering right around 10,000,000 degrees. Thankfully, the street car had air conditioning and we were able to hop on to head to lunch at the Parkway Bakery and Tavern, the home of the Poor Boy sandwich.

Half of a large shrimp poor boy sandwich on foil paper
The Shrimp Poor Boy
Signs outside of a rest room that read "Public Bath" "Men to the left, Women always right" and "Seats Sterilized"
True words
Bloody Mary in a plastic cup with a lemon slice and a pickle
The Bloody Mary

During the depression, Bennie and Clovis Martin, the owners of the diner, wondered what they could feed all the “poor boys” who were out of work. They started selling sandwiches with fried potatoes with a drizzle of beef gravy and hence the Poor Boy was born. We shared just one and couldn’t finish it!

Stroll by the Old Portage and free wine

Stuffed to the gills, we thought it wise to walk to the art museum. Although it wasn’t far, it was hot. We passed a lady sitting in a driveway at one of the fancy homes along the way, who offered us to come inside for a private jewelry show. Not being big on baubles, we politely declined. She then called after us that the house was air conditioned and that they had chilled wine. That was enough to make us turn around and go inside.

Sign by a river that reads "Old Portage"
The Old Portage
Sign on a white post that talks about he plantation behind it
The Plantation
Woman in a dress and a straw hat, holding a glass of wine inside an old house
Ahhhh, wine and AC!
White house with a large porch and balcony. A woman stands by the front door and smiles at the camera

The house, the wine and jewelry were all lovely and a great place to pause and catch our breath.

All the Art at NOMA

White hall with white balconies along either side. There are white panels handing from the ceiling and a marble staircase directly ahead with a statue above it
The Great Hall

Started back in 1911 with only 9 pieces of art, the New Orleans Museum of Art has over 50,000 pieces that include Warhol, Monet, Kandinsky, Picasso, and Pollack.

A painting with a black background and numerous circles and spheres on it
Sketch for Several Circles, Kandinsky
Painting on a red wall with a gilded gold frame. Inside of it is an impressionist painting of a house surrounded by trees and grass
Houses on the Old Bridge at Vernon
Cubist painting of a woman in an armchair. Her body parts look distorted. The frame is black and gold.
Woman in an Armchair, Picasso
Painting of a furtive bunch of white, black, red and blue lines on a white background
White, Black, Blue, and Red on White, Pollock
Painting of Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger, Warhol

Art in the Park

After strolling the halls for a couple hours, we went outside to enjoy Sydney and Walda Besthoff’s sculpture garden. Not only do they have over 90 amazing pieces on display, the garden itself is absolutely beautiful. Oh and the price? $0.00!

Bronze statue of a nude woman on a column, surrounded by trees
Woman on a Column
Giant yellow dog sculpture surrounded by trees
The dog had 3 sides, the other two were blue and yellow
Giant spider sculpture in a park. A woman looks frightened underneat
Eeek! A spider
A piece of a wall with a window, hangs between trees. An aluminum telescoping ladder goes from the ground to the window
Was this an ode to a fireman or an elopement?
Sculpture of men standing on each other's shoulders, one on top of the other - disappearing in the distance
“Karma”, front view
Sculpture of men, on each other's shoulders - one on top of the other, reaching into the distance
“Karma”, rear view!

Quick change then dinner

We thought we’d go back to the hotel and enjoy a little time in the rooftop pool. But since it was about 95 degrees and sunny, it turns out a LOT of other people had the exact same idea. (We call that a “Nope”.) So instead of downtime, we got cleaned up and went to dinner at Saint John’s earlier than our reservation. We figured if we couldn’t get in, we could always sidle up to the bar.

Woman and man standing on a balcony. Behind them are red umbrellas, rainbow banners and palm trees
On the balcony at St John
Dish of fried bites in sauce, with lump crap in the middle
The “bites”
Hanging sign that reads "Saint John"
Saint John

Not only did we get in, because we were early, we were treated to the tail end of the “Naked Bicycle Race”. Tail end. Naked race. Get it?? If you’re wondering exactly HOW that would work, you’re not alone.

Naked people riding bicycles down the road. There are palm trees on either side
The Naked Bicycle Race

The food was outstanding as was the wine but we couldn’t stay because it was almost time for the Parade.

The Pride Parade

We watched people streaming to the route from our table on the balcony and made our way towards Bourbon street to catch it. We grabbed a spot on the street outside a balcony and were quickly showered with Mardi Gras beads. Considering the folks on the balcony, I’m pretty sure they were meant for Stephen.

Blue home with a large balcony. There are many brightly dressed men standing outside, talking and drinking. There is a rainbow banner hanging off the railing.
The Bead Givers

Though he accepted the beads, he modestly kept his shirt in tact. When the parade made it’s way to us, the confetti started and the fun began. We got hugs and high-fives and so much swag, we were 5 pounds heavier when it was done.

Crowded street, with rainbow confetti falling down
Rainbow Confetti
Colorful parade float, with lots of people throwing beads to the crowd. On the ground is a man in a rainbow tank top, giving a hug to someone in the crowd
The Pride Float

Walking to Frenchman

The night before, we walked down Bourbon street and saw the parade of the slovenly drunks and decided we’d try Frenchman street instead. As the sun went down, the temperature cooled and it seemed a great night for a walk. Here a few fun things we saw along the way.

For sale sign handing from an awning that says "Not Haunted"
Good to know
Yellow building with a large balcony that wraps around the 2nd floor. There are rainbow balloons cascading down from the railing.
The Prideful Balcony
Sign on a fence that reads "Beware of Dog and the cat is shady as hell too."
Shady cat sign

All that Jazz

We made our way over to Three Muses and found a tiny spot where we could share a beer and listen to the band. They wouldn’t let us in unless we ordered food, so we got something fried, some ice cold beer and a band who played with instruments that looked like they were straight out of 1930 – including a wash board!

Balcony at night. A sign that reads "Three Muses" is hanging above the 2nd floor.
Three Muses
Woman and man seated in a restaurant, holding drinks and wearing multiple beaded necklaces
Pride SWAG
Jazz band playing on a small stage. They have a washboard, standup base, guitar, piano and trumpet
Washboard Jazz Band

The Blue Nile

After the old-timey set at Three Muses, we hopped over to the Blue Nile for a set that sounded like Bruno Mars meets the Commodores. It was OFF THE CHAIN!

Large band performing on stage. There is theatrical lighting and a sign that reads "Blue Nile" behind them.
Blue Nile
Interior of a club. There is a trombone player performing on the bar top.
Trombone on the Bar
Band performing on a stage. The lead singer is laying flat on his back in the middle of the stage.
I can’t go no more!

The Spotted Cat

Some time after 10pm, we went across the street to the Spotted Cat – a tiny club, packed to the door with people who LOVE music. Dr. Sick and the Late Greats opened the set with Harry Belafonte’s “Jump In the Line” and we danced and sang along for HOURS.

Jazz band performing on a small stage and lit with a red light. There is a standup bass, drummer, guitarist, and violin player
Dr. Sick and the Late Greats
Exterior of a large building painted with a colorful mural that has a spotted cat playing a saxophone
The Spotted Cat

The Long Road Home

At some point after 2am, the band took a break and we decided it was as good a time as any to start our mile and half walk back to the hotel. While this picture seems very “stylish”, I was actually just catching my breath before continuing to the front door.

Woman in a yellow dress leaning against a green building that has gas lights.
Leaning on the Virgin

So that’s a wrap on JUST PART of ONE DAY in NOLA. Imagine the trouble we could get into if we were there a whole week! If you like our stories, please follow up on Instagram at The__Travel__Oracle or subscribe to our weekly email blast for absolutely free. Until next time!

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