When Helen and I planned our trip to the west coast, we eagerly looked forward to one of the early destinations—our three nights in New Orleans! Although Charleston, SC, has replaced the “Big Easy” as my favorite destination, I remain very fond of this great American city and its fantastic food. Our visit would be short, but we intended to sample a few of our favorite menu items during our stay. First, however, let me catch everyone up.
Our trip began on January 12th. We made it out of Knoxville in cold temperatures and snow on the way. Before we left town, Helen was so concerned that all the blooms on her camellia would freeze that she cut them off to make a bouquet for Dora, our fifth-wheel. Her camellias have never been so productive.
As we usually do when we drive south, we spent the first night at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. The drive took about five hours, and we made it with no problem. The first day of every road trip always wears me out. After an early dinner, it’s lights out.
We rolled into Gulfport, MS, the next day to spend three nights at the campground on the Navy Base there. There were two items on the agenda. First, Helen likes to spend the first full day of a trip reorganizing the pantry and the closets in the trailer and cleaning the floors. This task usually doesn’t take long, and I’ve learned that I should stay away. I worked on the second agenda item.
While in Montgomery, we discovered damage to the outer dome of one of our skylights. A tree limb probably decided to smack our skylight—hard! I’m not sure how it happened. We had a brief hailstorm in Knoxville a few weeks ago, which could have caused the damage, but, more likely, this happened sometime during our trip to Charleston and Edisto Beach.
I called the campground in Gulfport as soon as we discovered the problem to see if they could recommend an excellent mobile RV repair business. The manager recommended Dave’s Mobile RV Repair, a great suggestion. I contacted Dave and gave him the size of the skylight. Fortunately, he had one in stock and time for us on his schedule. Someone would drive out to us the next day.
Justin, the repairman, met me at the gate to the Navy Base, and I signed him in with the sentry on duty. He showed us a pair of replacement domes, and Helen (the picky one) made her selection. Justin climbed the ladder to the roof, attacked the repair, and completed the job in under an hour. We thanked him for his work and for coming out to us so quickly. Rain was in the forecast for later that night which would have been bad for our trailer without the dome. The sunset over the campground was a nice one.
The weather warmed up nicely for us, and we made plans to explore the city early the next day. New Orleans is only about an hour and a half to the west of Gulfport, which meant we could take our time driving to Ponchartrain Lake RV Resort. We were assigned a lovely campsite overlooking the lake.
Plans don’t always work out. We felt lazy the following day and didn’t leave the campground until after 10 am. I found a parking place on Decatur Street, and we walked through the French Quarter to see what had changed since our last visit…thankfully, nothing.
Satisfied that New Orleans is still New Orleans, we walked to Acme Oyster House, always our first stop. A line formed in front of the door, but we volunteered to sit at the bar (my preference). The doorman escorted us inside immediately. Helen and I love fresh oysters on the half-shell, and they don’t come any better than in New Orleans. We split a dozen, served by an amiable waiter. These oysters were large, fresh, tasty, and soon devoured.
For our second course, Helen ordered a crab and corn bisque. I, the gumbo lover, ordered the Acme gumbo. Helen loved the bisque, and although I make a great gumbo, I can’t top Acme’s gumbo. The roux is thick, the shrimp taste fresh, and there is just enough spice to make it savory. I could have eaten two bowls… a fabulous treat for our first full day.
We weren’t as lazy the next day because the plan was to drive to the French Market for beignets and chicory coffee at Café Du Monde. After parking the truck, anticipation increased during the short walk to the Café under a bright morning sun. We arrived as a jazz band opened and trombone music wafted gently over the open-air dining area. We both ordered large chicory and three beignets. Again, it’s great that some things never change.
Helen and I walked off the beignets around the French Market, going up and down both sides of Decatur. Helen spotted a purple stocking cap in one of the shops near the market that we decided would come in handy in the cooler weather we expected in Texas. It fit, and she had a new addition to the travel wardrobe. Here’s the picture.
Most would think that the last thing we needed was another meal, but this is New Orleans. Satisfied that we had walked off the beignets, we drove to a small deli recommended by my nephew, Domilise’s Po’Boy and Bar. We had it confirmed by several of our friends and New Orleans residents that this is THE place for Po’Boy sandwiches. A crowded parking lot assured us that the food had to be good. The exterior was underwhelming and very understated.
I ordered a fully dressed Oyster Po’Boy and Helen ordered a half Shrimp half Oyster Po’Boy. Great food takes time to prepare. While we waited patiently for these babies to come out of the laboratory, I bought a Domilise’s T-shirt. I watched as each sandwich was prepared on fresh bread and smothered with a zingy dressing. Both wrapped tightly and bagged (we ordered take-out).
Once we arrived at Dora, we each ate half of our Po’Boy and saved the other half for dinner. They were as good as promised and another special treat. Now we have a new reason to return.
A lovely sunrise greeted us the following day and, having eaten our way across the city, it was time to be Easin’ Along. Please join us next week!