First Night

A great first night to the trip! After finding Cooper in the mayhem that is NOLA airport traffic, we fought our way downtown to the hotel and checked in. We had no real plan, guided only by Coop's recommendations from watching Treme, and the hotel lobby bartender, "Big Daddy Chuck", who pointed us that way as well--the Faubourg Marigny, on Frenchmen Street--and added a couple of referrals of his own.




And they served us very well. Our first stop was the Apple Barrell, an extremely tiny bar that's cash only. When we walked in there was a guitar player accompanied by a drummer playing--nothing special...Cooper would've been far better. And that's not a knock on Cooper! He's gotten very good!




But it got much better from there. After a tasty "Italian-Cajun" (I know, don't ask; it's mostly about the seafood and sauces) meal upstairs from the Apple, we walked next door to the infamous Spotted Cat. Bang--first win of the night! Washboard Chaz was commanding the stage with his three piece band. Playing a great mix of "old-timey" blues and Oh Brother Where Art Thou bluegrass, they were the highlight of the evening.




There were several street bands out as we checked into a couple of other places--Snug Harbor, the famous jazz bar, among them.



Coop's never been to New Orleans before, so we made one pass down Bourbon Street so he could witness that lunacy. But at the end of night we both agreed with Big Daddy Chuck: "If y'all wanna fine' where WE go fo' du' good stuff, y'all needs to get to da Frenchmen..."

I think we'll be back there today...but first stop: a pawn shop for Coop to pick up a guitar.

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Location:Chartres St,New Orleans,United States