To what does the title of this blog entry refer, you may ask? Could it be the community and city of New Orleans, struggling mightily to return to its former faded glory? Or perhaps it refers to the difficulty of coming back to reality after a steamy, tropical vacation the thoroughly relaxed me and apparently prepared me for one mother of a cold. A little of both, I would say, and while I sit here on my deck, in the slightly reminiscent of the Lion’s Inn sunshine, recovering from this nasty “airplane” cold, I thought the least I could do would be to report a little on the trip before it was lost forever to the whimsies of my mind.
I was so very pleased when the American Library Association decided to hold its annual conference in New Orleans, despite (and perhaps, more importantly, because of) the devastation sufferred from Hurricane Katrina last September. City official assured ALA administration that the city would be ready for the influx of 17 – 18,000 conference attendees. And were they ever. Shop owners praised librarians when they entered their stores. Cab drivers called us heroes for coming to the beleagured city, humbly overlooking the fact that the real heroes are the people living each day in New Orleans and working to rebuild the city.
Other than the fact that the conference was held in New Orleans, it was fairly uneventful. I attended meetings, networked at parties and dinners (those SirsiDynix folks are wild!) visited exhibitors and even caught a program or two. The staff and friends of the Boston Public Library gathered together on Saturday night for dinner at The Marigny Brasserie, where one of the biggest topics of discussion on our end of the table was the curious “mirliton” an exotic squash popular in the city that Elissa, Liz and I were just fascinated by. (And we all thought was delicious in the Crawfish Etoufee).
The conference ran from Friday – Tuesday morning, and during that time I enjoyed some terrific downtime with librarians, had some terrific dinners such as the delicious homemade food at Eat with Cindy and Katie (followed by hurricanes at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon St. – I couldn’t believe they’d never been there.) I also managed to get away every afternoon for some poolside relaxation at The Lion’s Inn where I was staying. When your meetings start at 8 a.m. and your dinners and receptions go until 11 p.m., there is no way to go straight through. Fortunately, my wonderful Inn not only provided bicycles for us to use to get to and from the Conference, it featured a tropical oasis complete with pool and jacuzzi, hidden away in its courtyard. Just the thing for getting reenergized for a long day at the Conference.
From the moment the conference wrapped to Scot’s arrival on Thursday afternoon, I was a fixture by that pool. The water was delightfully warm, but still refreshing after the strong Southern sun. The lush foliage and flowers provided a peaceful backdrop to the surroundings. An outdoor shower offerred its own provocative sights while sunbathing as well. I haven’t had a tan this good in years. Our innkeeper, Floyd, was a delightful host, bringing me iced water, switching me into the lovely sunroom for Scot’s arrival, recommending lunch spots (like the delightful Elizabeth?s) when I was able to rouse myself. The number of people staying at the Inn dwindled after the conference, but all were quite delightful and fun to talk with.
After Scot arrived, he quickly succumbed to the leisurely pace and need for relaxation. We did spend one touristy afternoon on the Honey Island Swamp Tour where Scot finally got to see some ?gator (the last time we took this tour was in November when the alligators are more dormant. July makes for a much livlier look at the swamp, with gators everywhere, and so many beautiful wading birds. We also saw some of the effects from Katrina in the swamp, where fishing camps were picked up from their pilings and tossed downriver. Many have begun rebuilding, but some are just gone forever. But other than that we enjoyed the sun, the pool, and most importantly the hospitality of a fine bunch of people.
Some highlights included:
Richard ? Richard should be crowned Hospitality Queen for the city of New Orleans. His assistance began weeks ago when I e-mailed and asked for suggestions first of places to stay run by locals. Then I followed up with the good restaurants question, and the nightlife question. He answered all enthusiastically and with the economy and efficiency of a trained reference librarian. After meeting at Elizabeth?s for brunch on Saturday, he promptly took me and Scot on a tour of the 9th Ward, an area of New Orleans still devastated by the storm and only new beginning to show signs of life. Hearing Richard tell his stories, the sense of community, and the spirit that we, who are not residents, worry may not return, is so evident that my worries faded away. It will take work. It will take great effort. But people like Richard will make sure New Orleans comes back, its sense of history and community intact.
Later that night we met Richard at Mimi?s on Marigny for a couple of drinks with the intention of going to a party across the street from his house that we were invited to by friends of Floyd. Around 11 p.m., Richard suggested that we skip the party for his own tour of the slightly-seedy underbelly of the French Quarter?s gay nightlife. We were pleased to take him up on his offer. First stop, The Corner Pocket where a surprising amount of hustlers dance for a bizarrely eclectic crowd. Richard pointed out to us the hustlers? girlfriends, often hovering nearby while some ?lucky? customer was receiving a lap dance. After indulging Richard and tipping a few of the boys, we moved on to Le Roundup, where the trannies hang out. Things were surprisingly slow there, and the bartendress made a point of ignoring us, so we wrapped things up at Caf? Lafitte in Exile where Richard shared the lowdown on how to do Mardi Gras right, and told us about Pandora.com. It was very gracious of Richard to spend so much time with us and show us around the city, as I am sure he?s a busy guy, much in demand. He and his boyfriend Jonno (who was spending hurricane season in San Francisco) are practically web-celebrities, and we very much appreciate the time he spent showing us a good time. Thanks, Richard!
Philip & David ? Philip and David are friends of Floyd?s who run the Royal Street Courtyard around the corner from the Lion?s Inn. They have only been running the inn for two years, and this last one has been tough. They were frequent poolmates, beating the scorching afternoon heat, and bringing friends along. Philip took care of me one night before Scot arrived when I actually ventured out to a neighborhood bar by myself. Philip was there, seemed to know everyone, and introduced me to some of his friends. The four of us hit it off very well, and they certainly made our trip very memorable.
Lance ? This vision of loveliness in denim and a cowboy hat manages the neighborhood bar Cowpokes, a friendly, beautifully renovated establishment that offers everything from country dance lessons, lube wrestling, drag shows, and legitimate theatre. I first met Lance at Floyd?s pool (where one seems to meet most of the local boys) and was taken by his easy smile and easy conversation. He?s quite a looker, but there?s no attitude there, and he was just a delight to spend an afternoon with. Okay, he?s a bit of a flirt as well, and I rose to the occasion, flirting right back. It was a lot of fun. We enjoyed a drag show at Cowpokes, where it was quite evident that Lance takes care of his customers. Everyone had wonderful things to say about him, and the show was a lot of fun too! (I?ve never met such friendly, easy-going drag queens. They were so refreshingly free of attitude! And Titty Toulouse brought down the house ? or at least Scot?s part of it ? with a scintillating rendition of Bette Midler?s ? as the Rose ? ?When a Man Loves a Woman? complete with spoken introduction!) Oh, and this picture of me and Scot with Lance did require a little judicious cropping? see what I mean about him being a flirt?
Okay, I think I?ve rambled on long enough. Suffice it to say, that we had such a good time, and I am so pleased that I have reconnected with New Orleans after years away, that we?re planning on trying to make it an annual event? or at least semi-annual. And if Richard?s invitation stays open, we might even do Mardi Gras in style one of these years.