When we learned that the son of one of Jas’s closest cousins was getting married in New Orleans, where the bride-to-be practices medicine, we said “Yes” in a heartbeat. I put together some airline perks, found an AirBnB on Tchoupitoulas St., two blocks from the wedding venue, and we were good to go. The wedding would be held on Sunday night, Nov. 10, and there would be a family get-together at the bride and groom’s home on the afternoon before. I had been to New Orleans (aka NOLA) a couple of times—once to demonstrate some new IBM concepts at a trade show, back before one could put text and graphics together in one document; and to stay at the Royal Sonesta hotel on Oct.8 and 9, 1971, with my first husband for our honeymoon. Jas had also been several times—twice for Jazz Fest. Without a doubt, it’s a spectacular city to visit, with no shortage of things to see and do.
We live about an hour away from three airports, so when we travel, I have to check flights at all three, Akron-Canton, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, to find the best deals and best flight times. If the best flight times are early mornings, we will drive to the airport area the night before and spend the night in a nearby hotel that offers Park & Fly shuttle service. We chose an 8:25 a.m. out of CAK, which would mean we’d get up at 4:30 a.m. to get to the airport, or we’d get a hotel. We chose hotel, and found the Hilton Garden Inn, adjacent to the airport. The hotel was comfortable, and we had a light supper before retiring to the room for an early bedtime to catch the 5:45 shuttle.
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024
We flew Akron to Charlotte, but then had several delays in Charlotte before we could board for New Orleans. We were originally scheduled to arrive around 2:00 p.m., but we ended up arriving at 4:15 p.m., and not getting to the B&B until after 5:00. After dropping our bags, we walked the two blocks over to Tipitina’s to see what it was all about. Fortunately, an employee was there and answered the door when we knocked. He generously let us in and showed us around, telling us a little of the history of the place. Here’s a link to Tipitinia’s History page. Jimmy and Hanna had chosen an amazing venue for their wedding!
Rouse’s Market was caddy cornered across the intersection of Tchoupitoulas St. and Napolean Ave., on the way back to our B&B, so we did some shopping for breakfast and dinner options, went “home,” and fixed a little supper. I was asleep by 6:30!
Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
A quickie from the St. Charles streetcar as we were heading to the French Quarter.
Video Link – Streetcar Mini-Ride
We had breakfast in the B&B, then headed out at 10:00 to ride the streetcar, hoping to make our way to the French Quarter. I had done a lot of research on the logistics of finding the streetcar we wanted and getting on and off it, but something new like that is always a little anxiety-producing for me. Our highest priority that morning was beignets! If you’re not familiar with beignets, while they are typically identified with New Orleans, they are a French pastry, and can be found in many varieties and are known by many different names around the world. Walt Disney World even serves them at Port Orleans French Quarter and in Epcot’s French Pavilion. But while the beignets at Café du Monde are square, those served at Walt Disney World have Mouse ears. Of course.
When we walked up to Café du Monde, we were put off by the long lines of hungry people waiting to get their beignets. We kept walking and looking, and it turns out all those people in line were waiting for to-go beignets. We walked around the side of the building and toward the back of the dining room, and sat right down at a table. In a few minutes a waitress walked over to us, showed us the small menu, and answered our questions. The beignets are served in threes. We each asked for one order of three, and Jas ordered coffee. I drink tea, but tea was not on the menu, so I got a cup of hot chocolate. It seemed that the waitresses then entered the order on a computer screen, and as soon as they were notified that their order was up, they reached across a counter into the kitchen to retrieve our naked beignets, shook the powdered sugar on them, and prepared our beverages. Then they walked up to the cashier and paid for our orders. Only after all those actions was our order delivered to us, and we immediately paid our waitress. The only thing I can think is that, in an establishment that size with so many tables and so many open spaces where people could just sneak out, the way to not get skipped out on is to pay for it up front and then confront the diner with the bill. It seems like a lot of inconvenience, but as I’ve never worked food service, I’ll just let them do their thing.
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My explanation of the way the orders are processed is not based on anything I read. It’s based on my trying to figure out what was going on there, and my memory of what I saw that morning. I could be 100% wrong!
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BTW, you’ll notice all those paper napkins in the photo. Yes, all that powdered sugar is messy, but those pastries are delicious.
Café Maspero, with muffulettas on their menu.
To this point, we had only been riding the [green] St. Charles Street line. After lunch, we walked back over to the point where St. Charles and Canal Street intersect. We decided we wanted to just ride the [red] Canal Street line for a while, maybe up to the end—to walk around City Park or the cemeteries or the New Orleans Museum of Art. So optimistic! That is, after all, only a 5½ mile ride.
Shortly after we boarded the streetcar, we noticed Saenger Theatre on the northeast side of the street. Of course, we looked at the marquee to see who might be in town, and it was Bonnie Raitt. We love Bonnie Raitt! We drove from Youngstown to Interlochen in July of 2022 to see her in the open-air Kresge Auditorium. And the thought of being able to grab two tickets to hear her on her 75th birthday! in the incredible Saenger Theatre, built in 1927. Well, we were up for that! Here’s a link to the Saenger website, if you are interested in the background. The photo on this paragraph was my favorite of the few I took inside the theatre.
We continued on the red line as Jas searched for info about the evening’s concert. He bought the tickets online, and we decided we’d get off the outbound train and switch to the inbound to head back to the B&B. I was having knee problems and needed to rest before we had dinner and headed to the theatre. Finding where to get off the red and onto the green was a bit challenging, and we actually missed a couple of trains before a fellow traveler pointed us in the right direction.
After a rest with ice on my knee and cobbling together supper from the previous day’s grocery haul, we called a rideshare and helped the driver figure out where the theatre was. (I hate when that happens!) Once settled in our theatre seats, we were just astonished at the beauty of this theatre.
The concert was wonderful. Because it was her birthday, she shared lots of stories from her life. And sang lots of beautiful songs. The serendipity of being in NOLA and seeing that marquee on that date was pretty sweet. I would see her again anytime, given the opportunity. What a instrument she has! This was a night to remember.
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024
I researched local breakfast places while waiting for Jas to wake up, and decided on La Boulangerie, at the corner of Magazine St. and Cadiz St. It was a three-block walk north of our B&B, but when we got there, the line was out the door and around the corner. I read that there were more breakfast places further east on Magazine, across Napoleon Ave., so we wandered in that direction, peeking in shop windows along the way. We liked the looks of Undergrowth Coffee. I don’t remember what we ordered, but I do remember that we enjoyed our breakfast there, then took a slow walk down Napoleon, admiring all the old homes and churches and schools along the way. As we left Undergrowth and rounded the corner onto Napoleon, we saw the fence shown in the picture with this paragraph. This is the fence around Ms. Mae’s. “The Club Ms. Mae’s is famously known as New Orleans’ cheapest, 24-hour dive bar.” ~New Orleans Tourism website. Can you see those small sculptures lining the top of the fence? They delighted me.
After relaxing for a while, we called a cab to take us to Jimmy and Hanna’s for the afternoon party. So many Hagans and so much happiness. It was wonderful to see lots of friends who had made the trek from Northeast Ohio to celebrate with Bobby and Michelle at their son’s wedding. The weather forecast looked like rain might come at any moment. The small house was filled with friends; the front porch was filled with friends; the sidewalk out front, ditto; and the back yard had almost no room to walk. A buffet was set up in the kitchen and dining room; there were signature drinks; it was delightful. Then the sky opened up. The backyard people tried to crowd into the house, but the rain was unfortunate. In a short time, Jas and I just called a cab to go back to our place. We had a quiet evening and were early to bed.
I didn’t have any pictures of the places we hung out today, so I’ll share a couple from our walk to and from the breakfast search this morning. These are from the sidewalk in front of Tipitina’s, their Walk of Fame. There are markers here for many of the musicians and acts that made Tipi’s what it is today. Keep reading and you’ll see why I was drawn to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band marker.
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Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024
Sunday was the day we’d been waiting for.
My elder son, whom the family calls “Scott,” lives in the DFW Mid-Cities. He loves NOLA and has attended Mardi Gras many times. He told me once that the reason he doesn’t drive over for Mardi Gras any more is that he has too many Mardi Gras beads lying on the floor of his closet. He has a good friend, whom he first met in the Dallas area at—if I recall the story correctly—a poetry slam. Remember poetry slams? Are those still a thing? (Just googled. They are, indeed, still a thing.) Anyway, at some point, she got married and moved from Texas to New Orleans. Among the many jobs she can do, Megan is a musician—a multi-instrumentalist—a singer, and an all-round cool gal. She and I have been Facebook friends for a number of years, but I’ve never had the opportunity to meet her in real life. When I knew we would be visiting NOLA, I messaged her to see if she’d be around and have some free time that weekend. Turns out her husband, also a musician, plays bass with numerous bands, including “Some Like It Hot!,” and had a brunch gig at Buffa’s Bar & Restaurant in the French Quarter on the Sunday morning we would be in town. So we agreed to meet up there. We had a lovely time and the band was fabulous. Megan even suggested I sub in on one song. It was an absolute kick, and I’ll share some videos for you to see.
Videos from Buffa’s
The band is “Some Like It Hot”. There are numerous YouTube videos of them if you want to hear more. The singer is Megan Harris Brunious. The bass player is her husband, Brandon Brunious. Brandon and Megan live a few blocks away from Buffa’s and she told us he rides his bike over there, with his bass case strapped to his back!The first three videos are all the same song; I’m not sure why I turned it off and on—sorry. These videos each open in a new tab.
YouTube link, pt. 1
YouTube link, pt. 2
YouTube link, pt. 3
Brandon Brunious on bass – short
Another quickie of the full band.
Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home – Jan Crews sitting in on piano
How to kill a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon in New Orleans
My daddy, who passed away in 1984 at age 70, had visited New Orleans a number of times in the 1960s. The American Medical Association would have conventions in large cities, and NOLA was a favorite destination. Daddy loved jazz, and one of his favorite bands was the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He had several reel-to-reel tapes and LPs of their music, and on rare afternoons or evenings when he was home, he would play them for me. I had been thinking of that and, knowing we were nearby, I wondered if the band might be playing anywhere that afternoon. We still had several hours to kill before going home to dress for the wedding.
I did some searching while we were still at Buffa’s enjoying the “Hot” music. Suddenly I realized that I was in the presence of New Orleans royalty. Megan’s father-in-law was Wendell Brunious, who is a Legacy Member of the Preservation Hall Foundation. He has been playing trumpet for about 60 years and has been influential in the growth of New Orleans jazz. Preservation Hall is under an extended renovation, but the music goes on at the Toulouse Theatre, between Royal and Chartres Streets. I noted there was a 3:00 show that afternoon but couldn’t imagine that there was anyway we could get tickets that late in the day. I asked Megan about it, and she picked up the phone to call her mother-in-law. And just like that, our names were on a list at the Toulouse door. We waved goodbye to the band members, hugged Megan, and grabbed a cab over to Toulouse Street, where we joined the line outside the theatre door. When the doors opened, we were ushered up to the balcony to front row stools. The next hour was pure magic for me. The love my daddy had for this music was washing over me in many precious memories. Really, I had died and gone to heaven. I will not forget that experience, that day, for the rest of my life. [Discretely wiping tears from my eyes as I write and remember this experience.]
And on to the whole purpose for this travel: a wedding! I don’t know how many people were on the guest list, but there were a ton of guests in that space. There were a few tables in the back, but most everyone was just mingling around. The bar was along the far side wall from the doors, and perpendicular to the stage. We found leaning space not far from the stage, and held onto that space for the rest of the evening. There was a “Nawlins”-styled buffet and pretty soon Jimmy and Hanna were called to the stage. Happiness reigned in that hall! After some telling of stories about their meeting and falling in love, their friend who was serving as officiant took over and made sure the proper vows were said to make it official. And the music took over!
I’ll post some videos here to give you a taste of this memorable evening. All are YouTube links, opening in a new tab.
Treme Brass Band at Tipitina’s
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, “Love the One You’re With”
Again, my words are inadequate for this event. We left around 10:00, as my knee was giving out and we had an early flight. But let me just tell you that when Hagans are in any room, dancing occurs. Jas and I were very happy to have been a part of this memorable event. May Hanna and Jimmy live a long and happy life!
Monday, Nov. 11, 2024
All great parties must end. We called a cab for 6:00 a.m., checked in, had breakfast at Bar Sazerac, and boarded for an easy flight to Charlotte. Long layover in Charlotte, with lunch at Whiskey River. Evidently some equipment had changed. We were seated, upon boarding, in different seats than I had chosen. And not together. (Yeah, yeah, why is it important to sit together? You forget that my Spousal Equivalent isn’t a natural flyer. He needs moral support to get through that take-off.) Several of us were chatting about the seat changes, and the man sitting next to me asked Jas if he’d like to change. I wasn’t going to push for it, but he asked, …. They switched, then that man bent the ear of the woman he ended up sitting next to for the entire flight to Akron. I was very glad I hadn’t been subjected to that. We introverts need protection!
Easy flight, easy shuttle back to the hotel, easy drive home, tired travelers!
Epilogue: This account was written eight months post-travel. Sometime during the cold winter that occurred for most of late November through late April, I was dreaming of getting out of Northeast Ohio and thawing out when I noticed a “Big Easy Cruise” advertisement. What? There would be a cruise in January of 2026 that would take us on one of our favorite Holland America ships to New Orleans and there would be jazz performances every day and night while we were on the cruise. We would overnight in New Orleans, AND there would be two private performances at Tipitina’s just for cruisers from our ship. (Attendees would choose one of the two performances and pay an extra fee.) I looked at Jas across the kitchen table, described the cruise, and he grinned and said we should do it. So on January 17, 2026, we’ll be flying to Ft. Lauderdale, boarding the ship, stopping for a day at Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas, then continuing to NOLA, spending two days exploring, and then continuing on to Cozumel for a day before returning to Lauderdale and flying home to the cold.
I’m always happy if I have a cruise to look forward to. And just like that, I have a cruise to look forward to. More impetus to get me through the upcoming knee surgery. If it goes as planned [by the surgical team], I’ll be able to walk around the French Quarter without pain.