NOLA... Day Two
Day Two started as a lazy, lazy day. After seeing the rainy weather predicted, I really didn’t want to hang out in the mud. Of course, I really wanted to hear all the music but we had shows booked at night so… rest and eat was the order of the day! With a plan of our group meeting up in the lobby before dinner, I scurried down to create a little birthday tribute to our birthday boy. The beautiful bottle of Dom Perignon was purchased by another of our coworkers and transported in my suitcase… Tahoe to Reno to Los Angeles to Salt Lake City to Houston to New Orleans… it made the rounds! Cards, glittery stuff to decorate the table… and a very happy Bill!
Greased the bartenders hand to allow us to borrow champagne glasses and open the bottle of Dom in the lobby bar… I actually think he thought HE would open the bottle but the little Mrs took charge. Not going to lie, I was slightly nervous that something glassy might break with the stray cork… but, like a pro, Patti popped the cork in style!
The eight of us gathered to celebrate Bill… it was fun talking, joking, laughing. Such a great group of friends. The best part was wandering around, doing our own thing and them meeting up for dinner or a sow. Good times!
Starting with a selfie… other guests in the bar thought we needed help. How sweet that people sitting at the bar took the time to get us a couple of group photos. There was much reminiscing over years in the casinos working together. The good old days… The crazy days…
After the festivities, we headed out to Uber to dinner. As I was on the escalator going down to the hotel lobby, I noticed how cool the shadows of my friends looked. Shadows, reflections and shiny marble… just kind of liked this shot :-)
Due to his height, the birthday boy secured the front seat on most of our rides. I can’t begin to guess how many rides we took during this trip and every single driver was friendly. So welcoming and willing to share secret spots about the city they love. They truly seemed excited about our dinner choices, the festival experience and the shows we had picked out in the evenings…
Driving though the streets to our restaurant, we passed a variety of buildings. I love how the old intertwines with the new through NOLA. Cobbled streets cross asphalt streets, old churches stand next to newer high rises.
Tonight’s restaurant was Rebirth on Fulton Street. We had a fun round table… with the perfect waiter.
Lively conversation… lots of laughter. More stories from back in the day. We kept the focus on our birthday boy… and as is our “thing”, Patti and I take a photo of each other. We have a small collection of them. Going over the menu, we realized this is another fantastic restaurant!
Scallops… yum! My husband had the very thick, double pork chops. He said it was one of the best things ever! I had an amazing fish dinner, the special of the day. Some ordered cocktails, we ordered a bottle of Duckhorn Merlot. It was a fabulous meal…
In the same venue as the previous night, Republic NOLA, we headed upstairs to our “spot”. The band, Earth, Wind and Power did a perfect job covering the EW&F songs. It’s fun to see shows in these small venues. An intimate setting, with stellar sound systems.
More selfies! Such a great concert. We sang-a-long to every song.
Full rhythm sections, percussion section and a singer with the craziest good voice! What an exceptional group of musicians! Time passed by so quickly! I danced as best I could with my boot on. The upstairs area had the perfect place to stand that protected my foot. After a night of music, we headed back to the hotel and tucked ourselves into bed!
