Day Two Log:
Our group is on course for our second day in New Orleans. Will we survive the day planned in the French Quarter with pirates? Will we overcome our fear as we walk the dark streets filled with ghosts? But most importantly, will our feet hold up throughout the day without cramping, giving out, or begging to be cut off by any sharp object close by? Let’s hope.
Pirates of the Quarter
The men of our group are known for being late. Luckily, I devised a plan to ensure they were ready way before time. That plan went to the alligators when we put the wrong address in the GPS. My internal need to be early was flooding my body with adrenaline. However, figuring we were already late, I accepted fate and prepared to enjoy the day in the french quarter anyways.
The moment we made it to our spot, relief doused my anxiety when we saw a pirate waiting around. Hopefully, he was our pirate… Of course, he had to pick on us for being late, but he pointed out the bar and suggested bringing a drink on tour. Such a thoughtful pirate.
Three grooms-people, and one bridal-girl, ordered hurricanes (another check off the scavenger list) and set out on our journey of The Pirates of the Quarter. Our guide introduced himself as the Quartermaster, who is way better than a captain. Just ask him.
If you enjoy history, this is a fantastic tour. Personally, history isn’t a thrilling category for me; however, as the Quartermaster guided us from spot to spot, telling us about the Lafitte brothers, I fell in love with NOAL’s past. While there are negative parts of piratism, there are so many great moments of trickery and banding together to create what seemed like a pirate empire. Even the people of New Orleans ‘liked’ pirates because they provided illegal goods, like sugar.
One of my favorite bits was the Quartermaster’s reaction to talking about Andrew Jackson, which I knew a little (very little) about thanks to my high school history teacher (shout out to Mr. Gardner). The Quartermaster, being a man who tells the tales of pirates of New Orleans, I reckon he disapproves of the notoriety Jackson gets over the significant help he got from those he deemed beneath him. As if they were sea scum and he was righteous.
The Quartermaster ended our tour at Andrew Jackson’s statue (ANOTHER scavenger hunt item). We took a picture, us smiling and him in the noble stance of a grimacing pirate. Then we took another photo, which was very awkward looking as we tried to be quirky. Okay, maybe I was the only awkward one, but in the great words of my girl CReese, whatever.
French Quarter Gold
The rest of our day’s schedule was to walk around the french quarter. We stopped by a voodoo shop that was tightly spaced, so CReese and I stayed outside and let the boys wonder. Our other lady grooms-person slept in for the morning adventure, so I called her to let her know where to meet.
We made our way to the meeting point, Erin Rose Bar. I read about their famous Frozen Irish Coffee and knew that it would be something our groom would love to try. We each got a “large” and waited outside for our fifth person to arrive. We were going to get food too, but the place was packed, and my need for easy breathing space was mirrored by the others, so we got out. On the way out, I had the pleasure of awkwardly falling on a guy’s lap as I was ping-ponged down the small walking space. I spilled my drink, which was sad, but it was only a tiny bit. I recovered from my trip and quickly followed my mates out the door.
If you go to New Orleans and like Irish coffee or just sweet frozen creaminess, you’ll definitely want to stop at Erin Rose. That frozen bliss was perfection. They put a sprinkle of coffee grinds (or something) on top, so you’re hit with a beautiful earthy aroma while you sip. Very much worth stopping by this bar.
While we waited, we chilled out, enjoying the relief of being off our feet. Also, our groom got the chance to dance on a table (he was sitting on it, but he was still dancing! Another check on our list.)
Once our fifth joined us, we were off to shopping and beignets. I enjoy beignets, but I’ve heard that there are better places than the esteemed Cafe Du Mont. For the experience and the chance to say “I did it,” I took our little group to the cafe. The wait wasn’t too bad, but sadly the beignets weren’t fresh. (The bridal party told us they got fresh ones, but we’re not bitter toward them for it at all…) Afterward, we looked around the area a little longer. We got to pet dogs and rabbits, which seems random, but it was awesome.
All in all, our day went well. We checked off the rest of the scavenger hunt items that we didn’t get the night before, learned about some pirates, and got to pet animals. I was glad to finally make it home and let my feet rest!
Lady Ghosts of New Orleans
Chilling at the house only lasted for so long. The entire bach party was destined to walk the streets of New Orleans in search of ghosts. Or knowledge about ghosts. Or something like that. While we waited for our tour guide to find us, we all had a drink. I might’ve had two since one of the girls didn’t think she could finish hers.
When our tour guide, Christian, made it to the scene, we were ready–” I ain’t afraid of no ghost!” We didn’t have to go far at the beginning of the tour because right in Jackson Square is where he told us about our first lovely lady of New Orleans. That was probably my favorite story/history. There is nothing better than a lady who knows how to kick it to a man and not be wrong. Talk about being a boss lady. The next lady of New Orleans left me regretting drinking the second beverage. (I’m literally making a gagging noise as I write this.) This woman was sick. If you’ve seen American Horror Story season 3, you may know a little about her and her “experiments.” I pat myself on the back for not getting sick, but it was close. The following few ghostly tales were back to incredible stories of women outsmarting and/or killing men. And then we ended on a woman of substantial influence, made even more significant due to the country’s oppression.
A random fun fact I learned about, non-ghost-related, was the Romeo Catchers that point up from the polls leading to balconies. The talk in town is that they’re not meant to keep men from climbing up to girls’ rooms but to catch them on the way down. Like our tour guide said, once you know about them, you’ll see them everywhere.
This is another tour I would suggest to anyone. It’s rich with the culture and history of the town. Christian was a great guide and storyteller. If you stick close to him while walking to the next destination, you’ll hear extra tidbits about the area–information about current and past.
It’s noticeable how New Orleanians take pride in their culture and history. The only hardship from all the walking tours of New Orleans is the moments of standing. Walking can cause the feet to ache, but standing still for long periods is rough. Some people at the ghost tour straight up sat down on the sidewalk. (The poor bride got a bit of a beer pouring on her head.) I was incredibly grateful the end of the ghost tour stopped extremely close to our bus stop. It was only a few steps away from sitting on the bus and getting home to pass out in a bed.
Long day. Great history. Comfy bed.
