It is funny how we find our better half. Nancy and I found one another where we worked. I got the job through my sister who knew about the job through her boyfriend who…you know the whole 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon(ker) separation thing. Nancy and I spent time getting to know each other as most couples do. We talked at happy hours, went out here and there, dated more and more, and many years later here we are. I don’t use a specific number because we dated a few years, had a long engagement, and have been married almost 11 years.
Nancy is from New Orleans and that intrigued me at the time we met and began to talk more. More and more, I was running into New Orleans “familiars”. Eventually, after Nancy and I dated some, I got to go back to New Orleans. This was a trip to meet her family.
This trip was an important trip for me-meeting Nancy’s family plus after many years I was going back to the place that drew me. It was a wonderful trip. I loved meeting Nancy’s family and for the first time I got to see New Orleans for what it isn’t-the party city. It was on this trip that I got my first introduction to New “Orleanean” hospitality. I had no idea that hospitality was all over. I got to meet one wonderful person after another-from Nancy’s family, to her friends, to just people who say hi to you at the store or on the street. They say "hi" because they can and they like to. In Dallas, if you do that, you will likely get a cold (rude) stare and possibly some kind of obscene gesture or word thrown back at you-but not there and not back then.
In addition to the amazing family, friends, and people, Nancy introduced me to the places-the special places. Sure Pat O’s and Café Du Monde are great but there is so much more to discover. Mandinas, Port of Call, Ye Ole College Inn (pre-K), The Galley, Liuzza’s, Parasols, and the list goes on forever. To this day, there is still so much more to discover there. It’s just wild-the seafood (of course), the burgers, specialty sandwiches (po boys), even the pizza, are all just better there. I have been told it is because of the water, but it's likely because of the people behind it all.
Then there are the stores and shops. The French Quarter speaks for itself, as does Magazine Street, but you want a shopping trip?-Go to Dorignac’s. Here you can see older women in frocks and slippers smoking a cigarette while they peruse the aisles purchasing anything from turtle meat, merlaton, to hard liquor (yes they sell hard liquor in grocery stores), to oyster soup, to Doberge cakes. Try Gambino’s for baked goods, Gordon’s for all kinds of home items, Rue De La Course for a coffee experience (a plug there for you Jerry). Again, the list can and does go on forever.
This is not only about my wife and New Orleans places. This is about family and friends-the special people who make up our lives. New Orleans is full good people just as Dallas is. It is also full of family-run establishments and that is truly unique in this nation of cookie cutter chain businesses. Families put their hearts, their talents, and their roots into their businesses. Add that to the New Orleans energy and that is just the beginning of what makes New Orleans, well, New Orleans. That trip taught me a whole lot more about what New Orleans is truly about.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The First Time
I remember my first trip to New Orleans. I went with my girlfriend at the time. We were just out of high school. The plan was to go so she could visit with her aunt. I picked her up and we left a little late. It was a long drive-a real long drive. I think back then we had to take Highway 1 but since then the trip has gotten a lot easier. I remember sunset, listening to tapes of The Beatles, Queen, Bad Company, and Bowie, talking, the piney woods, long bridges, water (which is something you don’t see much in Dallas) and then darkness/water the rest of the way. This time and place seemed so different-swampy towards the end of the drive, so mysterious, so exciting. This was going to be special.
I had heard about New Orleans-the stories from Mr. Roland and learned a little more on my own. Now I was including the “party” aspect of New Orleans. I had heard stories of being able to drink under the age of 21. I grew a beard just in case, though, since I was 19 or maybe 20. This was going to be about Pat O’Briens, Café Du Monde, more beverages, food, and exploring. After all-that’s what’s in New Orleans, right? And by the way, the drinking age there had changed to 21.
We arrived late and tired. I was a bit nervous-totally out of my element in a place I had never seen. I was excited to get out but we needed sleep. Our tours would have to begin the next day. We got up at different times, visited with my girlfriend’s aunt, finished our breakfast, got dressed, and prepared for our first adventure. Right across the bridge, 17 miles away, was New Orleans.
There was such energy there. Yes, we did the Pat O’Brien’s thing, the Café Du Monde beignets, and walked around the quarter. We saw different street vendors. There was art, performance art, even the “Bubble Man”. He performed bubble art and sold his bubble toys. This may or may not be the same guy, but a few years later I got my first apartment. My neighbor downstairs just came from New Orleans. He sold bubble toys. What are the odds it was the same guy? I recall the many different types of bars-even one with legs that popped in and out of the wall. We visited a couple of those clubs, even saw a woman dance with a python then the python danced with her-very wild.
It was a different scene in New Orleans-a party scene unlike any I had ever seen before. I also knew there was more to it than just partying and drinking. This was a special place with a different culture. I ran across the Joey the Bubble Man who I would later see again as a neighbor. I may have even heard a female singer coming from one of the clubs-a singer who would years later become my wife. I sucked the heads of crawfish and ate raw oysters. Back then, I wasn’t quite ready for turtle soup though. They eat turtles there? This was my first time-in the place known as the Crescent City-the city of New Orleans and the city that celebrates life. I had to make it back someday.
I had heard about New Orleans-the stories from Mr. Roland and learned a little more on my own. Now I was including the “party” aspect of New Orleans. I had heard stories of being able to drink under the age of 21. I grew a beard just in case, though, since I was 19 or maybe 20. This was going to be about Pat O’Briens, Café Du Monde, more beverages, food, and exploring. After all-that’s what’s in New Orleans, right? And by the way, the drinking age there had changed to 21.
We arrived late and tired. I was a bit nervous-totally out of my element in a place I had never seen. I was excited to get out but we needed sleep. Our tours would have to begin the next day. We got up at different times, visited with my girlfriend’s aunt, finished our breakfast, got dressed, and prepared for our first adventure. Right across the bridge, 17 miles away, was New Orleans.
There was such energy there. Yes, we did the Pat O’Brien’s thing, the Café Du Monde beignets, and walked around the quarter. We saw different street vendors. There was art, performance art, even the “Bubble Man”. He performed bubble art and sold his bubble toys. This may or may not be the same guy, but a few years later I got my first apartment. My neighbor downstairs just came from New Orleans. He sold bubble toys. What are the odds it was the same guy? I recall the many different types of bars-even one with legs that popped in and out of the wall. We visited a couple of those clubs, even saw a woman dance with a python then the python danced with her-very wild.
It was a different scene in New Orleans-a party scene unlike any I had ever seen before. I also knew there was more to it than just partying and drinking. This was a special place with a different culture. I ran across the Joey the Bubble Man who I would later see again as a neighbor. I may have even heard a female singer coming from one of the clubs-a singer who would years later become my wife. I sucked the heads of crawfish and ate raw oysters. Back then, I wasn’t quite ready for turtle soup though. They eat turtles there? This was my first time-in the place known as the Crescent City-the city of New Orleans and the city that celebrates life. I had to make it back someday.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Mr. W.O. Rowland
Back in the day when I was in 6th grade I made money by throwing newspapers. I threw the Dallas Times Herald. It was an afternoon paper so each day after school I would run home and get to work. I would have to un-bundle the papers, stack the sections, and then either wrap them with a rubber band or put them in a plastic bag. Once I was done with this, off I would go delivering them on my old ten speed bike.
I started off with 1 route of approximately 60 papers then another became available. This let me jump to delivering 150 papers each weekday and 175 on weekends in a 5 square mile area. The cool part of this was getting to know the customers. Some were out in their yards waiting for delivery. Select others would offer conversation when I porched their papers. They were usually older people who needed such help and I was glad to oblige. Finally there was the interaction from collecting. Yes, every month I would have to go to 90% of the customers and collect the $6.25 monthly charge. It was challenging but the pay off was tips and in the case of W.O. Roland some great conversation.
During this time, it was for the most part “safe” to go into homes. I didn’t go into many, but some people would invite me in, especially when it was cold. W.O. Roland was one of those people. He was in his 70’s, kind of a grandfatherly figure. He loved to tell stories about a place called New Orleans. His stories were of jazz music, his adventures as a musician, and other tall tales. The French Quarter sounded fascinating, as did the above ground cemeteries, Mardi Gras, crawfish, and the Mississippi river with its boats and ships. It was through him I learned there was a far away "magical" place called New Orleans.
Mr. Roland convinced me to believe a story about him as a teen wanting to get into the music scene there. He told me he hopped a train bound for New Orleans. He rode in a boxcar for days until he almost made it. I pretty much just heard “hopped a train” and thought that was so cool. At a stop outside of New Orleans, he was caught and his mom was called. She had to drive from Dallas to New Orleans and pick him up. Eventually he made it on his own as an adult and gave the scene a try.
He must have loved it to go back and spend some years there and he must have loved it to share such tales. Mr. W.O. Roland (R.I.P.) was the first person to introduce me to New Orleans through stories and it was then, unbeknownst to me, that my path was set.
I started off with 1 route of approximately 60 papers then another became available. This let me jump to delivering 150 papers each weekday and 175 on weekends in a 5 square mile area. The cool part of this was getting to know the customers. Some were out in their yards waiting for delivery. Select others would offer conversation when I porched their papers. They were usually older people who needed such help and I was glad to oblige. Finally there was the interaction from collecting. Yes, every month I would have to go to 90% of the customers and collect the $6.25 monthly charge. It was challenging but the pay off was tips and in the case of W.O. Roland some great conversation.
During this time, it was for the most part “safe” to go into homes. I didn’t go into many, but some people would invite me in, especially when it was cold. W.O. Roland was one of those people. He was in his 70’s, kind of a grandfatherly figure. He loved to tell stories about a place called New Orleans. His stories were of jazz music, his adventures as a musician, and other tall tales. The French Quarter sounded fascinating, as did the above ground cemeteries, Mardi Gras, crawfish, and the Mississippi river with its boats and ships. It was through him I learned there was a far away "magical" place called New Orleans.
Mr. Roland convinced me to believe a story about him as a teen wanting to get into the music scene there. He told me he hopped a train bound for New Orleans. He rode in a boxcar for days until he almost made it. I pretty much just heard “hopped a train” and thought that was so cool. At a stop outside of New Orleans, he was caught and his mom was called. She had to drive from Dallas to New Orleans and pick him up. Eventually he made it on his own as an adult and gave the scene a try.
He must have loved it to go back and spend some years there and he must have loved it to share such tales. Mr. W.O. Roland (R.I.P.) was the first person to introduce me to New Orleans through stories and it was then, unbeknownst to me, that my path was set.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Kevin's Introduction
40 years ago I was born in Dallas, TX. I have never truly left Texas for more than a few weeks so Dallas has been home. It’s a good place for the most part. Dallas is progressive, a bit hurried, scattered, modern, and it has been a great home. My family is here and we are all doing our thing. I have met many friends in Dallas who have come and gone. I met my wife here as well.
I have been married to Nancy for 10 years. She is from New Orleans and moved to Dallas 20+years ago. We have had many visits to New Orleans. These were not my first visits to New Orleans though. I went many years ago a time or two. The city always appealed to me from my first visit. As years have passed, I have read that it is common to fall in love with New Orleans because of the way it is. It is unlike any other city around.
Our path in life is taking us to New Orleans-family calls. I read in a Chris Rose book called 1 Dead in Attic that “New Orleans girls never live anywhere else and even if they do, they always come back.” It’s true. It is time for Nancy to go home and I am taking the journey by her side.
This is going to be quite a ride for me and I want to share it. I am full of all kinds of emotions-excitement, nervousness, sadness, fear, and all the things that go with making such a life change. It is easiest for me to work through this with writing and sharing. I plan to share my experiences learning the New Orleans lifestyle, my ups, downs and all in between. I hope you will take this journey with me at your leisure.
I have been married to Nancy for 10 years. She is from New Orleans and moved to Dallas 20+years ago. We have had many visits to New Orleans. These were not my first visits to New Orleans though. I went many years ago a time or two. The city always appealed to me from my first visit. As years have passed, I have read that it is common to fall in love with New Orleans because of the way it is. It is unlike any other city around.
Our path in life is taking us to New Orleans-family calls. I read in a Chris Rose book called 1 Dead in Attic that “New Orleans girls never live anywhere else and even if they do, they always come back.” It’s true. It is time for Nancy to go home and I am taking the journey by her side.
This is going to be quite a ride for me and I want to share it. I am full of all kinds of emotions-excitement, nervousness, sadness, fear, and all the things that go with making such a life change. It is easiest for me to work through this with writing and sharing. I plan to share my experiences learning the New Orleans lifestyle, my ups, downs and all in between. I hope you will take this journey with me at your leisure.
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