We arrived in New Orleans today and couldn't check into out hotel for a long time so we decided to walk around the city a little bit and find something to eat. We started down Canal St which is a main street there and started looking in all the little shops. It is so neat to see the interesting things they sell but a lot of the little stores along this street all sold the same things so we decided to head further down and go down some side streets. Along the way we passed a hotel and noticed that the police had closed down the street for a fancy black bus. We figured maybe it was someone important or famous so of course we had to pull ourselves over and wait and see. Finally two girls ran out of the hotel and onto the bus. Unfortunately we were on the wrong side and so all we could see was their backs but from behind it looked just like the Kardashian sisters. For weeks now I kept talking about how cool it would be to see Kim Kardashian there (she dates Reggie Bush who plays for the New Orleans Saints) once I watch the show and of course when I'm pretty sure I did I was on the wrong side of the doorway and seen her back instead of her face! I'm not 100% positive that it was her but she was in town for the Saints game (I found out AFTER we got home tonight). If it WAS her she is so tiny and I'm jealous! So that was exciting. As we were eating we talked about what we each would do if someone famous (like her or Reggie Bush) would walk in the restaurant we were at and we both agreed that we would think it was super cool that we got to see them but we'd have to leave them alone. They are normal people who probably just want a meal LOL. I think Id have to make an exception for Reggie Bush though and try to get Dave an autograph...maybe after he had eaten :)
After all that excitement we went further into the French Quarter and hit Bourbon St. to see if there were any good places to eat. To be honest we were very much lost in this city. It seems like we were walking in circles a lot so although Bourbon St. might not have been where we were heading it was the first familiar looking street name we came across so we hit it. We looked around there for a while and then walked down a couple of more streets (sadly because we were lost!) and eventually ran across a McDonalds and said screw it and ate there. We were starving and it was something we knew lol. After we ate we were so tired and wanted to go check in, change shoes (I had evil shoes on the whole weekend), and kinda settle in before heading back out. The hotel still couldn't check us in so we waited there for what turned out to be 2 hours and then finally got into our room. It was not what I was expecting at all. It was so cute and nice! Don't get me wrong. I wasn't expecting anything nasty but in the reviews it had said that it was an older "boutique" hotel and so I was expecting something outdated. Not at all! It was kind of a mix of new/old. Perfect for the town we were staying in. Plus we were within walking distance of everywhere you would want to go. So if you ever go ask me for the information!
So after settling in and taking a nap we ordered pizza from a little pizza dive down the street (I swear we branched out our food choices over the days)and headed to Bourbon St. Along the way on one of the side streets we noticed that they were filming a movie in a little cafe. We stood and watched that for a little bit but couldn't really see in the cafe so we continued on our way. It was kinda cool to see how everything was set up and how much seemed to go into it even outside while they were filming inside. That story continues later in the night. So on to Bourbon St we went. We had both said that we were not going to drink that much because we wanted to do so much the next day. So if you have never been to New Orleans or Bourbon St then you don't know how easy it is for the atmosphere to take over you. Walking around the French Market and Jackson Square I felt this relaxed feeling take over me. Just strolling along without a care. On Bourbon St the same thing happens and you get caught up in the atmosphere so our plan to not drink a lot went straight out the window. Actually we didn't drink a lot its just neither of us drink hardly at all and so it didn't take much for me to have a buzz. I wasn't drunk but I definitely was caught up in the atmosphere. We danced a LOT which was my favorite thing to do the whole weekend. There was a bar called Razzoo that had the best band and so we would go in there and dance. It was so much fun. The cops down there are very relaxed and basically just sit on their horses and watch out for everyone. At one point while we were watching the band and dancing the cop guided the horse in through a huge window in the front of the bar. Scared the hell out of some people but it was definitely something Id never seen before. As we were walking down the street I stopped to ask the cop some questions and asked if I could take a picture so there should be one floating around in Day 1's slide show.
Around 2:30am we stopped long enough for me to realize that the shoes I had on were HORRIBLE and were really hurting my feet so we decided to walk back to the hotel and grab my sandals. Dave does not understand the concept of cute over comfortable when it comes to shoes and it was a constant source of conversation every time we were about to go out. Finally on the last day I had to agree that he was right. Id show you a picture of my feet but I hate my feet so I wont do it but I had to wear bandages pretty much covering my whole foot on each one. I have about 2 blisters on each toe and on the tops of my feet.I am thinking of burning the shoes I wore just so I never pick those over comfort again. ANYWAY... so we left the hotel to head back to Bourbon St. (funny how at the beginning of the night I was saying how crazy it was that people could party into the morning and here were were heading back out at 3am). As we were walking back we passed the movie that was being made again. They had moved everything outside and were now filming a scene outside. It was really interesting to see how many people were working behind the scenes and how much work went in to filming even one scene. The main star that was filming was James Gandolfini aka Tony Soprano! Unlike a lot of the crazies walking the street at 3am we behaved ourselves and kinda started talking to the behind the scene people and so when they closed down the street to film the scene they let us stay and watch. It was amazing how a dark unlit street all the sudden looked like it was daylight outside. Also how they layed a track all the way down the street so the camera and camera guy could roll down the street for a smooth shot. It actually made me feel bad for actors because he did the same scene over and over and over again. Each one (except the one where he goofed his lines and started laughing and one where the people pushing the cameraman weren't paying attention and let him fall off the track) seemed perfect so I felt bad he had to do it so many times with so much time in between each take. I thought it took forever so I'm sure he did too. Guess hes used to it. We watched this until 5am and then decided to call it a night. They said that they film around 15 hrs a day and there was no way I could handle that lol. James wife was with him and I couldn't believe she was out there with him while filming once it was 5am. That's dedication :). We didn't want to push our luck on being able to watch by introducing ourselves to James Gandolfini but Dave did sneak in some pictures with his camera phone (again we didn't want to push it) so you can see in the Day 1 slide show some of the shots that Dave got of the set and of James. When you see a movie in 2009 called "Welcome to the Rileys" make sure to see it and know that after they walk out of Menas Palace that Dave and I are right there in that scene. Very crazy.
So this started out to be a very interesting trip! I'm going to have one post for each day of the trip and a slide show for that day. That way its a little easier for everyone to get through.
See ya,
Christy
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