Tourist In Your Own Town – 2009

Carlos and I planned our third annual Tourist in Your Own Town weekend for a recent December 2009 weekend. It turns out that it was one of the worst weekends weather-wise and health-wise, but sometimes that is what makes for the best memories.


We arrived Friday afternoon to my parent’s Bed and Breakfast (left photo) to 40 degree weather. After unpacking, we had a late lunch at Port of Call. Then we walked around the French Quarter, to the Aquarium, the Riverwalk, stopped in a few hotels to see the decorations, finally ending up at The Mint for an exhibit on money and technology of the 1800’s. On the way home, we stopped at a small supermarket in the Quarter to pick up some sausage and bell peppers to add to the Jambalaya mix that I had brought from home. We cooked a big pot of Jambalaya and settled down on the couch the rest of the evening.

Saturday morning, we woke up to more cold and the threat of rain. We didn’t care; we had a 10 am cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. There were 67 people in the class so we didn’t actually cook, though we did eat the food. (I guess a better description would be a cooking demonstration.) I highly recommend the class – for tourists or natives of New Orleans. Make sure you get Chef Michael as your instructor. He cooked four items: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, Jambalaya, Bread Pudding, and Pralines. As he created each dish, he wove the history of New Orleans into his preparation. For example, as he added okra to the Gumbo, he discussed that it is believed that okra first reached the New World during the days of slave trafficking. Then he discussed slavery in New Orleans.

After the class, Carlos and I walked through the rain down Frenchmen Street to Mona’s for some takeout food. We had planned to go out when the rain subsided, but the rain only got worse. Plus we both had terrible chest colds. We bundled up on the couch, turned on the TV, ate our food and napped all afternoon and evening. It was nice to just cuddle up under the covers. Carlos did, however, have to go out in the pouring rain at one point to move his car. The water was creeping up his tires and he was afraid that the water would get into his car.

Sunday, we got up early and ate breakfast at La Peniche, a couple of blocks from my parent's B&B. Then headed home.
This year’s Tourist in Your Hometown weekend had definitely the least amount of adventure, but it was still quite memorable.

Here’s a link to past year’s weekends:

2007

2008