New Orleans

This past weekend the family headed off to New Orleans to meet my parents for the ANA Money Show.  It was a short 4 day trip, but we seemed to pack in a lot of activity.  We stayed in the French Quarter and were close to great dining.

Our first stop after flying in was Copeland’s.  This is a local chain from the founder of Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits.  Surprisingly, my wife and I both ordered salads.  The girls had red beans and rice and macaroni and cheese.  After getting settled into the hotel we made our way about town.  We headed to the Gumbo Shop for dinner for a more involved meal.  I had a shrimp po’boy, my wife had red beans and rice and we got pizza for the girls.  The Pizza Place across from our hotel ended up being a life saver as it offered pizza, hot sandwiches, and pasta.  We took advantage of most of the menu.

Saturday was the money show.  Attending the last day of a show is always hit or miss.  A lot of the fresh coins change hands before the show even opens to the public.  After the public has picked over coins for a couple of days, the population of offerings is thin.  Several dealers will start closing down well before the official 4:30 PM close.  To my delight, my Dad was able to find several of the Morgan dollars to complete his set from one of his favorite dealers.  I had a modicum of success as well.  One dealer had a great inventory, but incredibly high prices.  I had the good fortune to spot Rich Urich and although I could not find any 50c coins I liked, I found a beautiful 10c coin and was able to pick it up at a fair price.

Saturday night was date night.  My parents graciously offered to watch the girls and we headed to Bayona for dinner.  This is a cute French restaurant not far from our hotel.  We got a recommendation from a local and were not disappointed.  Susan Spicer did not disappoint.  In addition to the standing menu, the selection of daily specials made for tough decisions.  I actually had to have the waiter explain the menu to me.  To his credit, I did not feel embarrassed at all and got a quick primer on pronunciation and several ingredients.  My wife had the only vegetarian dish on the menu and I had the rabbit.  The dining experience was impeccable although I did reinforce that I am not really a foodie and was still craving a fried catfish dinner.

Sunday was Mother’s Day brunch at the Feelings Café.  This was a cute restaurant a little off the beaten path.  I had the eggs Florentine which was a pretty good dish, but I really don’t like runny eggs or hollandaise sauce.  Sunday night I finally got my catfish dinner from Huck Finn’s.  It satisfied to the core and was worth eating healthy for all weekend leading up to my cholesterol influx.

Monday was our last day in town.  We enjoyed the water front and had a diner breakfast at Mena’s Palace.
 

We did not get out of downtown much, but we did take in some staple activities including a picture in front of the cathedral and beignets from Café du Monde.  The girls had a good time at the hotel pool and I even managed to get a run in along the water front.  Traveling is always hectic, but this trip wasn’t too hectic.