With all sorts of activities to do, different foods to eat, and cultures to learn about, I don’t think I could ever be bored in New Orleans even if I would just spend most of my time in the Quarter. They have the best classic rock station that I have ever heard, and it doesn’t hurt that there are plenty of artists in the local bars and on the streets, so I would never be searching for new stuff to listen to. It’s safe to say that I won’t be going anywhere near Bourbon st. though. While they do play some alright music, it’s not the kind of stuff I’m into and I’m not really into going clubbing in the first place. I’d also rather not have to deal with the tourist trap of the city, but just be somewhere where I can relax and listen to good music without having to deal with people who get too drunk.

I’m also in a stage in my life where I’m open to trying new foods, even stuff that I may have snubbed earlier in life. With the variety of cultures in the city comes a variety of cooking styles, and with that comes a variety of foods I’ve never tried before or some interesting twists on classics.

On Sunday, a large group of students went to the Los Isleños festival at St Bernard’s Parish. Having, stupidly, turned down the chance to go, I instead started messaging a friend on Facebook who just so happens to live in New Orleans. His name is Tony Hollums, and I met him about two years ago when I was vacationing in the city with my family. We saw him in the market, selling some artwork that he had done. I really liked what I saw, and decided to buy one of his pieces, but not as a print. I bought the original, which he just so happened to have with him at the time. I have since gotten that framed and it is now hanging above my TV on the wall.

We decided to meet at the Somethin’ Else Cafe, which is situated across the street from the Louisiana Supreme Court on Royal St. We met up, and went in to order breakfast, only to find that they stop serving it after noon. So we got lunch instead, and while we waited, Tony showed me all that he had brought with him, which was an extensive catalogue. He mentioned how, when I fist met him, that he had just been starting out. Since then, he has done commissions for a local art school in New Orleans, some place in Chicago (I can’t remember the name), and the covers of two different magazines, one local and one that’s in the Northeast. He also mentioned that he had been an architect student earlier, and then a computer student, until he finally settled on art. He said that his style is a result/mix of his background in those three fields, which is probably why it captivates me so. As we ate our lunch, we also talked about some common interests we both had such as bands that we liked (both locally and nationally known), games we liked, and we also delved a bit deeper into those broad subjects. I won’t bore people with those details.

When the people who went to the Los Isleños festival came back to the Banana, and I heard about that all they did there, I somewhat regretted not going. I was still glad I met up with a really great guy who I never thought I would get to see again. I also got to buy a couple pieces from him before we left the state. I’ll go ahead and post what I bought from him below, so others can see for themselves.

The original piece I bought in 2012:

The two prints I bought on this trip:

So since the Court of Two Sisters was too expensive for some people, we split up and found other places to eat at. I went with Shannon and Austin to the French Market, Decatur specifically, and I purchased half a muffaletta from Frank’s restaurant, which Shannon had half of and Austin had a bite as well. I was not disappointed in the sandwich, since I had had one two years ago and loved it. Shannon, on the other hand was a bit cautious, since she didn’t like olives, but she also liked the sandwich. Afterwards, the three of us walked into the French Market, and I bought a couple of posters of the Beatles, a Doors cd that my dad did not have, and a piece of slate roofing from one of the old buildings in the Quarter. The three of us met up with the rest of our group from earlier and started making our way back to the courtyard. I stuck with Shannon and on our way back we stopped in a variety of stores and bought souvenirs to take home.

So after cooling off for an hour at the courtyard, I showered and got ready for dinner at a local spanish restaurant called Lola’s. I usually don’t eat much spanish food, but I must say that this place was pretty good. I ordered the meat paella, and when it came after about 30 minutes, I immediately noticed the similarities between it and jambalaya. It was basically sausage and chicken mixed in with rice, and it contained more types of vegetables than just peppers. It also didn’t use a stock like jambalaya normally does, but used saffron rice instead. I really enjoyed, even though I didn’t finish all of it. I’m just sad that I left my to-go container at the restaurant and didn’t realize until we we’re too far away.