My friends Justin, Kirbey, and Dirk came into New Orleans Thursday, and I’ve spent the last couple days pretending they still lived here and everything was just as it was pre-Katrina. We call this therapy. Last night we ate at a restaurant that opened just after Justin and I moved here in August 2004 called Sweet Fire & Ice. For those of you along the Gulf Coast, it’s owned by Copeland’s. I recommend the Chicken Parmesan, and for dessert, grab their great White Russian Cheesecake (although all of their cheesecakes are incredible). It’s a little pricey, and Sweet Fire & Ice had valet only parking (and being very touchy with my car, I don’t care for valet). But it’s a great date place, and it has good food. Last night we had a game night reminiscent of the old days, with Liz, Dave and Jennifer, Justin and Kirbey, Nikki, Dirk, and I. We played Boxers or Briefs (just click it). It’s a hilarious game, and it was great just to hang out like we did before the hurricane. It was one of the few moments since I moved back that seemed like it was before.
This morning, Justin, Kirbey, Dirk, and I went to the French Market in the Quarter. They ate beignets and had café-au-lait at Café Du Monde, and I soaked in the steady noise of tourists and street performers. Here are some photos from this morning’s walk through the French Market and Quarter. In there, you can see St. Louis Cathedral, a New Orleans trolley, and the photo I got of the coolest old man in the Market. He had such a great face.
Then we went to grab lunch at Popeyes in Metairie before Kirbey’s interview. While we were out there (about 1:30 PM), we ran across a car fire in a small neighborhood in East Metairie. Dirk, Justin, and I jumped out and helped hose it down before the firemen arrived. Later, we took pictures and I emailed them to the nice lady. The car had been in her driveway, and she’d had electrical work done on it twice in the recent past. Good thing she wasn’t in it. Her mom came out and said, “God always seems to put angels in our path whenever we need help, just at the right moment.” It’s the second time in less than a year that I’ve been referred to as an angel (but I digress).
After Kirbey’s interview, we drove back to NOBTS and I took a nap. Justin, Dirk, and Kirbey left for Weaver, Alabama (home). At 6:30 PM, I left to pick Doug up from the New Orleans International Airport, and took him to the West Bank, where he’s staying. A long day, this one was.