They call Alabama the Crimson Tide. . . .
Chris and I went down to New Orleans to participate in the National Championship revelry. We did not have game tickets, but because we have several friends that live there (and a few others that were also going down for the game), we decided to go and spend some time with them and enjoy the celebration. We left Friday afternoon headed for our friend Randy's house, and our friend Tyler, who lives in Huntsville, came to Tuscaloosa to ride with us. We got there in time for dinner with a few of Randy and Stephanie's friends at Drago's, a seafood restaurant famous for its charbroiled oysters (I tried one, but I just cannot get past the booger texture). I had red beans and rice (I don't know if it was better than 5's!) and Chris had blackened redfish. Afterward, we went to The District, and then we went to Harrah's casino, where Chris won about $350 playing blackjack and roulette! Also, I ran into my friends Tiffany and Gigi, former Cabaret girls who now live in Texas and California, respectively. On Saturday morning, the boys went and played basketball, and then we all went out and ate a late lunch at Cafe Maspero in the French Quarter, where we had sandwiches and $1 strawberry daiquiris. Later, we went to Jax to watch the Saints game and munch on appetizers.
 |
| Taking the Streetcar (or trolley, some might say) |
On Sunday, we ate some delicious gumbo that Randy's dad made for lunch. Then we went down to Jackson Square where I met my friend Gigi for beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde and everybody else walked around to see the artists, St. Louis Cathedral, and other attractions.
 |
| Me and Gigi |
 |
| Chris enjoyed his beignets a little TOO much |
 |
| Cafe Du Monde |
|
We walked down to the French Market, and most of the shops had closed down for the evening, but I managed to buy matted sketch prints of Cafe Du Monde and St. Louis Cathedral. I cannot go anywhere without buying a souvenir. We sauntered down to the Market Cafe where a jazz band was playing. Then we decided to go down to Bourbon Street to take in the atmosphere, and my what a show! Strippers in various stages of undress standing in the doorways, men and women hanging over the balconies yelling "Roll Tide" and "Go Tigers" at passersby, police on enormous horses breaking up fights, vomit and liquor in the gutters, and crowds of people pushing and shoving to stumble from bar to bar. We went to the Krazy Korner to meet up with Chris's brother, Mike, and his girlfriend, Sissy. There was a fun cover band there, so we stayed a little while and danced.
 |
| Bourbon Street (excuse Chris the ghost) |
When we left there, we had some traditional cajun cuisine at a little restaurant you may not have heard of--Popeye's. The boys had to get some more casino time in, but Harrah's was a nightmare, so we went to the Treasure Chest, a casino on a boat. Chris won another $120 there playing blackjack, lost it all playing craps, and then put $100 on red playing roulette to win it back. I was so exhausted at that point I almost fell asleep on a cold metal bench in the lobby. On Monday, we went to the medical school to tailgate with some of Randy and Zack's classmates.
 |
| The girls at the tailgate--Brandy, Me, and Stephanie |
Then we walked down toward the Superdome. We walked through Champions Square, and the boys asked all the scalpers how much they were asking for tickets, though we only found one who was actually selling; all the others were looking!
 |
| Champions Square |
 |
| The boys at Champions Square--Tyler, Chris, Randy and Josh |
We went back to Randy's to watch the game and invited several of their friends over for dinner. Randy grilled some chicken and some gator sausage.
 |
| Gator Sausage |
The game was tons of fun, and every time we gained more than a couple yards or stopped the LSU offense, the boys jumped up and down and acted like fools.
 |
| Number 1! Brian, Chris, Zack, Josh, Tyler and Randy in front |
 |
| Pileup in the living room after Trent's touchdown |
After the game, we were all so excited over number 14 we wanted to go out and be a part of the celebration. Unfortunately, we happened up on the angry LSU fans' nest, and although we all acted with class and kept our mouths shut, we had a rag and a water bottle thrown at us, and then I had an entire drink dumped on my head. We wished that we had gone to Bourbon Street instead because that was apparently where all the Bama fans were. Live and learn.
All in all, it was a fun trip, and it was really nice to spend time with some friends that we do not get to see often. I want to go back and do some more eating!
Roll Tide!
Jillerina :*
 |
| Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah |
