taz_39 | Tootsie on Tour: NOLA (Reply)

**Disclaimer: The content of this post reflects my own personal views, opinions, and experiences.
This post does NOT express the views or opinions of my employer.**

Note:
Due to an ongoing family emergency, there are times where I may post less regularly or with less content.
Thank you for your understanding.
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The venue: Saenger Theatre

(stock images)

Covid Tests to Date: 17

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Monday. I woke up early. I always wake up early on travel days even if we're leaving late, because I'm EXCITED.
Same thing used to happen on the circus train. You'd hear those air brakes come off early Monday morning, and your heart rate would increase just the slightest bit. On to a new city and a new adventure.

I packed my luggage differently than usual, cramming more of the things from my backpack into my suitcases and keeping a tote bag out. All this because we'd been told we'd get to the hotel before our rooms would be ready, and I wanted to have everything I'd need to explore for a few hours without having a backpack full of junk I didn't need.

The bus came for us around 9am and we piled on, fighting traffic to Orlando International.
Our flight was more or less on time and very smooth, lovely weather for flying.
The pilot (or perhaps one of the flight attendants) was a big Broadway fan, so they announced on the plane that "The cast of TOOTSIE is flying with us today!" and made everyone clap for us. It was kiiiinda awkward, but also kinda sweet.

We arrived slightly late but not too bad, then once we'd retrieved our luggage it was a fight through traffic to get to our hotel, just one block off of Basin Street. Right in the middle of the action.

If you're a night person, you will LOVE downtown New Orleans. Bars and live music and ghost tours and booze and restaurants galore.
I am not a night person, and I'm very much an introvert. Plus, I've been here before with the circus and have done quite a lot of sightseeing at that time (those posts can be found HERE if you're interested). There are still things that I want to do and see here, just not at night when there are rowdy drunks all around. Not my scene.

So we got to the hotel, and as predicted they did not have all of the rooms ready. I was able to stash my luggage with the bellhop and--impatient and hungry, without waiting to see if anyone wanted to hang--went right back out the door and into the busy street.

See, this is why it's hard for me to make friends.

I walked to the nearest place where I knew I could find a muffuletta, which at that time of day was Cafe Beignet on Decatur Street.
I had breakfast at the airport, but now it was almost 2pm and I was very hungry!
Muffuletta isn't something I would normally crave. It's a sandwich made with a special 9" round bun topped with toasted sesame seeds. Inside are ham, salami, mortadella, mozzarella, provolone, and an olive salad (pickled olives and misc veggies). I usually try to avoid overly salty, fatty foods. But, well...you only live once, and I wanted to try it!

It was better than I expected! Sure it was salty, but not excessively. And the olive veggie blend on top really was something special. It gave the whole sandwich a tang and crispness that elevated it so much. Although I probably wouldn't eat these frequently, I'd certainly eat one again the next time I'm in NOLA.

After that I still needed to kill time, so wandered around Jackson Square and just appreciated the fine weather, the lack of tourists, and the various artists and street performers hawking their wares. As I walked I chatted via Messenger with Rebecca, a good friend from the circus who is a native to NOLA and who had many great recommendations for things to see and do. At her prompting I walked to Southern Candy Co. to pick up some pralines; I got a plain praline and a sweet potato-flavored one which I'll break into pieces and eat during the week. Then I walked up and down misc side streets just kind of window shopping and seeing what's around, before heading back to the hotel. At this point there was a room ready for me, so I retrieved my luggage and got settled in.

I'm starting to get into a pattern with my unpacking, which I'll probably detail in another city that's less interesting than New Orleans.
For now, I got out my basics and then went back outside to walk to Rouse's, a local grocery chain that I know well from my time in the circus.
It felt familiar and nostalgic to find that same grocery store again. I picked up all my usual stuff, but did find one weird thing that I just HAD to try: COFFEE AND SODA FLAVORED LA CROIX.
Weird, right?? No caffeine, no sugar. Just "essences" of these flavors. I couldn't NOT try it.
It was "good"...but definitely weird. Hard to describe. I have to admit that I would buy it again.

I dragged all of my groceries home, got a shower, and did some meal planning and responding to emails. Somewhere in there my stepmom poked me for a video chat, and it was very good to talk to her. Then right as that finished my aunt called, and we had a long conversation that was also really good. While all this was going on Jameson was playing a gig at The Villages, and I was watching a live video stream that one of his friends had shared. By the time I finished all this excellent time with my loved ones, it was 9pm.

And let me tell you, it was SO much better than barhopping :)

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Tuesday: I woke up around 8am feeling well rested, made myself some breakfast, and sat down to plan out my week in NOLA.
I also ate a piece of the sweet potato praline...it was REALLY good! You could taste the sweet potato in there!

Goals this week: Eat at Brennan's. Get a loaf of local bread, and a bag of local coffee. Visit the art museum/sculpture garden/botanical garden. Ride a streetcar.

I walked to French Truck Coffee, a local roaster with a huge variety of beautiful blends to choose from. After consulting with the cashier I ended up with a bag of freshly-ground dark roast. She also gave me a free cup to try! It was very good, and the grounds smell fantastic. I'm excited to bring this tasty brew on the road with me.

Then I went to a few tourist shops to find a magnet for my friend Jane, who collects magnets and needs one from New Orleans. We found a few prospects, and I bookmarked their locations for later.

Then I picked up lunch at TOAST, a cafe serving brunch and lunch.
They had this prosciutto and honey grilled toast with herbed riccotta, and that sounded like something I HAD to try!
Lo and behold, like most food in New Orleans, it was amazing.
They actually cooked the toast in the honey so it was caramelized on the bottom.

Back at the hotel I ironed my concert pants and then just chilled for a few hours before walking to the theatre.
This is a very old theatre, so the pit is very small. The crew must have had a heck of a time with load in as well, because our show was delayed by a half hour so things could be safely finished. Yikes! We used to have similar issues on the circus from time to time...some venues are just difficult, that's all there is to it. There were a few interesting mishaps during our show as well, like one of the actresses sneezing during her lines, and our MD missing one of our click track entrances...but the show went on just fine anyway. Stuff will happen outside the norm, and although it may seem like a big deal to us, often the audience barely notices :)

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Wednesday, I woke up at 8 so I could walk to Breads on Oak for my loaf of local bread!

They have about four of five types of bread typically in stock, most of which are types of baguettes or boules.
I chose their multigrain: "A satisfying and healthy loaf made with rye, whole wheat, and bread flours and packed with flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and rolled oats". I asked for a half-loaf because it's a pretty big loaf! They also have lots of tasty-looking vegan sandwiches that I wish I could have tried, but there's just TOO MUCH food to try here in NOLA!

Back at the hotel I pulled my bread out of the bag because it was still quite warm and I didn't want it getting gummy.

I cut a few slices to have with eggs and almond butter and fruit for breakfast. It was delicious! Nutty and crusty, with lovely rye and wheat flavors. Can't wait to enjoy it for the whole week!

That done, I walked over to the cable car station with a line straight to the museum.
I've ridden cable cars before (San Fran, I think Fort Worth has some too?) and they are a cheap and lovely way of getting around town.
Once at the museum I strolled around outside for a bit and found "The Singing Oak", a large oak tree with wind chimes hanging in the branches.
It was lovely, and a little mournful-sounding. I could have stood under that tree for hours.

Then I went into the museum proper, where all kinds of gorgeous art awaited.
Made a TikTok to condense the experience down for you:

@tromboneontour Next stop, Houston! #bananasfoster #brennans #nola #foodtiktok #neworleans #tootsiemusical #tourlife #treatyourself #tromboneontour #museummoment #art ♬ original sound - Megan OMalley

This was a really wonderful collection of art. A lot of times you go to a museum and they have just one type of art on display, or only a few styles, or a focus on just a few artists. Here we had art from many periods, representations across many cultures and styles of visual art.
I've described in the video what I liked about the particular artworks that I photographed today. It was a pleasure to get to see all of these works, and one of the reasons I'm glad to be on tour, otherwise I may not have had the opportunity or the time.

I rode the cable car back and walked back to the hotel for a snack and a break (lots of walking today!) and then walked some more to pick up a premade sushi dinner at Rouse's. "Why didn't you eat at a local place?" I hear you saying. "Saving my money for Brennan's", I reply.

For you see, Yael (trumpet) and I have been trying to get reservations at Brennan's for several of us band members.
Being a pessimist, I saw that there were no spots available and that reservations could be booked up two months in advance.
I assumed that this meant the restaurant was regularly booked up, for months. Which is probably true...but I assumed that this was the type of restaurant that you NEEDED to reserve well in advance.

Yael, who is much more optimistic than I am, insisted on contacting the restaurant on the day of to see about getting us in.
And lo and behold, she got us a reservation at 11!
I felt ashamed for being so negative (I had told the others that it was unlikely we'd get in). I need to work on being more optimistic. To be fair, I've never been an optimist at any point in my life, but I CAN make more of an effort, especially when others are trying to make plans around it. Anyway, just an observation. Bottom line, we got to eat at Brennan's!!

It was a short walk to the restaurant, we were seated quickly and served misc drinks, some of us getting coffee or alcohol or just plain water. Josh (key 1) and I got appetizers in the form of a baked apple for him (it looked amazing) and turtle soup for me. It was served with spinach, grated egg, and a splash of sherry on top. This was a peppery Cajun-seasoned stew, so it was kind of hard to tell the actual flavor of the turtle meat. The texture was like a slightly chewy beef, not unpleasant at all. I enjoyed it very much.
(and I've never gotten a mild buzz from a soup before!)

For the entree I had the "Eggs St. Charles", which was two beautifully poached eggs atop two pieces of light and crispy fried whitefish, on a bed of creamed spinach and topped with blood orange Hollandaise. Oh my gosh. What a combination of textures and flavors! I was shocked at how light the fish was despite being fried, it was so crispy, and then the spinach was so creamy along with the beautiful eggs, and the citrus from the Hollandaise was somehow just what it all needed.

I had meant to eat half and take half home but Josh pointed out that this wouldn't be nearly as good as leftovers, so I put on my big girl pants and ate the whole thing! In fact all of us cleaned our plates, not a crumb left. It was that good.

Finally, we had to get the bananas Foster because supposedly Brennan's invented it!
Our server told us the story of how bananas Foster came to be as she prepared our treat.

@tromboneontour #brennans #bananasfoster #nola #foodporn #foodie #foodtiktok #desserttiktok #storytime #historyoffood #neworleans #finedining #brunch #treatyourself ♬ original sound - Megan OMalley

The results were, of course, delicious. We got two of them to split among the six of us, and it was just perfect.

I don't eat like this very often. It was a rare and special treat, especially with a group of wonderful friends and musicians.
The only thing that could have made it better was if Jameson had been there with me.

And truthfully, the whole reason I even document all of this is because I wish everyone could experience these things. My life has been weird and crazy, but there are so many moments that I wish I could share with everyone on the planet. Everyone deserves to try a beautiful plate of bananas Foster. Everyone deserves to feel what it's like to ride the circus train. Everyone deserves to be on the receiving end of a standing ovation. But life isn't fair, never has been. And I can't give those things to you. All I can do is share them, and hope that you can vicariously feel some of the things that I feel.

The rest of my day was spent relaxing and doing laundry before the evening show.
While doing laundry I realized that my black sweater is nowhere to be seen. I must have left it at the Orlando hotel. Sigh.
The evening show was good, just one small snafu that hopefully the audience didn't notice. There has been a snafu for every show here in NOLA so far...I wonder if we will get any normal shows here! Maybe the theatre is haunted!

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Friday. I am starting to make plans for a visit home to help with the ongoing family issue.
After doing some of that I had breakfast and employed Google Maps to scope out the Houston area ahead of next week, mostly seeing what restaurant options might be available because our route sheet claims no microwaves or fridges in the rooms. There's a lot I can still make without those things using my little skillet (or just plain PB&J!), but knowing what's around is helpful for being prepared.

In the afternoon I went searching for a black sweater or shirt to replace the one I've lost. Still unsure whether I left it at the hotel or at the house back in Orlando, but either way it's not here and that only leaves me with two concert shirts to work with. I'd at least like three so I'll have one clean one ready to go each week. I found an H&M surprisingly close, and had good luck there, getting two long-sleeved shirts for layering or wearing along and one ribbed zip-up shirt-thing that's very fitted but that I really liked and couldn't pass up.

The evening show went just fine.

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Saturday, I had a slow morning of watching Squid Games while texting with Jameson, who was flying to Chicago to visit with family. He got there safely, and now we're in the same time zone for a bit! Yay!

The matinee went well. It's a lot colder outside today, so during the break I broke out my raspberry-colored pea coat which I'm very grateful to have packed now that it's getting cold. Our evening show was fine, with a more enthusiastic audience, yay :)

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Sunday was Jameson's birthday!! I sent his gift, which I hope he'll make good use of...he turns 40 today, and it was something to help him feel young at heart. After that it was breakfast and a little bit of packing before the matinee. Which went well, although I did overhear some patrons who didn't care for the show. Can't please everyone I suppose.

The evening show went equally well, with a bit of a better response from what I could hear. Afterward we packed up quickly, and I was once again the first person out of the pit. The only things I need to do differently on Load Out Day are swab out my instrument and put my mutes in a bag, and that takes maybe two extra minutes.

Tomorrow we are taking a charter bus to Houston! Three hours to a rest stop for a lunch break, three more hours to the hotel. I'm glad not to have to weigh luggage, and prefer riding in a ground vehicle to flying. I have a short list of potential to-dos in Houston: eat the best possible Tex-Mex, visit the Zoo, and as always, get some local bread!