Two Saturdays ago I was able to score extremely-cheap-practically-free tickets to The Gin Game. I thought it was a great primer before seeing the new Star Wars movie – it was the voice of Darth Vadar! On stage! I made the cheesy request to go to Bourbon Street on Restaurant Row beforehand and my dude obliged. I had very little idea what The Gin Game was about – though I assumed it was probably about gin rummy – but it didn’t matter. It was James Earl Jones and Cecily Tyson onstage! Two of the oldest people still acting, I think. (Probably not, but let’s just go with it.) And they’re both still amazing. You know what else was amazing? Our seats. Fifth row, orchestra, dead center. I could’ve touched James Earl Jones with my lightsaber (if i owned one). 

About a pair of senior citizens living in a rather depressing retirement home in the south, the script is essentially just the two of them playing game after game of gin rummy. Tyson wins every single time, after two or three plays – sometimes five, if Jones is lucky. My boyfriend had semi-jokingly said beforehand, “I just want to see Darth Vadar swear for an hour and a half.” Well, he got what he wanted. His character had quite the temper and he swore and threw things around, a lot. 

It gets really dark and I ended up really feeling badly for the both of them. They’re both fantastic – duh. It was an odd and unexpected play, but highly entertaining. 

Five Days in New Orleans

Sorry for the silence! After five days in New Orleans with Kristen, my sinuses freaked out and I was busy back at work, so, Tumblrs, sorry, you took a back seat. BUT! New Orleans is an amazing city. When Tennessee Williams said “There are only 3 cities in America, New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland,” he was not lying. So much history and art and music. The architecture is beautiful there. I was astonished. It’s also one of the most haunted cities in America. It’s ALSO cheap as hell. My beer at the hotel bar was $7.50 (RIGHT?). 

Kristen and I went on a ghost tour, got lots of beads (it was the verrrrry beginning of Mardi Gras), went to Frenchmen Street, drank Hurricanes at Pat O’Briens where they were invented, saw the shitshow that was Bourdon Street, got very sloshed at times, went to Cafe Du Monde for the coffee, listened to jazz at Spotted Cat, and ate lots of amazing food (Herbsaint and Three Muses – GO). And we walked an entire parade route down Dauphine Street (we only caught up the tail end of it, unfortunately) and saw lots of the Bywater.

When I was on my own, I went into the Louisiana and New Orleans #1 Cemeteries (saw Marie Laveaus’ grave), I went to the World War II Memorial Museum, walked around the French Quarter, the Frenchmarket, and the Warehouse District lots. I drank a $3.50 Shocktop (not happy hour, that’s just the regular price, WHAT). I went to one of the Louisiana State Museums to exhibits on Katrina and Mardi Gras, I went to a yoga class at Reyn Yoga when I was incredibly hung over. I walked up and down Royal Street in the French Quarter a bunch of times listening to the music. I spent a bunch of time in Jackson Square people watching (and listening to music). I ate at the Ruby Slipper and Sylvain (both were awesome!). 

For the first time ever I didn’t really buy any souvenirs. I just didn’t feel like I needed any. I brought coffee back for my office and pralines back for my parents, and lots of beads, but that’s it. 

The people were incredibly nice and there’s so much to do there. I was sad to leave the seventy degree whether for twenty degree weather, but I was exhausted. If you’re going to NOLA, go for 4-5 days for your first time. You’ll never be bored but it won’t be too much. LOTS of pictures below the cut…