Hurricanes and pianos

We were very lucky with the timing of our visit to New Orleans as the annual jazz festival starts the day after we leave. Some of the acts we saw on the street were groups here for the festival. While we were watching one group a black man appeared from out of nowhere and joined the band singing "Down by the Riverside". He grabbed a blond teenager by the hand and soon had a group of people following him as he sang and danced up and down the street. At the end of the song the lead singer announced who he was, but unfortunately we didn't catch his name. The members of the band were very obviously over the moon to be performing with him though.


Later in the day we found ourselves at Pat O'Briens, famous for their legendary 26oz (770ml) Hurricanes. The waiter greeted us with "Y'all here for a Hurricane?" At that stage we didn't know we were, but once we'd read the cocktail list we realized that WAS what we there for!


This is the view of the coutyard from our tiny fourth floor balcony


... and this is the view looking straight ahead... Now who would want to live in that little house up there?

A local told us where to go for good food and local jazz, but once we found the dueling piano bar at Pat O'Briens we didn't want to leave. We did briefly to grab a lucky dog from a cart on a street corner and then had to queue to get back in! When we left again later the queue must have had about 60 people in it.


The pianos have huge mirrors behind them to help you see the pianists and the keyboards. And there was a guy playing a tray! He had something metal on his fingers that he tapped against the tray - easier to carry around than a set of drums.

Now we are sitting at the Amtrak station, feeling that we need at least another week in New Orleans. Sad to leave, but plenty more adventures ahead.

;-) Ann-a-Gram