Wednesday: What a nice relaxing day! And capped by a great musical treat.

We needed just to decompress a bit, so the day was spent doing laundry and hanging out at the hotel as new people slowly drifted in. A few more are expected tomorrow and the next day, but most are now here. Hanging around the laundromat was also fun, as its a great way to see the hum and buzz of the Garden District under its daily routine. The Garden District is a part of NOLa that many tourists never get to see, and it has a whole different dynamic than the French Quarter, which is what most people come to see. The Garden District is known for its beautiful architecture and stately homes, but it is also a warren of converted apartments, shops, and really good restaurants, pubs and music places.

Every Wednesday night at 5:00 in Lafayette Square, the city hosts a free concert, with money from food sales going to support the local food bank. This Wednesday the headliner was Irma Thomas, a local celebrity and fantastic soul/jazz artist who has actually also won an Emmy or two, I think. Regardless, she was astounding! And such a treat for us. Afterwards, we went to a local pizza place where one can enjoy such things as prosciutto with caramalized onions etc. Fantastic food. One block from the hotel.

Thursday: after a leisurely sleep in, I took the bike over to a local car wash and put it through four cycles of the system. That got the dust off. I don't think I'll ever get all the bugs and dirt off. Eli and I then took the trolley into the French Quarter where we spent the day. Went up to the Mississippi River and watched the tugs and barges, which is a lot more interesting than you are presently thinking it is. That is one BIG river. Then a quick snack of jambalaya (me) and seafood gumbo (her) and then to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and chicory coffee. (Counting the fried shrimp dinner I had this evening, I think I gained ten pounds today.)

The real treat today, though, was running into Grandpa Elliot on the corner of Toulouse and Royal streets in the Quarter. We were walking along, and there he was—I thought. He was all alone, doing nothing, so I eventually went up to him and asked if he was who I thought. He was, and said that yes, he would sing something. So he sang Stand by Me and –since there was nobody else around –I sang along with him! What a thrill. Elizabeth and I then sat there with him and talked for a while, and he sang five or six more songs. Finally, someone came along and brought him some food, and we had to move on. I may try to find him again tomorrow, and get a picture.

For those that don't know him, he is the older, and second to appear, singer in this Playing for Change video. He has been a street performer in New Orleans for decades, beginning in 1948 or 1949—he was a bit vague on this-- when he started tap dancing on the corners for change. He still earns most of his income by street busking, but as you can see from googling him, he has also played concert halls from LA to Boston to Europe...but he keeps coming back to busking on the corner of Toulouse and Royal in New Orleans French quarter.

Another trolley ride “uptown” tonight for dinner at O'Henry's –fantastic food, and the trolley takes you right by Tulane and Loyola Universities which sit cheek to cheek along St. Charles Avenue. We were joined tonight by the last stragglers to roll in, one by plane –most by the more traditional Gypsy Tour mode of transport: Harley-Davidson. Thanks again to Big Daddy, the First Lady and Buddy the dog!

Some are heading off tomorrow to do a bike ride tour of the Garden District.  Eli andf I are not so energetic, but may try to find a way to ride the river (ferry) over to Algiers on the south bank of the Mississippi.  Want to find Tuba Skinny if they're playing the street anywhere -- My favorite New Orleans busking group.  We know they're in town, because we saw the singer--Erika Lewis-- in the crowd Wednesday night at the Irma Thomas concert.

They call this town the Big Easy, and there is a gentle easy pace to time here.  Don't think that was necessarily the derivation of the nickname, but it fits in so many ways.  Certainly, its easy to figure why people fall in love with the city.