Gators, Gumbo and Gattos

By DANIEL WINSTON GATTO | Junior Reporter

It was finally time for our New Orleans trip. Our goal was to tour some colleges, but I was really looking forward to seeing my cousin Jamie.

This trip was a little different because my dad’s girlfriend Jennifer and her daughter would also be joining us. Last minute, my uncle John decided to come as well.

We settled on a two bedroom condo close to the heart of the French Quarter and just one block from Bourbon Street. The apartment was awesome, it had a huge balcony that you had to step through really tall windows to access. I don’t think my dad read the fine print because there was a very loud trolley car that would pass by every 30 minutes or so and would wake us up throughout the night. Ding Ding!

Upon arrival, we dropped off all of our luggage and walked to a famous hotel called The Monteleone. Inside there was a very popular bar named the Carousel Bar. It was called this because the bar itself rotated like a fairground carousel inside the room. There we met my uncle John and we had an awesome time.

After this we walked back through Bourbon Street to the apartment. On Bourbon Street, there was a club with a mechanical bull. My uncle rode on it, but he was no match for the mechanical bull. I wanted to ride it but the owner said I was too young. I think the real reason was that he knew I was a better rider than he was! After this we went home and slept.

The next morning, my dad booked two college tours, Tulane, where my cousin is a senior, and Loyola.

Tulane was very interesting. The guides were exceptionally knowledgeable and they were very proud of their school. It was a large school hosting many buildings and having multiple classes for every profession. I thought it was quite strange how they had a whole building dedicated to glass blowing, which I had never heard of before that.

After this we went next door to Loyola University. It was much smaller than the Tulane campus but it had very interesting architecture. There were a few steeples and a small church nearby that the students would go to for performances and musicals. It was fun seeing these colleges and I may want to go to Tulane for my upcoming college years.

That afternoon, we met up with my uncle to have a snack at the famous Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets. They were delicious but we were covered in powdered sugar afterward.

Strolling around Jackson Square there was a Disney movie being filmed. I didn’t know they filmed so many movies down here, but my dad explained it was common to shoot in New Orleans for tax incentives.

We took a minute to watch the mighty Mississippi River flow by the French Market and then decided to go to lunch at The House of Gumbo. I ordered an alligator fried po boy, while my brother got a shrimp po boy. If you don’t know what a po boy is, it’s a sandwich with a large amount of whatever meat you want, pickles, tomatoes and lastly lettuce. Alligator tastes similar to chicken but I don’t think a chicken would eat me if it had a chance.

During our time in NOLA we saw all kinds of music. Jazz, Funk and Blues, but my favorite was when we went to see a rock band called Mac Sabbath. This band was absolutely bonkers. They were a parody band that did homages to Black Sabbath songs but with a fun little fast food twist. “Iron Man” was now “Frying Pan,” “Paranoid” was now “Pair Of Buns,” and so on…

The singer was dressed like Ronald McDonald in a straight jacket, and was squirting water out of ketchup and mustard bottles into the crowd like Ozzy would do with buckets. The other members of the band were also in character. There was Slayer Maccheeze (Mayor McCheese), GrimAlice (Grimace), and lastly Catburglar (Hamburglar). It was a very fun environment.

After this we went home, worn out from great music and amazing entertainment played in an old movie theater converted to a micro-brewery.

On Friday we drove a half hour out of the city so we could go on a swamp tour. When we were getting our tickets a man walked in with a possum in a bucket which was very peculiar. He said someone had lost a kitten but you can’t fool me.

After this we got on a small fan boat with a Tour Guide Captain who was extremely knowledgeable about his boat and the swamp. While we were driving he was doing drifts and 360 turns while pointing out all the wildlife that were out there and explained that this was his backyard.

We saw a couple alligators, one that they had named “Mama” that I was allowed to pet on top of the head. The biggest alligator we saw was 11 FEET.

I was most impressed though with the family of Bald Eagles and Vultures flying overhead. They seemed to be checking us out as much as we were checking them out. The swamps of New Orleans were vast and strikingly beautiful in their own special way that I will never forget.

When we got back to the city, we had a reservation at Antoine’s. Antoine’s is a Creole restaurant which is one of the oldest family owned restaurants in the United States. It was established in 1840. We had Seafood Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, and Veal Cordon Bleu. My dad’s girlfriend even had a Petite Filet with Marchand de Vin, whatever that is!

Exhausted from our adventure it was time to leave the Big Easy. The next morning we went to the airport and left but only after a quick brunch at Red Fish with a live Jazz Piano player.

Overall it was a very fun and enriching experience, and I am looking forward to going back soon for my cousin’s graduation in May.