Twenty-five cents will buy a half a pint of my corn You ain’t never tasted no liquor like this, since you been born. —Papa Charlie Jackson, “Corn Liquor Blues,” 1928

I’m back in my spiritual home, New Orleans. It is an overcast day. The first thing we need to do is drop off the hire car, no more driving on the “wrong side” of the road. The other important chore is to pick up our WWOZ Brass Passes for Jazz Fest.

The car was dropped off with only 23 miles left in the tank, great planning.

I am so embarrassed, I sent us all the wrong way down Canal Street after dropping off the car. I had told Hoff and Bernie that once we hit New Orleans that I was in charge of directions. The weather started to close in and I spotted a Fox News storm car zooming down Canal St, coupled with a severe storm warning advice on our phones. The rain did come down heavy but it did not last long.

Hoff and Bernie went off to explore the Quarter while Wendy and I caught a Street Car along the riverfront to the last stop. I wanted to call into the MRB bar and kitchen on St. Philip. William Wiggins my previous landlord of 6 years frequents the place in the mornings. I have been trying to contact William for months with no luck. I was told that he still comes in occasionally but has not been seen for a while. We went around to my old digs on Bourbon St. and left a note in his mailbox.

My Old Bourbon St Digs

We had arranged to meet Hoff and Bernie at the Jazz and Heritage Foundation on Rampart St to pick up our passes and they are now safely in our hands.

We had made a reservation at the iconic restaurant Dooky Chase in the Treme for 1:30. The restaurant is a bit more up-market than the places we have been dining at. We started with a Dooky Chase Passionfruit rum. I will leave the food description to Hoff’s food blog but suffice for me to say the meals were magnificent. Oh, and the rum drink must have been good as Hoff and Bernie had a second. A special mention for our server, she was awesome and joined in with our frivolity. When in New Orleans a meal at this restaurant is essential fare.

https://www.dookychaserestaurants.com/

The rest of the afternoon for me was catching up on rest for the start of Jazz Fest tomorrow.