behind the scenes

As I walked the streets of the French Quarter today, bringing up the rear of this afternoon’s New Orleans Culinary History Tour (Tasting Tour), I was chatting w/a lovely couple from Toronto enjoying their first visit to nola.  They were thrilled about all the amazing sneak peeks we get behind the scenes inside some of the city’s oldest culinary establishments, I told them that I was just as giddy the first time I tagged-along on the tour & saw these places.  Growing up here, all these years, these hidden gems were hiding right under my nose, or well, behind closed doors.  Who knew about the nearly 15 additional private dining rooms upstairs at Arnaud’s or the Escargot room at Antoine’s?!  What’s more, I still get excited the 5^th time, you always notice something different & pick up some new factoid from another tour guide (I was doing another tag-along today, as I’m still in-training for these culinary tours).  I noticed that I’m often taking more pictures than the tour guests are, even though I’ve been there before…seriously, I’m like a kid in a candy store, I can’t get enough. 

I explained to the couple that what is so fantastic (in my opinion) about being a tour guide is that it allows you to be a tourist in your own town…enjoying all the things that I love about this place, the reasons that I choose to live here, but hardly ever get to do or see while swept up in the usual day to day grind of a 9-5 job & all the other tedious crap that easily gets in the way.  Often, when you live in an amazing city like New Orleans, you take for granted all that it has to offer or you put it on the back burner…”I’ll do that another weekend when I have more time or when I’m not so tired.”…”we’ll check out that exhibit next time friends come in town”…”we have to try that new restaurant that everyone is raving about, let’s put it on our list.”  This is what I found myself saying instead of actually taking advantage of the fact that I have great FOOD, amazing MUSIC, gorgeous old ARCHITECTURE, & some of the friendliest PEOPLE you’ll ever find (just to name a few components that make up this wonderful town) all at my fingertips!! 

As for New Orleans Culinary History Tours, they are definitely living up to their reputation.  I’ll just put it this way, if you like to eat & you’re at all interested in history, you’re a fool if you don’t take this tour the next time you visit New Orleans!!  Ok, yes, I know I’ll be working for them, so I’m biased, but lemme tell you, I wouldn’t be working for them if I didn’t believe in them & love the tours myself.  After 10 years wasting away doing database maintenance at UNO Library, I am not just gonna take whatever tour comes across my path…I’m being picky this time.  One of the few things I’ve finally learned by my early 30’s, it’s ain’t worth doing if you’re not passionate about it.  Of course, I fully recognize how elitist this sounds b/c I have the luxury of choosing, so it’s always hard for me to say these things.  But, if you’re gonna go ahead & bite the bullet, as I have (after 2 fucking car accidents, loosing the job I’d always bragged was so secure, & a complete emotional breakdown), you might as well do it right.  The Tasting Tour takes you into some of the oldest restaurants in the city, samples some of our most famous dishes, & teaches you about New Orleans’ rich history, & how intertwined our food is with our culture & just how integral our unique cuisine is to our way of life.  I’d say that’s a pretty damn good way to spend an afternoon.

BTW, before tagging along on the culinary tour this afternoon, I started off my day w/FOC’s monthly tour guide meeting.  After catching up on our usual business, our speaker, Lawrence Powell told us about how Hurricane Katrina influenced his new book, The Accidental City. Improvising New Orleans.  I chose to study art history in college not only for my love of art, but because of my fascination with the story behind the art.  That’s what Lawrence Powell gave us this morning, & now I’m even more excited to start reading my autographed copy of his book! 

Then, of course, a gal’s gotta eat, right?  So, I grabbed a quick lunch with 2 of my best tour guide friends at Stanley in Jackson Square.  I had an Eggs Benedict Poor Boy, of course, I took a picture of the plate before devouring it, it’s served open face & you must eat it with a fork & knife, there’s just no other way of getting around it.  It was lovely & scrumptious.  And, the portion was just begin enough to satisfy without making me feel ill, so I had just enough room to fit in 2 scoops of Brocato’s pistachio gelato (my absolute fave, nothing better) at Antoine’s Annex before the culinary tour.  Come on, how could I resist?!  First of all, Antoine’s Annex is like my home away from home when in the quarter, it’s a great little coffee shop, & it is literally around the corner from the start of the culinary tour…I had to find some way to kill the time, right?!  Mind you, I did not eat on the culinary tour, the food is just for the guests…well, ok, there was an extra brisket at Tujague’s & one can’t let these delicacies go to waste, that is some serious horseradish in that sauce, phew, cleans out the sinuses, but it’s damn good! 

So, after another day of continuing ed for tour guides courtesy of FOC, a great lunch w/my tour guide gals & wandering in & out of old restaurants in the quarter, sampling some of their most famous & traditional dishes w/a group of 17 tourists, I’m reminded, yet again, not just how happy I am, but relieved & thankful that I chose this new path.  Mel Brooks infamously said, “it’s good to be the king”.  Well, as cliché as it might sound, I say, it’s good to be a tour guide. 

to be a licensed tour guide in the city of New Orleans

Although I’m always raving about all of the advantages I get from having my tour guide license, it certainly ain’t easy to get that license or even renew it!  Initially, we go through a process with a written test on nola history, then a drug test, & a FBI background check…plus a lot of fees for these tests & the application.  Yeah, go figure, we’re under City Hall’s taxi cab bureau, so we have to comply with the same regulations that taxi cab drivers do to get their licenses.  Seems a bit extreme, but it’s not like we have any say.  Don’t get me wrong, I completely agree with the nola history testing portion, we shouldn’t have a bunch of tour guides roaming the streets just spewing nonsense at our tourists.  However, the $50 FBI fingerprinting background check (which has to be done at the New Orleans Aviation Board office at the airport) is where I draw the damn line! 

My first time around, I took a preparatory course with the Friends of the Cabildo who helped me go through the process and procure my license.  All those that took the FOC class were able to take the city test with FOC & then FOC forwarded the results to the city.  FOC also gave us all the information on how to go about the licensure process.  We all expected it to be a pain in the ass given we’d have to deal with City Hall, but most of us made it through the ordeal with tour guide licenses around our necks at the end!

Our tour guide licenses expire on our birthday, so we have to begin the renewal process at least a few weeks before then.  The renewal process in previous years used to be a simple $10 fee & a minor background check with our local NOPD.  However, this year, a new dude in the Taxi Cab Bureau has reinterpreted the procedures & we’re now required to go through the exact same hoops that we did upon getting our license the first time.  This is total bull shit, if you ask me…just a way to put some more money in the city’s pockets.  Again, I wouldn’t protest if upon renewal, we were required to take another test on nola history, culture, etc. to make sure we’re keeping up with the info, but another drug test & FBI background check, come on, you’ve got to be kidding me!!  Many tour guides are protesting the new requirements & refuse to renew their licenses.  I respect their decision, but I’m just not a rule breaker, so I’ve gone through the process & finally got my new license this afternoon…hallelujah, praise the lord!!  So, I’ve proven to the city that I’m not a druggie nor wanted by the FBI, & after I paid everyone w/the required money orders (which is just another hassle itself), they finally agreed to take my picture & print out a new license.  Just like any photo for a driver’s license, I look a bit like a drugged out felon, but at least I’m legally licensed to guide tours once again. 

So, this is just my little rant of the day.  No fabulous outings, exhibits, or meals, just a long afternoon at City Hall.  But, I guess it’s worth it since the other 364 days of the year, I get to reap the benefits of being a tour guide in the Big Easy.

from cemetery to culinary

So, there are big things happening on my tour guide agenda these days!  

I’ve officially started guiding tours for Save our Cemeteries in Lafayette Cemetery no.1 (every 1^st Wednesday of the month & every Tuesday at 10:30am, except the 3^rd Tuesday of the month).  I’m having a ball, I love this cemetery, it’s like visiting a park…lined with oak & magnolia trees, rows & rows of above ground tombs, & burials of some pretty significant historical figures.  This cemetery is the 1^st & oldest of the city owned & maintained cemeteries in New Orleans, established in 1833.  The tour for SOC is a little over an hour, which is my only problem…I have a really hard time editing out fun facts & skipping certain tombs that I really want to show my tour guests.  So, I’ve got the material down, I’m just working on trimming down my tour time.  Of course, if tour guests want to stick around for a few extra tid-bits, I’m always happy to!  I’ll be guiding this tour tomorrow morning…come on out and join me! 

On to my new explorations in the world of culinary tours, I’m joining the New Orleans Culinary History Tours team.  I’m thrilled, I love tours, I love history & I love food, so what can be bad about this equation, right?!  I’m beginning my “tag-alongs” tomorrow with other guides to learn the tour before I begin guiding the tours myself.  The French Quarter Tasting tour is offered daily & lasts 3 hours, with some fabulous stops, including Antoine’s & Tujague’s (the 2 oldest restaurants in the city).  NO Culinary History Tours also offers a New Orleans’ Classic Drinks tour, which I’ll probably guide, as well, once I’ve got some more experience under my belt with this company.  The owners are a great married couple & native New Orleanians.  I’ll let y’all know once I’m officially on the schedule & guiding culinary tours on my own. 

Spring is an amazing time in the Crescent City…too many festivals to choose from, amazing weather (perfect for city tours), & flowers blooming.  Sadly, somehow I managed to miss both the French Quarter Fest & the Ponchatoula Strawberry Fest, so I HAVE to make up for it with Jazz Fest!  I’m currently reviewing the schedule for musical acts, conferring with friends to see what days they’re planning on going…there’s a science to mapping out your jazz fest experience.  No question, I’ll make it at least one day each weekend.  Now, if I could only figure out a way to score free tickets (they ain’t cheap)…shouldn’t being a tour guide get me some sort of discount?!?!

balancing blog & life

Well, there’s simply no excuse for disappearing from the blogosphere for this long!  All I can say is that my absence has been due to a combination of many great tour opportunities & life just getting in the damn way!! 

That said, let’s just jump right back in!  Ya know how I’m always saying that being a tour guide opens up doors to amazing opportunities & great experiences in New Orleans & beyond, hence the title of my blog, “my NOLA tour guide license is my KEY to the city”?  Well, I have another example for you…I went on a great plantation field trip w/a bunch of fellow New Orleans tour guides yesterday to St. John the Baptist Parish & St. James Parish (if you haven’t already figured it out, Catholicism played & still plays a major role in New Orleans & LA culture), they’re both just over an hour outside of the city.  BTW, for those not familiar with nola or Louisiana lingo, a “parish” is the equivalent to a county anywhere else in the States, this Catholic spin on “county” just stuck with us.  Anyway, we all hopped on a chartered coach in the Esplanade Mall parking lot bright & early & headed for plantation country along River Road. 

Our first stop was at Whitney Plantation in St. John the Baptist Parish, which is not yet open to the public for visits, so this was a special speak peek arranged for us tour guides (see, us tour guides, we got the hook-up!).  The plantation is on a massive property & the home itself is still being renovated, but we did get to sit in the old slave church & check out the blacksmith shop.  This should be a great tourist destination once all the renovations are complete & it’s opened to the public. 

Next on the agenda, a true Louisiana lunch…tour guides gotta eat, too, right?!  The B & C Cajun Restaurant on River Rd. in Vacherie, LA was ready & waiting for us…w/fried catfish, white beans & rice, french bread, live Cajun music on a fiddle & bread pudding for dessert!  We were happy campers, to say the least. 

With full tummies, we made our way to our final destination in St. James Parish, Bocage Plantation, which is just downriver from some other very popular Louisiana plantations, Oak Alley, Laura, & Houmas House (all of which, I’ve visited & highly recommend checking out if you’re in the region).  This was my first time at Bocage & I was sold as soon as I walked in the door!  The home itself is magnificent…ya know, if you like grand old mansions w/17 foot ceilings on the second floor, spiral staircases, period furniture, ornate chandeliers, a large front veranda complete w/rocking chairs!  We were greeted by an old lady in full character, she shared her story of survival as a slave, setting the scene & taking us back to a time most like to pretend never even occurred.  After she shared her story, a very well versed & surprisingly young tour guide (originally from Atlanta, GA) gave us some information about the home itself & allowed us to wander about, even telling us to make ourselves comfortable, sit on the furniture, take pictures, have a ball!  Bocage is an active B&B, one that I’d love to spend a weekend in…they serve wine & hors d'oeuvres at sunset & a full made-to-order breakfast in the morning!   I have to admit, me & several girlfriends were very sad to leave…in fact, we were pretty close to telling the group to go on without us & stay the night…I mean, come on, the wine & hors d’oeuvres were just about to be served!!

But, back on the bus we went & made our way home to the Crescent City.  I was exhausted from the excursion, but very happy & thankful that I was able to go…I actually felt like I was a kid again, on a school field trip.  Even though we’re all tour guides, we were able to sit back & relax for the day, not worry about watching the time, keeping track of guests, covering all the important talking points, etc…I absolutely believe that outside of giving a tour, tour guides are most happy being tourists in their own town. 

After that long day, I couldn’t even believe that I had the rest of the week still ahead of me (especially w/taxes due & this self-proclaimed procrastinator leaving them until the last minute, but I did e-file them w/several hours to spare)!  We had really crummy weather today, but I still had a French Quarter tour scheduled for Friends of the Cabildo & we give tours “rain or shine” – ugh!  I had 13 guests ready & willing to brave the elements with me, so we hit the streets, splashing as we jumped from puddle to puddle.  For those who know me, you know that I always come prepared with all the proper gear, I was sporting a long rainproof trench coat, a rain hat, rain boots & toting a lime green umbrella…so, I was as ready as I could be for 2 hours in the pouring rain & brisk wind coming off the river.  However, I was not only frustrated that we had to contend with this nasty weather, but very disappointed that I had to modify my tour route to avoid the worst of the storm, which meant hiding under the many balconies & galleries that line the sidewalks in the quarter.  Although the guests don’t know what they missed from my usual tour, I’m always still disappointed that I can’t share it all with them…we didn’t even make it to the window in the back of Café du Monde to watch the beignets being made!!  Nevertheless, all of my guests stuck it out until the bitter end, some soaked to the bone, but enjoying themselves & they even told me that they thought I did a great job despite the weather.  That was nice to hear, especially given that I was still thoroughly drenched, even with all of that ridiculous rain gear. 

So, after my lovely plantation trip yesterday & my damp French Quarter tour today, I suddenly had the urge to sit down & finally get back to my blog!!  Obviously, there’s much more to catch up on & much more ahead, but this tour guide needs a hot shower, a cup of tea, & a good night’s sleep, so I’m signing off for now. 

Next time, I’ll share my new adventures guiding tours for another non-profit group, Save our Cemeteries…I’m now doing tours in Lafayette Cemetery no.1 (in the Lower Garden District) every Tuesday of the month (except the 3^rd Tuesday, when I do my FOC French Quarter tour).  I’m loving this cemetery & this tour, I really hope to add more cemetery tours to my repertoire in the near future.  More about SOC & my cemetery tours soon…& by “soon”, I don't mean in 4 months, more like 2-4 days, this time!!

Bonne Nuit from the Crescent City. 

Fall comes to nola & so do the tourists!

What a week of tours, tours & more tours!  Although I live Uptown, I definitely spent more of my time this week in the French Quarter.  Met some great people from all over the country & beyond.  Ya know, when I decided to become a tour guide, that decision was primarily based on my love for nola, history, architecture, art, food, music & sharing that passion with others.  My goal is always to give my tour guests the nola local’s perspective, because that’s what I want when I travel somewhere else.  However, I never really gave much thought to another wonderful perk of guiding tours, which is meeting so many people from so many places.  I’ve already had the pleasure of making friends from Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, England, Brazil, & all over the States!  And, thanks to my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/nola.leah, I’ve been able to keep up with many of them long after their visits to nola have ended.  I’ve learned so much from them & made great connections for my future travels, which ain’t a bad perk, indeed.  Now, before each tour, instead of worrying about how many guests I’ll have in my group & what the weather’s like, I can’t wait to find out where all my guests are from. 

Fortunately, we’ve also had some amazing weather for my tours this week…other than Tuesday when it poured for 10 minutes, then cleared up, then poured again, & so on.  The rest of the week, it was crystal blue skies, sunny, breezy, & less humid (thank the Lord!).  I guided 3 tours in the French Quarter, 2 for the Friends of the Cabildo & 1 private tour w/a fantastic German couple.  The Kassners from Hamburg, were referred to me by their son, whom I’d met over the summer while we were both on a tour of Houmas House (which is a wonderful tour, BTW)…now that’s a small world, huh?!  I’m completely smitten with the Kassners & already consider them my extended family in Hamburg…can’t wait to visit! 

I also tagged along on the second official nola Tastebud tour yesterday afternoon, so that I can begin learning the ropes, before taking on Tastebud tours myself in December.  When we have our roast beef po’boys from Johnny’s, weather permitting (which is was), we picnic in Jackson Square.  Not only did the group get to enjoy their po’boys in the square, but they were also lucky enough to catch a wedding second line leaving St. Louis Cathedral (the oldest cathedral in North America).  The tour was a great success, we’ve already gotten 2 terrific reviews on TripAdvisor after the first tour last week!  Looking forward to reading the reviews from this week’s tour.

Now, I must run, hopping on the streetcar in about an hour to meet a friend of my sister’s & her boyfriend in Jackson Square to give them an afternoon tour of the French Quarter.  I’ve heard about my sister’s friend & old co-worker for years, so I feel as if I know her, but I’ve never met her.  My sister had emailed me weeks ago, just asking for some nola suggestions to pass on to her friend.  Of course, I took over from there!  And, we’ll be enjoying a cocktail together somewhere in the quarter after the tour…but, where shall we go?  Napoleon House for a Pimm’s Cup, French 75 at Arnaud’s restaurant for their signature cocktail, the Sazerac bar at the Roosevelt Hotel, Hermes bar at Antoine’s, or Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel for a little jazz to accompany our cocktails…choices, choices!