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Free Spirit No. 2:
There are plenty of amazing spots to explore in New Orleans if you’re interested in its rich history and culture. Ever the optimist, and proud of snagging the incredible museum discounts offered in August, I compiled a long list of must-visit places for Day 2.
Unfortunately, the day got off to a late start, thanks to the influence of a different kind of spirits—this time of the corporate, mean-spirited variety, but the less said about them, the better. We had to skip my plans for a relaxing sit-down breakfast, but the parfaits we had thoughtfully packed came to the rescue.
Neither my sister nor I are the type to plan ahead when it comes to packing food for trips. We usually assume there will be a restaurant or fast-food place open when hunger strikes. But for some reason, it never seems to work out that way—probably because those hunger pangs always hit after 11:00 p.m. Unsurprisingly, this trip was no different, and we didn’t pack any real food (a few packs of Indian snacks don’t count). But we were lucky to have grabbed those parfaits from the Chase Sapphire Lounge in Austin, thinking they might come in handy - and they did! Do you, like me, get an out-of-proportion thrill when things like that work out?
As I mentioned earlier, August is Free Museum Month in New Orleans—a great time to explore the city’s many cultural offerings. If you enjoy history and prefer to avoid crowds, I highly recommend visiting in August—but, this is important, only if you can handle the muggy heat. Two of us were confident, having been toughened by years in Texas. My cousin, with just a few weeks of living in Florida under her belt, rose to the challenge majestically, armed with an umbrella, a hat, and, for the ultimate sun protection, a light shawl!
Now, back to our itinerary. I had planned visits to Gallier House, the Historic BK House & Gardens, the Presbytère, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, the Historic New Orleans Collection, and finally the Sazerac House. Time, keeping in mind the laws of physics, but selfishly excluding the theory of relativity, limited us to the Historic BK House & Gardens, Gallier House, and Sazerac House.
I was particularly excited to visit the Historic BK House & Gardens because of its association with Frances Parkinson Keyes, who purchased it in 1945 and restored it to its former glory. I had recently found a first edition copy of her book The Heritage, which I considered to be another one of those 'travel with me by the book' signs, and was eager to learn more about her.
One interesting tidbit we learned was that while she stayed there for more than twenty five years, General Beauregard, whose name gets the star billing as the prefix for the Beauregard-Keyes House, had merely rented it for a brief period.
Our tour guide was a treasure trove of fascinating information, particularly encouraged (we hope) by one member of our group’s relentless curiosity. We learned about the ingenious techniques used in the house’s construction to deal with building on swamp land, such as using joinery similar to Japanese techniques to eliminate metals that could corrode, and the interesting mix of materials like crushed shells and Spanish moss used to compensate for the scarcity of stone in the area.
Fun tidbit: Apparently, Truman Capote named his novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Frances Parkinson Keyes’ Dinner at Antoine’s! (I’m in the process of fact-checking this.)
Gallier House, built in 1852, is a beautifully decorated residence with surprisingly modern conveniences for its time, like a skylight in the library that doubles as a cooling vent and a bathtub with running water.
In addition to learning about these innovations and the lifestyle of a 19th-century family, we also gained insight into their relationship with their slaves. While lightly touched on, it provided a glimpse into how the comfort of one group came at the cost of pain and suffering for another. The elaborate process they followed to 'summer dress' the house while ingenious, was quite labor-intense.
On a lighter note, I discovered that the house is featured in the 2022 AMC series Interview with the Vampire. Now I’m curious to watch the series, if only to virtually revisit the places I saw in person.
While proud of all the knowledge we acquired, we realized we would need to fact-check some of it, as we noticed discrepancies in the information provided by our different guides.
We also realized, by our dwindling energy levels, that refueling was in order, so we made a beeline for Café Du Monde for our daily beignet fix.
With our spirits lifted and our caffeine levels adjusted, we set out for Sazerac House, which wasn’t too far, though the walk was punctuated by a few obligatory stops at shops and the odd detour to retrieve a wandering member of our pack.
Tip No. 2: Sazerac House offers a free tour with fascinating details on New Orleans in the 1800s, especially its signature drinks. They also provide samples of their celebrated cocktails, but a word of caution: these freebies can induce alarming facial reactions from those who extend their deep rooted dislike for spirits even to their drinks!
After plenty of liquid refreshment, realizing that we couldn’t live on parfaits and beignets alone—though I for one was willing to try—we wrapped up our day with dinner at St Roch Market, where our adventures continued with a slight misunderstanding about whether we could park at a spot conveniently located at the entrance. Our scout, sent to determine this, disappeared into the market, and for some reason that I cannot recollect, took the car key with her, leaving the two of us confused about whether to wait for her or leave the car unlocked. New Orleans, like many other cities, has neighborhoods where it’s wise for tourists to take precautions. The idealist in me longs for a time when this won’t be necessary, but until then, I urge everyone to take steps to stay safe while enjoying the experiences that the world has to offer.
In the end, we went in, found her, locked the car, and enjoyed our dinner peacefully!
In retrospect, why didn’t we just call her? I guess we always find ways to add drama to our lives. Without these simple oversights, life would be boring, a short call to her would have resolved our confusion in a matter of minutes—just as, in an alternate Bollywood soap opera universe, Jhanak would have signed up for LinkedIn (or Naukri.com), found herself a job, and let the smoldering Ani get on with his life.
There's one more day of our trip to share! Stay tuned for Free Spirit No. 3, coming soon.
If you haven't read the first part, or the prequel, be sure to catch up so you don’t miss out on any of these fascinating adventures.
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