Today was disembark day which meant get up early, get your
breakfast and get out of our way because new people are coming. ACL
lets/expects new passengers to arrive early in the morning, not midday or afternoon.
Clay and I went back to the cabin to use the restroom after breakfast and brush
our teeth before final pack and carry off and all our towels were gone. Mom
& Judy still had theirs but only because they were in there after breakfast
when housekeeping arrived. We were gone off the boat by 8am.
The ladies sat on some steps in
the shade while Clay went to the Hertz at the convention center to pick up our
rental car. (Advisory! The Hertz reservations website will not actually allow you to reserve a car here for return at the airport. It is an option, but after you have saved and reenter the website to check your reservation it is changed to return the car to the convention center. We called the local office about this and they said we could return the car to the airport instead of the convention center but that increased our rental price by $300. They would never confirm that $300 was their airport drop off fee, but clearly it was. We kept the reservation at the convention center, returned the car the afternoon before we flew home and used a flat fee cab $33, I think, to get out to the airport. There were enough cabs that morning that it might have been just as easy and possibly less expensive to rent somewhere else away from the port with airport return.) By 8:30am we saw a bus arriving at Queen of the Mississippi from the airport with new passengers. We saw a big
Carnival ship unloading just down the dock from us. Clay came and we loaded up the car and
took a ride out to the Garden District and Tulane first. It was so hot and
humid out that no one really wanted to get out of the car, but we couldn’t
think of enough to do just driving around. Plus most of our list of things to
do was in the French Quarter so that meant walking around.
Clay parked when he saw an
easy open street spot, but it was about 4-5 blocks from St. Louis Cathedral on
Chartres, but he thought he was right by Jackson Square for reasons that remain
mysterious other than just wishful thinking. Anyway, we walked down by Jax Brewery and over to Jackson Square and around it to Café du Monde. I guess
because of the Carnival ship there was a long line, but we got in it and within
15 minutes or so we were seated and ordered. Beignets all around. It was a
sweaty and sweet experience with a trumpet player/singer on the sidewalk. We
walked out through the back to the windows so we could watch them making
beignets. I love that!
We decided to drive to Hotel Villa Convento to see
if we could get our room or at least drop the bags. If the day had not been
unpleasant enough, now it turned into a comedy of errors. The Villa Convento website said they
had a loading zone and a secure parking facility a short walk away. Well, the
loading zone was full and the off-site parking is about 15 blocks away and you
have to take a key attached to a 2x4x12 inch board over there to let the
passenger go in and open the garage door, then you have go back the 15 blocks immediately to return the board with the key and the reverse if you go get
the car. So, Clay parked at the corner of the street and they all stayed in the
car with the AC on while I walked to the middle of the block to learn all this
and if our room was ready. The lobby was open air and absolutely sweltering.
(Clay Googled the weather later and found the temperature was 96F but the heat
index was 106F. That was about 3pm, so I am sure it was at least the same at
11am.) Anyway, I paid the desk clerk the $350.69 we owed for the next 3 nights and filled
out the parking form. Then as we were discussing how to handle transferring the
bags at least, I turned and saw Clay drive by the window. The desk clerk was
offering to go out and explain to Clay where he could and couldn’t park. He
couldn’t park at the corner where he was idling, though the clerk didn’t think
he'd get towed sitting in the car. As he and I walked outside, Mom walked up and
said the police just tried to tow the car with them sitting in it! The clerk
was incredulous. Clay said the cop was very angry and surly as Clay backed away
from the tow equipment he was lowering. Anyway, eventually Clay drove back by
and just blocked the street as the 3 ladies and the clerk unloaded and then
Clay parked about a block away and we all took bags up to a very small but nicely air
conditioned room. We took turns in the restroom and then drove out for lunch.
Po’ boys had been decided upon. Parasol’s was the selection in the Irish
Channel. It was in the direction of the airport and we hoped it was far enough
out that parking would get easier. Parking didn’t get a lot easier but we found
a spot right across the street anyway. We ordered far too much food in this
heat anyway. Clay and I should have shared a regular instead of ordering a
regular and a large. Mom ate most of her oyster po'boy. Judy ate half of her
shrimp po’boy and got the other half wrapped up to go. Clay & I had roast
beef po'boys and they were super messy with dripping gravy and neither of us wanted to
take my remaining half with us.
Unfortunately after Clay got his po'boy down he
started vomiting. We wound up parking at the airport when we arrived and walked
Mom & Judy in on time so Clay could use the men’s room. It went out for
about an hour. I guess one day he will talk to the doctor about this and find
out what is causing it and if there is something to be done about it. (Or not. As I type this, he has returned from the Doctor without a word about it and he won't return for a year. So...) It is
unpredictable, but regular enough to be worrisome. I guess when it gets
worrisome enough for Clay he will ask for medical help. It was just another in
the pile of unpleasantness in a day that was unhappy enough. Any end of
vacation and flying day is already stressful and unpleasant enough already. I
felt really bad for Mom & Judy setting out for a long flying day this way.
When Clay finally kept down a mouthful of Coke Zero for a few
minutes we set off back to the Villa Convento to park the rental car. Once we
were parked and returned the key we were too exhausted to do anything else and
came up to room 200 and laid down in the AC. We looked up things on the
Internet and debated what to do and how. The rental car is useless to us at
this point with it taking an hour to get it out and an hour to put it away.
Unfortunately, we prepaid for the 3-day rental and it is not clear they will
refund any unused portion. We had thought we would tour some outside of New Orleans
but we both remember the last time we toured a plantation being hot and
miserable. We're not willing to be outdoors much in the next 3 days. I think we have
finally decided to just leave the car parked until late Monday when it has to
be returned to the convention center. We can’t even return it to the airport
since Hertz wanted $300 for the one way fee and we can take a cab for $40. So,
we are planning to ride street cars to the Audubon Aquarium one day and the
Audubon Insectarium/Butterfly House the other and try to spend most of the days indoors. I
think the combo ticket covers the zoo too, but neither of us think we can
tolerate the heat for that outdoor visit.
About 5pm, we walked around the corner and down a block or
so to Mona Lisa, a casual and inexpensive Italian restaurant. We once again
ordered twice as much food as we could eat and just left it. I ordered chicken parmesan which came with a salad that we shared. Clay ordered a pizza. Clay went to a
convenience store on the way back to the hotel and got himself a stock of Coke
Zero. There is an ice machine in the first floor courtyard and a refrigerator
for guest use behind the front desk. Clay wanted a fridge to store a muffuleta
from Monday afternoon until we check out about 6:15am on Tuesday. He wants to
have it to eat on the way home. (Spoiler Alert! Note that Central Grocery is and always has been closed on Mondays!)
Well, as I write this, I hope Mom & Judy are well on
their way home safely. I will probably be long asleep before they arrive.
We were both so sweat soaked that we had to shower before we
could get in bed and go to sleep tonight. Make a note, avoid New Orleans in August!
Photos
Photos
