New Orleans, the Calm Before the Storm, by Merle Exit

With the inaugural Sweet lesbian cruise to the Western Caribbean commencing in New Orleans, a recommendation of arriving at the port the day before was well taken. I don’t necessarily remember if there was turbulence on my Air Tran transport, but that may have prepared me for that upcoming Hurricane Ida.

Along with Esther, my rubber chicken from the Rubber Chicken Forest in California, decided on Air Tran due to the price, schedule and my past experience of traveling on this airline. Knowing that there were no public laundry facilities on the NCL Spirit, I packed two suitcases and a carry-on. Air Tran allows the two pieces if you travel on business class, which in the long run is worth the upgrade considering what you would pay for luggage ($40 for the two pieces) as well as both the comfort of the wider seats and freebies.

Checking in at the Chateau Bourbon (A Wyndham Historic Hotel) in the French Quarter district, it didn’t seem that this area was as devastated by Katrina as others were. Either that or much of the destruction was repaired. The hotel is located near both Bourbon and Royal, two of the main “tourist” streets. My comfy room was quite large…more towards a mini-suite and perfect for doing my radio show.

I met up with New York Sharks owner Andra Douglas and her partner, Linda as we had lunch at this most adorable restaurant called Cafe Amelie at 912 Royal Street. Although there is some indoor dining, it's all about the atmosphere of the Princess of Monaco Courtyard and Carriage House as well as the great food.

General Manager Danny Akers recommended a few items. I had the Roasted Beet Salad with field greens, goat cheese and walnuts followed by a sandwich called Cochon De Lait - spicy pulled pork, mayo, sweet and spicy pickles on ciabatta. They also make this fruity non-alcoholic drink of fresh lemonade with crushed berries, which Esther enjoyed as well.

After the fabulous lunch at Cafe Amelie, we needed to walk it off and explore the French Quarter. Lots of places to shop and that's where we found Ida, the long lost daughter of Esther. Esther did not know and would not know until the first day of the Sweet cruise.

We stopped into an art gallery, Le Petit Salon, located at 906 Royal Street, where Barbara Yochum specializes in magic and mermaids. Andra, being an artist herself, and Linda being a lover of mermaids, sought after Barbara’s works. I thought that they were pretty great as well. Check it out on www.spiritpainter.com.

Our walk continued down towards the water ending up at the French Market area. There we saw a statue of Joan of Arc, known as the Maid of Orleans, a gift from France. Walking along the Riverwalk area, we were at Jackson Square, the location of Cafe Du Monde known for the beignets, a French version of the Italian Zeppoli. Esther enjoyed having one as well. The two notable landmarks in Jackson Square are the statue of Andrew Jackson and St. Louis Cathedral. The square is known for displaying works from local artists.

I was off to dinner prior to my radio show. The Hotel Dupuy is home to Le Meritage and Chef Michael Farrell. I love that they do "French Service". That is when enough waitstaff go to a table and place the plate down in front of each patron at the exact same time. The menu reflects being paired with wines and each item can be made as a small or regular portion, which gave me the opportunity to savor a few. I had: Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with crawfish and creole spices; Savory Lamp Chops with sweet potato, apple and bacon hash; Duck Two Ways, fig compote, foie gras, butter potatoes, and a sample platter of desserts. www.lemeritagerestaurant.com.

It was sleep time in that comfy bed after doing my radio show at the hotel The next morning we all had brunch at Brennan's on Royal Street, still hanging in the French Quarter. They make a great Creole Bloody Mary even without the vodka. Their recipe book lists the ingredients as: vodka, lemon juice, celery salt, Tabasco, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, wedge of lime and a spiced green-bean for garnish.

Actually the green-bean tasted more like it was pickled. Their three course prix fixe brunch got me: Strawberries with Double Cream; Eggs Shannon - poached eggs atop fried trout, served on a bed of creamed spinach and topped with Hollandaise Sauce; and Bananas Foster, which was originally created by Brennan's. Andra and Linda indulged in other items and Esther was quite startled when she saw the eggs, wondering if they might have actually come out of her own behind. In the meantime, while we were traipsing around New Orleans, Shannon Wentworth, the co-founder of Sweet, was with a bunch of the cruisers over in the wetlands planting 600 new grasses devastated by Katrina.