Friday
Get into the airport about 1245pm, eventually find Patrick and Dan and we get a cab into the French Quarter. We expect a typical no-fun cab driver, but end up finding out the dude knows more about the NFL than any of us, and gets a kick out of the fact that Pat is from Alabama, home of rednecks.
Get checked in to our hotel, the Prince Conti, a half block away from Bourbon Street. Get settled and head out to Pat O'Brien's, famous for their Hurricanes.
After a few cocktails, we move down Bourbon Street, and get our mugs on the BourboCAM, go back to the hotel and Dan makes us a call which ends up getting us FREE dinner at Mike Ditka's Restaurant there. Well, we fill ourselves there, and then proceed to stay out the rest of the night...
Saturday
We get up and get some lunch, and await Scott's arrival. He rolls in and we head out again for the day. Walk up to Jackson Square, a nice park right on the riverfront there. On the riverfront these dudes are putting on a somewhat breakdancing show and we wasted our time at that for 45 minutes.
We then continued through the streets of the city, and went for a few cocktails, because hey, they were 3-for-1! Most bars there had 3-for-1 drink specials most of the day, if not all day/night.
We then headed back to the Prince Conti and got cleaned up to head out to Tulane University area because Scott knew some girls out there from previous trips to NOLA. First we got a bite to eat, and after years of joking about the Cutty (Cutty Sark Whiskey), Pat finally made us all grow a pair and got us all Cutty-and-Sprite's. Let's just say it was not easy to get down for Dan, Scott and I, but Pat liked the concoction so much he had 3.
We hop on the trolly that runs down St. Charles Street. The same street the Real World house is on. Well on the way there we indeed saw the house, it had a chain fence all around it, and was up for sale. Well anyways, we get on the trolly and we enter with our empty cups from the bar (did I mention there is no open container law in New Orleans?), and the trolley driver does not like this at all. He keeps on talking to himself, and eventually gets on his radio, appearing to call the police by telling the radio that "looks like i got four horses fresh out of the stable, better send some assistance." Keep in mind, we havent done a thing but get on the trolley, the dude just didnt like the look of us. He then pulls his curtain a few times so no one can see him (picture the Wizard of Oz). He then goes on to say things like, "I a pshyco schizophrenic bus driver" and "I've always had issues with Tulane". We then concurred that this guy was a bona fide nutcase, or he was majorly messing with us.
Well we get to these Tulane girls' place, have a few drinks, then head out. Bad news is, the Cutty got Tim, and he's sick as a dog.
After we get to this bar the one girl offers to take me back to the hotel, so Pat tags along and we are on our way back. We slow down to get a look at he Belfort (Real World house) and Pat and I want to get out to get a closer look. Sure enough, my stomach tells me it wants whatever is in it to get out, and the Cutty goes out the same way it came in, all on the Belort property. Jackpot.
Pat and I pass out at the hotel, and eventually Scott and Dan get back and pull us out for Bourbon Street action. I get about 500 feet onto Bourbon Street and decide I can't do it. Although it was probably the most crowded night, I turned it in. The boys stayed out until all hours.
Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY
The next day we get going and go get ourselves some lunch then head over to Harrah's, a pretty new casino down there. I go sit and watch the AFC Championship game, while the others dabble with slot machines, on the walk home Scott finds some distant relative on a monument.
We are still out roaming the streets and find a great deal this bar is having...
Go home, get cleaned up for another night on the town in the French Quarter.
Another night spent at the Bourbon Street Blues Company...Scott and I are in the middle of that balcony shot...
Well Pat is the first to turn it in, so Dan, Scott and I go to a few places with some girls, but nothing comes of it. We leave that group and go out on our own, among our antics at that hour: starting up "Who let the dogs out!" chants, skipping down the street doing the Larry dance, doing the Larry dance in the middle of the street, going up to people and doing a nice, Ric Flair "WHOOO!", and Scott and I bringing back the "Fun Bunch" (mid-80s Washington Redskins receiving corps) by getting far away from each other and running up and giving each other high fives in the middle of groups of people.
Dan remains a trooper and goes back to Pat O'Brien's with us for one last Hurricane, but ends up turning it in at some point (4ish?), leaving just Scott and I roaming the rainy, not crowded streets of the French Quarter in search of people to mess with. We enter numerous XXX Adult stores and just speak jibberish to people, and end finishing the night at BourboCAM, and rolling into the hotel room at 5:59am.
Monday
Pat leaves at 930am maybe to get his flight. Dan and I are in zombie mode until our flights, and leave for the airport around 5.
All in all, the place is a blast! I would strongly suggest everyone get there at least once, as I am already planning to return next MLK Day Weekend. It's that damn good.
PDEMLKNOLA FAQ
MLK '98 - Jeff Hunsaker, and Jay Heiddeman, two future PDE members venture to the "Crescent City" to hang out with high school chum, Steve-o, a character that would play a huge role in the future of PDEMLKNOLA. Depending on what teachings you subscribe to, this is either a "scouting trip" or the true first annual trip to New Orleans.
PDEMLKNOLA '99 - sickened by the appalling Dayton January weather, Scott Hartbeck, Dan Biondi, Kyle Comer and Chris Cutrara hatch a plan at bw-3's to escape the winter weather. They leave Dayton on Friday afternoon at 4 pm and head to New Orleans in Hartbeck's 1986 Plymouth Caravelle.
An early sign of things to come occurs in N. Kentucky, when the muffler falls of the Caravelle. The group continues undaunted and arrives in "The Big Easy" at 4am. From there they "take to the bars", and crash with Steve-o, and his guys.
The next day, Scott meets some Tulane girls, on the street, and they hang out that night partying on Bourbon St. til the wee hours. In an unorthodox PDEMLKNOLA move, Sunday night is spent in Panama City Beach. On the way home, Hartbeck's car "blows up", for the lack of a better word, and sits behind PDE for 3 months.
PDEMLKNOLA '00 - the trip survives a major scare when the Dayton participant's ride "falls through the roof". Hartbeck nearly rides a train by himself, but elects to pass. Dan Biondi continues to "Old Swampy" by himself, and tears the city up with Steve-o. Biondi dials several of the Dayton "pull outs" late night throughout the weekend.
So, PDEMLKNOLA '01 is either the third or fourth installment of this epic trek ...
