Chicago return & home

Flew into Chicago, bought three day travel passes like experienced travellers (second visit), & found out Cyrille Aimee, famous French Jazz singer, playing in town; of course we went. Her set was a bit MOR, but she’s about to produce another generation. Her range is impressive, as was her pianist.

We’re staying at The Millennium Knickerbocker hotel, just off the Magnificent Mile, so called due to Michigan Avenue having all the best fashion shops (Kath informs me). This hotel is a fine example of Art Deco architecture, looking rather sad as it awaits serious reinvestment. The interior of the entrance area is superb, the building listed for historical retention. We loved it. Of course we did.

Penultimate day – spent four hours at the huge Chicago Institute of Art & covered about half of the displays. Last night meant a visit to Chicago Blues, another of the city’s famous blues venues. The Sheryl Youngblood Blues Band was great, as was the venue, but after an hour we capitulated.

Last day was given to Chicago zoo, a really well laid out series of displays in Lincoln Park. The park has a prominent statue of a famous president, not infamous ….

Home time, leaving Chicago at 01.00 (gmt), we’re due to arrive at Tenby station at 15.35 in full sunshine. We started in Chicago just over three weeks ago with 25 degrees sunshine which over the four days we were first there turned to snowing as we left. As we journeyed south so, of course, it became hotter; in New Orleans it was consistently over 25 degrees. Our return visit to Chicago was met with 5 to 10 degrees. And three violent storms, one Chicagoan, one Nashvillean (with siren warning people not to go out for an hour), one Orlean with twister warnings in some neighbouring areas, makes me wonder why many in USA choose to ignore climate change. But it is a very divided country, with many having comfortable lives but so many having nothing, grateful for a warm, under cover place to sleep. Not a caring environment. However, nearly everyone we met was so friendly, a lasting impression.

New Orleans – just the oldies

Left to our own devices, a gentle night in followed by a chilled Sunday. Congo Square Rythms Festival in Louis Armstrong Park with loadsajazz on one stage, African dancing on the other.

Sunday also means even more bands performing in the streets.

Were thinkin’ about takin’ a jump-on-jump-off bus but we’ve covered most of the stops.

Tickets booked for 22.30 starting Hot 8 Brass Band gig in Warehouse District. The music just continues … The hottish band 6 grow to 10 horns, play for an hour then choose someone’s birthday to move outside & suddenly stop. Weird feeling to be left outside with no music. We take an Uber home.

Next morning Chris realises he’s left his credit card at last night’s venue as he didn’t ‘close the account’. We pick it up en route to contemporary artists’ studios. We have probably our best meal of the trip at Bessame, a tribute to really classy Latino dishes, followed by sittin’ at the bar of The Mahogany Jazz Hall, amazed at how such a small venue can serve so much to so many whilst quality jazz bands do their ‘tin’.

Chicago return & home

New Orleans

Day three’s guided walk around central French Quarter explained some of this city’s history, dodging the slavery issue. The city was set up by the French, sold off to Spain to avoid GB getting its hands on it, taken back to bail out the French economy & eventually sold off to USA. Big legacy stuff, especially in cultural & especially (obvs) in music.

Nighttime taken up with bus & streetcar (old trams – remember “Desire”) rides across city for jazz gigs. This place is chock-full of jazz, good jazz too!

And beautiful 19th century buildings … Most of city below sea / river level (Katrina ring a bell?), levees are so important to the city’s sustainability yet no mention anywhere. Everyone afraid of Trump? Only had words with some locals but New Orleans historically voted democratic: so many on Desolation Row, what a callous system. UK’ s now Labour government better …. ?

Day four has us walking & walking & walking. More superb nighttime live jazz in various café bars on Frenchmen Street. This city has such a vibe, it feels good just to be here & watch, both tourists & locals, many with weird clothes & makeup a la voodoo thang.

Day five is exploring the garden area & its many vintage & antique shops. Had a great meal for lunch as evening time is goodbye to Max, Phoebe & Neeraj who are flying home. Just Kath & me now.

New Orleans – just the oldies

Natchez to New Orleans

We stayed one night in Lafayette, slightly problematical since most bars & restaurants were shut – it was a Monday … then on to New Orleans. On the way we sampled a boat ride in the swamps, seeing huge numbers of alligators, turtles, ospreys, eagles, herons, egrets et al, all in a spooky, ancient setting.

Later on the journey, we had a guided tour of a farm mansion & slave quarters accompanied by an apparently unbiased version of agricutural slave dependency in 19th century USA. Much food for discomfort.

And then we arrived in New Orleans. First night we ate in “Cochon”, a creole led restaurant; the menu included alligator so we all had some & agreed the slightly rubbery texture was not a match for their alive version.

After much walking around on our second NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana, not sure where any other NOs are) day, we visited the Jazz Museum; good supporting info about jazz & NOLA’s favourite child, Louis Armstrong. Then a night in Frenchman Street, on the eastern edge of the French Quarter, the best of that area’s live music streets. Saw three different bands, with different jazz offerings, all excellent. One of the best venues was The Spotted Cat, as below.

New Orleans

Clarksdale to Natchez

A flat flat landscape, until the last 50 miles. This is a ritzy town, mostly comprising antebellum (before American Civil War, so pre-1860) wealth, built on slave trade profits. Some stunning houses & mansions, including the “Doll House” we’re staying in for one night. The downside of the city’s wealth is that it was built on slavery profits.

The Blues restaurant was closed, annoying since it had recently posted on Facebook it was restarting weekend meals with live music, but we found a good restaurant by the landing jetty, almost beneath another huge bridge that crosses this mighty river Mississippi.

Natchez to New Orleans

Memphis to Clarksdale

Before leaving Memphis, we drove along the front of Graceland. Ignoring the huge Elvis centre’s tourist offer complex, we managed to take some quick snaps listening to his classics in the car as we passed – felt appropriate & authentic. Stopped off at an enlightening museum about Gateway To The Blues in Tunica.

We have a motel for the one Clarksdale night & it is just as you’d imagine. But run by an Indian couple. Spent an afternoon in another Blues exhibition, then the rest of the day/night in Ground Zero Blues Club, complete with pool tables, great bar, same fried food (nowhere’s perfect) & a proper blues band. One of the club’s co-owners is Morgan Freeman, whose son was playing as tonight’s support band & dad came to watch tonight.

Oh, forgot to mention THE CROSSROADS.

Main holiday mission: tick

Clarksdale to Natchez

Nashville to Memphis

Part of this journey was along the Natches Trace (National Park), an ancient Indian trail. Stopped in Leipers Fork, an upmarket outlier satellite of Nashville for brunch, incl. biscuits with gravy – not quite as bad as it sounds. In Memphis, we’re staying in an historic house which is about 200 years old. Opposite is a beautiful memorial to the civil riots of the 60s in which Dr Martin Luther King was assasinated.

The Blues legend that is Beale Street: it all seems a bit empty, a bit run down. We went to BB King’s Club on our first night, had ourselves some good ol’ southern fry, watched an unimpressive, ultra smooth concert from a soul band & moved on to other gigs in other venues, of which there were many. On our second day we went to the STAX exhibition at their former studios. Great experience of what the label went through in its brief, highly successful 1960s to 70s run. Followed that up with another comfort food lunch in a famous comfort food restaurant. I think we’re all tiring of fried fare. Walked in the afternoon to Memphis’s pyramid.

The viewing platform near the top, partly with glass panelled flooring, was good for views down the Mississippi & disconcertion, otherwise a huge space given over to an hotel, restaurants &, mostly, men outdoor sports seems even more irrelevant to real world needs. After long walk back, a calm visit to the Dominíck’s distillery was even keeling time. The youngsters of our troupe joined us, then proceeded to go through a flight of bourbons. We left them to experience a contemporary Chinese dinner in a young persons’ restaurant/cocktail bar. The food was superb & a welcome escape from fried catfish or chicken. Last of the day was spent moving around not busy Beales Street venues, with some blues some not, live music.

Memphis to Clarksdale

St Louis to Nashville

Not hugely impressed with St Louis – a car orientated urban sprawl – but it has a stunning “Gateway Arch”, as below, overlooking the Mississippi, our first viewing of our travel companion. Except we’re veering eastward for a couple of days to visit Country Music city.

Our first experience of Nashville Broadway is of an astonishing array of music, of many genres, in many many properties, some with three bands playing on three different levels, all at the same time. Musical extravaganza or overload, it’s certainly colourful.

Day Two in Nashville

Tennessee Brewhouse provided great live music & indie beer, hell, we’re in the brewery. Peg Leg Porker bbq restaurant provided an ultimate pig consumption barbecue, followed by a Bluegrass Band in Station House: Borrowed Mules playing – impressive, even to a non-believer history. The locals tell us Broadway’s output is for the tourists, locals look elsewhere – we now have a list for our last day.

Day Three in Nashville

A long walk to the city’s Parthenon. Yep, you heard right, an exact replica of the original one in Athens. Well you judge how lookalike it is?

So the next question is why? Something to do with Athens of the south, it was built as the centerpiece of the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, commemorating Tennessee’s 100th anniversary. Last night in Nashville – impressed with huge number of bars, many of which serve food, ace craft beers & live music. Never seen so many music venues, like a perpetual music festival. Got caught in a downpour – seems when it rains it goes for it.

The statues in the foreground are the local suffragettes, one of whose Congressman son was told by her to vote for ladies’ right to vote. Transpired that was the deciding vote. In 1920.

Nashville to Memphis

Chicago to St Louis

Phoebe’s Facebook comments picked up by her old penpal, Elena from Moscow. She has been living in Chicago for over 15 years with her husband + two kids. Elena came to breakfast – a Puerto Rican version, full of hot stuff – & then gave us all a lift to Midway Airport where we picked up the hire car. What a sweety, & all fabulated within 24 hours. The car, hmmm, sedan, huge bad boy vehicle, massive Chevvy, here’s a photo.

Technically, a Chevrolet Suburban.

Max has employee birthday rights – a meal allowance at a Gordon Ramsey restaurant – which he has booked at a GR establishment in St Louis, coming next. Great meal, complete with two chefs coming to say hello.

Called in at The Old Oyster Bar on the way home, but no music on Sunday night, so picked up the same Uber that had just dropped us off.

St Louis to Nashville

Chicago II

Start of day three is a visit to viewing platform atop “Chicago 360” (the LH tower below). Over 1,000 feet high, it includes “Tilt”, changing your overseeing body by about 35 degrees. Holding on to handrails as you’re tilted over the precipice. Inside, of course. Not as bad as it sounds. The platform provides amazing views over the 77 districts covering 2.3 miles populated by 2.3 million “Chicagoans”, all allegedly believing in “community”. Well, that’s what the intro told us ….

Late lunch was time to try Chicago pizza pie. Great pastry encased pizza filled all of us – pizza was OK, but more evidence that USA portions are just too big.

Visit to Nee’s brother & partner babysitting for her sister in Wicker Town. Great drinks in the attic of former church &, subsequently, in local night life venues. Even a live jazz venue. Reminded of mission, so time to hear some blues.

15th – St Patrick’s Day, a very big event in Chicago due to a significant Irish emigre population. Celebrations include colouring the river green & a huge procession & much bigger crowd, using alcohol as the most popular medium. Never seen so many teenagers gathered together. Feels like a plague of locusts.

Quick visit to Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art to enjoy exhibits & home, then, to prepare for Rosa’s Lounge blues concert at 11pm.

Which was fantastic: a holy grail bar venue featured the birthday gig from Melvin Taylor & The Slack Band.

Arrived at 10.45 for his second gig but he hadn’t finished his first. Slowly he delved into blues favourites, lesser known & some of his own songs, too. We even had some of his birthday cake, which was good, too. It would seem all five of us enjoyed …. good news for further down the delta. Tomorrow we leave the mighty Chicago for St Louis.

Chicago to St Louis