Day 1 - Friday, April 1
It may be April Fool's Day, but we are not so foolish as to attend our first Final Four in 3 years (Thanks Covid!), and it just so happens that the host is the shining city on the Mississippi, the Crescent City, the Big Easy - yep New Orleans! And although this Fina Four is star-studded with literal blue bloods Kansas, Villanova, Duke and North Carolina, it is apparent that the star is going to be New Orleans (what, you thought I was going to say Krzyzewski?).
Pepster, Sinickal and Tony are here, and since neither Hopps nor Dr. Pepper could make this sojourn, Kev-O from Alexandria is joining us. Allison and Racecar also are sitting this one out - probably because they need some time away from us. We should also have some guest appearances along the way. Let us begin our adventures (all times in Central Daylight Time unless otherwise noted).
6:15 (E.D.T.) - Sinickal arrives at the Delta Sky Club in Reagan National.
6:35 (E.D.T.) - Sinickal boards a flight behind an American Patriot who doesn't want to put his mask on prior to scanning his boarding pass. Loud debate ensues.
7:36 (E.D.T.) - Tony's flight is delayed until 4:10 p.m., with a 6:45 arrival.
9:00 (E.D.T.) - Pepster and Kev-O board their plane for a 9:30 takeoff for New Orleans, but neither of them know each other.
9:39 (E.D.T.) - Sinickal sat down on the Atlanta to New Orleans leg of his travel next to a couple that graduated from Syracuse a/k/a America's University (to him) the same year he did. He doesn't know them, and believes they must be about 15 years older - or at least they look like it. Sinickal is sure this will be a recurring conversation.
9:45 (E.D.T.) - Pepster and Kev-O's captain notifies then that there is a ground stop on all western takeoffs due to congestion in the skies, should be lifted in the next 30 minutes.
10:20 (E.D.T.) - Pepster and Kev-O's captain notifies then that the ground stop has been extended for another 25 minutes.
10:22 (back to central time) - Sinickal lands in New Orleans.
10:37 - Sinickal, "I am thirsty! It must be the time change!
10:38 - Bourbon rocks at the Delta Sky Club at MSY while awaiting Pepster and Kev-O's arrival. Dude in the club wearing a New Orleans Pelicans shirt and a New Orleans Jazz hat!
11:25 - Sinickal moves to the bar on the B Concourse to meet Kev-O and Pepster.
11:30 - Pepster and Kev-O land in New Orleans.
11:37 - Kev-O joins Sinickal at the airport bar literally right outside the gate.
11:55 - Pepster finally deplanes and joins Sinickal, and literally meets Kev-O. Hydrate with some Bud Lights.
12:01 - Guy in airport remarks on Sinickal's shirt which reads "LeBron James is the Michael Jordan of not being as good as Michael Jordan!"
12:09 - Uber to the Garden District is $84.23. Ugh, old school taxi it is.
12:09 - 12:40 - Worst taxi driver ever. He is the reason rideshare is so successful.
12:40 - Lauren, our AirBnB concierge, meets us at the rowhouse, which is AWESOME!!!! Lots of space, lots of rooms and just across Ramparts from the French Quarter. Other than the game, most things we are going to want to do is within walking distance. Great find Sinickal.
12:40-13:30 - Settle in, choose rooms (no fights!), doing some phone calls and e-mails, and prepare for lunch!
13:31 - Kev-O states that he hasn't had an actual meal since 4:30 yesterday (too much travel problems).
13:45 - While walking to lunch, we pass a bachelorette party in a horse-drawn carriage. None of them are happy. We feel they are upset that all the men are here for basketball.
14:03 - Frenchmen All Day for lunch.
14:05 - Sinickal notices they have an Odd Fashioned on the menu. That is not a typo. It is made with Cold Brew. Sinickal comments that it is always good to have some coffee in the morning. Well, Frenchmen does have all day breakfast. Kev-O has the crawfish etouffee, Sinickal has the crawfish hash, Pepster has the crawfish benedict. Settling into New Orleans just fine!
14:15 - Looking outside the window at restaurant we see another horse-drawn buggy. Sinickal notes that he is already angry at horse-drawn carriages.
14:31 - Tony texts to tell us he is stuck in New York City, and that he would miss tomorrow's games even if he could get on the flight tomorrow, so he has to cancel.
14:46 - Discussing some of the people that would argue with Sinickal's shirt and we come to the conclusion that it would only be the Duke fans. And, Kev-O notes that we can tell the Duke fans by how close their name is to Braeden!
15:02 - Enter Bamboulas. Nice four piece band on stage, with an upright bass, trumpet, soprano saxophone and trombone. Yep, New Orleans.
15:28 - While walking down the street, we here a girl on the corner emphatically screaming "No Means No" to a hat salesman.
15:36 - Enter Lafitte's. Place is packed!
15:45 - A little NCAA sports trivia. Since Mississippi State won the baseball title last year, there is only one current Division I college without a championship in any sport? The answer is Virginia Tech!
15:55 - And old guy walks in wearing a 2000 Michigan State Final Four t-shirt. Pepster says that he must be Jud Heathcoate.
16:11 - A table of about 7 young women starting wooing, but it is the quietest, most subtle woo ever. They toast the bachelorette, who looks like she wants to be anywhere but New Orleans. Kev-O thinks they must be "soaking" later.
16:28 - Guy walks into Lafitte's that reminds Kev-O of Wayne Huizenga and Sinickal of Pimp Joe Biden.
16:30 - Pepster decides the guy looks more like Barry Bostwick.
16:40 - Enter Maison Bourbon.
16:48 - For some reason our discussion of Amazon deliveries turns to a discussion of Rent the Runway. Yes, we are all married.
17:23 - Kev-O walks back inside after taking a telephone call, presumably with his wife. "I think I just bought a house!"
17:32 - Written on the bathroom wall in Maison Bourbon - "For a good time or a mortgage call ..."
17:41 - Enter Razoo. We will be posting up on the patio for a little while.
17:57 - Guy from airport that remarked on Sinickal's shirt see us and asks for a picture. Him and his friend both went to the University of Maryland, and passionately share our "Anybody but Duke" philosophy.
18:08 - Kev-O asks if we would mind going to Tiki Bar later. We do not.
18:11 - Kev-O makes reservations at Tiki Bar for 8:00.
18:29 - Boy have fraternities changed. Guys wearing a "Fall Rush 2021" shirt that is just the Chick-fil-A cows.
18:38 - Women wearing a "Not worth your time. Thx." shirt.
18:48 - Leave Razoo for a little walk around the quarter.
18:51 - Guy wearing a t-shirt that says, "Sarcasm. It beats killing people."
19:01 - Enter The Kerry's Irish Pub..
19:12 - Sinickal explains the origins of "Racecar" to Kev-O.
19:45 - Pepster and Kev-O engage in a discussion of Kentucky basketball recruiting, particularly Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston. Sinickal leaves.
20:00 - Enter Latitude 29. So, it isn't called "Tiki Bar", it is a tiki bar. Cool looking place. Great, just absolutely great, pork ribs.
20:01 - Waitress arrives at the table, introduces her name as "Hannah". Kev-O asks if it is with 1 or 2 Hs. She says 2. Sinickal refuses to call her "Racecar".
20:15 - Our tiki drinks arrive. Kev-O says, "See ya'll in the morning!"
20:16 - Kev-O, "This place fucks!"
20:42 - The communal Jet Pilot arrives.
20:52 - The Lumpia arrives. It is also delicious. Sorry Hopps.
21:13 - Kev-O says, "My only goal in life is to get myself to bed."
21:43 - Also Kev-O, "Why is there a draft here."
21:54 - Exit Latitude 29 - we might be back.
22:07 - Enter Molly's at the Market - it's on the way home.
22:37 - Enter the convenience store across the street from our AirBnB, and it is pretty happening. Pepster notes about one particular customer, "There is no way that dude just walked in for Doritos".
22:42 - We all retire for the evening. Tomorrow is going to be a Loooooooong day!
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