Monday at Morning Call

Need that jolt of joe to get your morning going? If you were in New Orleans circa July 1960 (that’s almost 63 years ago for those of you who don't have a calculator), you would probably be at Morning Call, which was New Orleans’ Most Famous Coffee Drinking Place. Or so says the slogan. Forget the coffee, I’m more interested in the vintage T-Bird!



Just as an FYI, Morning Call is not the same as Café du Monde, which is in the same area but about a block away. If you look on the left of this shot, you can see Morning Call in the background.



And it looks like both places are still in biz. I’m not a huge coffee guy, so I typically go to du Monde for the beignets.



See more New Orleans photos at my main website.

At Home with the Presidents

In honor of Presidents’ Day, my Monday post will show the trio of homes that I have visited. I have yet to scan the 1971 negatives from my childhood trip to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, so this vintage shot will have to do. Located in Alexandra, Virginia, the Palladian style home began construction in 1734 and went through a number of expansions and remodels over the next 45 years, yielding the present structure that guests can tour today.  

The closest you can get to seeing Washington himself is in Orlando, where his animatronic performs daily in the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World:



I’ve been to Monicello twice; once in 1971 and then returned again (with my own camera!) in 2017.



Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President, began work on his neoclassic home in 1768, with a number of expansions and revisions that continued on until his death in 1826. 



He is also represented in the Hall of Presidents:



Want to see a panorama of the Hall of Presidents? Here you go:



I’ve never been to the home of our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, but I have visited him at Disneyland’s Opera House:



…and seen his inferior counterpart in Orlando:



I also happened to catch him at the now defunct Tresor Gallery on Royal Street in New Orleans in 2015:



Jumping forward to our thirty-seventh president, Richard Nixon, I visited his birthplace in 2005.



Located on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, it is a very modest dwelling, built in 1912 from a mail order construction kit by his father, Frank Nixon.



What better place for the then vice president to celebrate the christening of the Disneyland Monorail in 1959 than at the Carnation Ice Cream Parlour? He is surrounded by his wife Pat, Louise the waitress, and daughter Tricia Nixon. General Manager Mr. Knowles seem to be giving an unspecified direction to the photographer from the background.



Now I’m craving an ice cream sundae.

See more Daveland photos at my main website.

Dinner at Brennan's

Brennan's is one of my favorite restaurants for dinner in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Located on Royal Street, it is a NOLA classic!



A customized mirror in the entryway:



On my last visit, since I was by myself I ate my dinner (and drank my beverages) at the Roost Bar.



The atmosphere is light and airy here, with a bit of a Key West feeling.



A nearby dining room:



The bar itself, complete with my first beverage of the evening:



Loved the light fixtures (what a surprise!):



Resembling bird cages, they were the perfect accent to this themed area:



I started out with the Gulf Shrimp & Green Tomato Salad:



It's been awhile, but I do believe my entree was the Parmesan & Herb Crusted Lamb Loin:



Bananas Foster is the showstopping dessert that most get here; however, I wanted to try something different, so I picked the Pineapple Financier:



For a classy evening at a legendary restaurant, Brennan's is the place.

More shots of Brennan's on Royal Street on my main website.

The Royal Street Treatment: Hotel Monteleone

Once I was able to escape the Conference hotel, I moved down the street to experience the legendary Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street. I was not disappointed by this New Orleans classic that was founded in 1886..



The staff was friendly and attentive, and the lobby was inviting.



The hotel's famous grandfather clock still works!



The Monteleone's guestbook reads like a who's who of the literary world, and they are immortalized in this lobby display case:





The room was decorated in a style that honored the classic nature of the hotel without being stuffy.



Love the little touches like the embroidered pillowcases:



Upstairs you can get a workout in:



while enjoying panoramic views of Bourbon Street:



and the riverfront:



The rooftop area was lively; a great place to sip a beverage while cooling off with a dip in the pool.



This was the best angle I could get on the rooftop of the Hotel's neon sign:



At night, this one really stands out from down below in the French Quarter:



The Monteleone is probably best known for its Carousel Bar, which actually revolves. Good luck scoring a seat though; there are only 25 and every time I walked by, they were full.



Maybe on my next visit to Nawlins I can get an opportunity to sit at the bar and sip a Sazerac!



Yes…the smiling jester is very similar to the one you see at Disneyland's King Arthur Carrousel:



Last one for today is the fab-tastic neon sign for the hotel's garage.



If YOU want more of the Royal Street treatment, visit my main website.

Eating in Nawlins: Brennan's

Located at 417 Royal Street, the Patio Royal Restaurant, seen in this 1950's image, featured the world's first air-conditioned outdoor dining patio. It was also known as the home of the Banker's Cocktail.



Today, it is home of the world famous Brennan's, where I had the pleasure of dining last month. The service was impeccable; just enough attention…but not too much.



The original Brennan's Restaurant, called Owen Brennan's Vieux Carre Restaurant, was located on Bourbon Street, as seen in this November 1954 photo:



The patio is still there; no air conditioning necessary in March!



The restaurant has eight dining rooms.



The one we dined in resembled a Parisian Cafe:



The Roost Bar, with light fixtures resembling bird cages. The perfect place to have the official New Orleans cocktail, a Sazerac. I had my first sip of one, which was plenty. An entire one would have knocked me on my ass.



The lamb chops were delicious (sorry vegetarians!).



The highlight of the evening was the preparation of dessert, Bananas Foster. In the early 1950's, Owen Brennan decided to name a dessert after his friend and fellow member of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, Robert Foster. The dish was originally invented at Brennan's Vieux Carré, but its popularity did not fully take off until Brennan's began "Breakfast At Brennans' with Fosters as a signature dessert.



As it was served; it may not look all that appetizing, but trust me...it was de-lish!



Hungry for more of Brennan's? Pull your chair up to my main website.