The Big Easy

A week ago, we woke up to game day in the Big Easy. With Ted and Cheryl in blue, and Jim and I wearing the black and gold, we headed over for breakfast at Brennan's. It was a lovely breakfast, topped off with another helping of Bananas Foster, for which they are famous. It took three people to make it for us. This was our waiter, who got it started.

Mmmm bananas.

Looking good.

This guy did some stirring.

And this waitress stepped in for the big finish.

Very delicious. Even for those who hate don't love bananas. You may have heard of my friend Ree Drummond? Here's her take on Bananas Foster.

After brunch, we had time to do a little more shopping and sightseeing in Jackson Square. These Colts fans were bravely walking around in the open. Wearing a Curtis Painter jersey. Way to support the Cradle of Quarterbacks. Boiler Up!

In Pirates' Alley, we found this photographer and his pretty subject.

There are so many picturesque spots for photos in the French Quarter.

And finally, it was game time. Or at least, it was time to go to the game. I like to get there early. Way early.
The newly named Mercedes-Benz Superdome was looking, well, super.

You'll see all kinds of characters at a New Orleans Saints game. Of course, costumes are part of New Orleans any time, game day or not. This bumblebee was the first one we saw.

Ted and Cheryl, wearing the Blue, before the game. Colts for Life.

Jim and I, equally decked out, in Black and Gold. Who Dat!

Champions Square is a gathering place for fans before the game, with food, drink, and music.

We thought we should get a picture of all of us together. Still all smiling.

The Superdome opens 2 hours before kickoff, and we were in line to be among the first in our seats. The guy in front of us in line had these cool shoes.

And I even let Jim hold the tickets. For a minute. For the picture. :)

After a minor  camera incident, which made it necessary for me to enter an alternate door, we were safely in our seats and ready for warm-ups.

There they are, two Boilermakers, meeting at midfield before the game. Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, and Curtis Painter, of the Indianapolis Colts. I won't even mention that Curtis needs a haircut.

This was the first home game for the Saints since the renaming of the dome. It is now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

This is what you see if you look up. I thought it was pretty cool.

There's Drew, doing his stretches. The pink shoes were worn for breast cancer awareness, and were autographed and auctioned after the game to benefit the Brees Dream Foundation.

The sign in the stands says, "Get Well Sean" for Saints coach Sean Payton, who injured his leg on the sidelines during the game against Tampa Bay. The guy in the middle of the photo in the white shirt and blue cap is Peyton Manning, who is recovering from a neck injury and unable to play. But you knew that. The whole world knows that.

Drew starts his warm-up.

Warm-up finished, and headed to the locker room.

I had to get a shot of the Super Bowl banner.

And the scoreboard before the start of the game.

I mentioned the colorful characters you see at a Saints game, but I'm pretty sure these were real nuns. On the sidelines. It's always good to have nuns on your side. The scripture for the day was Psalm 16:3: As for the saints who are on the earth, "They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight." To which David replied, "I thought God's favorite team was the Cowboys." Well no, no it is not. :)

These fans were reminiscing about days past, when the Saints fans wore bags on their heads and called themselves the "Aints." That was back when Archie Manning was their quarterback. Hmmmm.....

Another group of colorful characters. We would see them again after the game on Bourbon Street.

Here's Drew, all suited up and ready to go.

Curtis and Coach Caldwell before the game.

That's tight end Jimmy Graham. ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols did a touching piece on Jimmy and his unlikely path to the NFL. It is definitely worth watching. He's a good player, and one of Drew's favorite targets. I heard he wants to name the end zone in the Mercedes Benz Superdome the "benz zone." Great idea.

Drew leading the chant in the pregame huddle. You've probably seen the commercial.

That's quick-as-lightning Darren Sproles and Colts punter Pat McAfee. They would both see a lot of action during the game.

More stretching. During this time, Coach Sean Payton would normally be walking around among the players talking and encouraging them before the game. This was not possible for this game, since Coach was up in the box due to his leg injury.

Another colorful character.

I love this picture. Football down and time for business. Let's do this! Who Dat!

Starting lineups announced.

That's Matt Tennant standing with Drew. He's a center, and may be working his way into the lineup since center Olin Kreutz left the team earlier in the week.

Peyton Manning was doing a little coaching from the opposite sideline.

Ted, giving his Colts some encouragement. And they needed it.

I like this picture of Peyton Manning on the sidelines, and Tracy Porter on the field. Peyton probably remembers Tracy. He accidentally threw the ball to him during the Super Bowl. It was the most I've ever cheered for a player from IU. :)

Brees taking a break after a touchdown. And another touchdown. And another touchdown.

The Saints had kids lined up to retreive the kicking tee after the kickoffs. I thought they might run out of little boys before the game was over. This little guy was having the time of his life.

This little boy and his dad were sitting right in front of us. Pretty cute even if his "hair" did obstruct my view just a bit.

Peyton is not looking too happy.

Coach Payton was somewhere behind us up in the booth. They showed this picture of him on the big screen.

Saints in the huddle.

First and goal!

Late in the game, Drew even had some time to relax on the sidelines.

He took time to congratulate many of his teammates on a great win.

Meanwhile, the other sideline was not such a happy place.

These were the four little boys in front of us. So cute. Reminds me of another group of boys I know.

After the game, Drew is interviewed by the media.

Jim and I posed for our traditional after-the-game photo. You can't really read the scoreboard in the picture, but the final score was 62-7. You may have heard. There was wild celebration on Bourbon Street. But that happens every night I think.

Ted and Cheryl were not up for the Bourbon Street celebration, but we did head to Cafe du Monde the next morning for beignets. We stopped to take a picture in front of Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. Ted says he has the home-movie-light squint in this photo.

Jim and I posed for a picture as well.

We decided to take a carriage tour of the French Quarter for our last morning in NOLA, and selected a bright purple carriage pulled by a white mule named Hot Stuff. It was a relaxing way to tour the quarter. We enjoyed the entertaining stories during our ride. According to our driver, this is the home of Brad and Angelina. They must not have been home, or I'm sure they would have invited us in. Maybe next time. :)