Saturday, September 2, 2017
I slept in while Patrick went to the gym upstairs. We walked through Faubourg Marigny to light breakfast at Cake Cafe & Bakery (2440 Chartres Street): chocolate-almond croissant and coffee with chicory for Patrick, ham and cheese croissant and hot chai for me. Water for both. Returned to Melrose Mansion, and along the way Patrick stopped to buy more bottled water at the corner store. Patrick napped; I rested. Ran an internet speed test at Melrose Mansion at 12:25 pm on a Saturday. It's crazy fast for a hotel: 82 Mbps down, 54 Mbps up. Rode UberX to drag brunch at The Country Club (634 Louisa Street) in Bywater. I had wanted to come here last year but didn't get the chance. We were seated in a room with two large all-female bridal parties, one mixed-gender bridal party, and one table of four young gay men, one of whom wore a muscle tank that said POWER TOP and another of whom wore a muscle tank that said POWER BOTTOM. A host explained how it worked: basically get drunk, eat, have fun. Another employee came around with small bills for people who wanted change with which to tip the performers, which was a popular thing to do, and we joined. Three drag queens performed in sequence with multiple outfit changes so that at first we weren't sure how many of them there were. They were all loved by the crowd. Aside from drinks, Patrick had polenta and eggs, and I had the fried green tomatoes benedict; the tomatoes were particularly crisp. Our bill: $66.50 before a $13 tip, and this doesn't count the small bill tips for the drag queens. Afterwards, upon our request, a hostess gave us a brief tour through the pool area, which was packed with guests and quite noisy. We weren't dressed for the pool and only wanted to see what that area was like. We walked back through the Bywater and the Marigny to Melrose Mansion. Patrick and I visited the Melrose Mansion pool, which was much quieter than the one at The Country Club. He rested while I took a quick dip then rested. Showered, dressed. Walked through the French Quarter toward an extravaganza but decided to not stay because we were overdressed. Stopped at Antoine's Annex for two large iced chais and saw a very short second line pass on the street. Visited the Carousel Bar at Monteleone, but it was too crowded, so at Patrick's suggestion we visited the Black Duck Bar upstairs at The Palace Cafe: Planter's Punch for Patrick, Nola Pilar for me. This location used to hold a longtime music store called Werlein's. We walked closer to the river along Chartres and encountered a bridal second line with all white people. We browsed at various stores facing Jackson Square until our 8:30 pm dinner reservation at Sylvain. Sparkling water, a glass of Pipeno, a glass of Nebbiolo, soup, shoulder, and a burger. $81.03 before a $16 tip. Walked to Melrose Mansion.