Happy New Year!

Yeah, I know, January is almost over so I’m pretty late with that greeting, my bad.  It’s been a minute…

I meant to drop a post around Christmas, but the way my parent’s wifi is set up, that wasn’t happening.

Then I meant to drop another last week, but time got the best of me.  It’s been a crazy month so far so my apologies.

But yes, welcome back to #DoubleFML FatDarrellPalooza!

Have no fear, we’re still going strong in 2020.  Actually, the goal is go even bigger and transition to more video content but either way, we’re not going anywhere.

You know who else is still going strong in 2020?  My beloved San Franscico 49ers, that’s who!

That’s right, they’ve now punched their ticket to The Super Bowl to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on February 2, in Miami!

Patrick Mahomes is actually my current favorite quarterback and I have a ton of respect for their head coach Andy Ried since I used to work for the Philadephia Eagles when he was the coach there, but hey, San Fran is my team so GO NINERS!

I’ll actually have the honor and privilege of working the pre and post-game ceremonies and the halftime show featuring J.lo, Shakira and special guests! 

Miami is already incredible so when you add J.lo, Shakira, the 49ers and The Chiefs I think my head might explode!  It’s going to be an amazing adventure.

But before we look ahead to that, let’s look back at last week’s adventure to “The Big Easy” New Orleans where I had the amazing opportunity to work the pre and post-game ceremonies for The College Football National Championship Game between LSU and Clemson!

Since I was trying to stay under budget and felt daring, I decided to try staying at a hostel.  Specifically, The  Auberge NOLA Hostel in the French Quarter.

Although I’d stayed in a hostel before during one of my trips to Toronto, I had my own private room.  This time however, I’d be sharing a co-ed dorm with several strangers so I had no idea what to expect.  Would people steal my stuff?  Would I wake up to some foreign rando licking the side of my face?  Who knows?

Thankfully neither of those happened and it ended up being even greater than expected!  I now see why this place received such great reviews!

For starters, the place was spotless and cleaned thoroughly each day. 

They served a free breakfast and offered free nightly social events, mixers and outing to various city attractions.  Many other locations would have charged for these services, so it was really nice to be guided around the city free of charge!

The location was one block away from the street cars and restaurants, and less than 10 minutes from historic Bourbon Street!

Although I left my “A-list outfits” at home and packed 3 padlocks thinking I’d be super paranoid about my items, everyone staying there was so cool that I didn’t end up using any of them. 

We all became like a mini family who looked out for each other and explored the city attractions together. 

During my stay, the guests included travelers from Australia, France, California, India and other diverse locations.  The guests were also from various ethnic backgrounds but everyone got along.

I’ll definitely go back to this particular hostel!  I’ll also consider exploring other cities the same way going forward. 

I wouldn’t recommend a shared hostel dorm for a long term stay where you need tons of space.  Also don’t do this if you’re feeling particularly bougie or shy but otherwise, it’s a unique way to meet new people and explore new places cheaply.

As for the trip itself, I had to cram a lot into a short period of time so I didn’t get to do all that I wanted, however I did get to check out the Southern Food and Beverage Museum that featured the foodie history for each Southern State!

They had a lot of unique displays, cooking demos and recipes!

You knew I was going to pose with the Giant Piggly Wiggly mascot, right?

If you’re a foodie or looking for an alternative to the party scene, you’ll love this place!

I also checked out another museum that’s not so family friendly!  It was the Museum of Death featuring creepy displays and artifacts from serial killers and crime scenes.  It was um….interesting to say the least!  Definitely not for the faint of heart!  I wasn’t even allowed to take photographs inside of that one!  If you have a morbid sense of humor or watch a lot of ID Network though, you may want to check this place out too.

A block from the hostel was a restaurant called StreetCar PoBoys where I had this monstrosity!

It’s called The Dexter, named after the employee who was sitting next to me at the bar that night.   

It was loaded with hot sausage, ham, melted provolone, caramelized onions and served with a side of sweet potato fries.  They also provided me with a cup of warm gravy to dip the bread into, which I highly recommend! 

I never made it back to try the gumbo before I left, but you should definitely check them out if you’re ever in the area!

I also managed to try the most suggested restaurant of all, the world-famous Café Du Monde!  Literally everyone I spoke to told me to try their beignets, so I absolutely had to try one before I left town!

If you don’t know what a beignet is, the closest example I can think of is like a thicker funnel cake. 

They’re really good!  I can see what all the hype is about!  I probably shouldn’t have worn all black though, that powder was no joke!  It must have looked like I was hanging out with Bobby Brown after I finished those…

If you go, make sure to bring cash since that’s all they accept!  They’re open 24-hours though, so you’ll have plenty of time to stop at the ATM first.

And of course, I also spent plenty of time in the French Quarter and on Bourbon Street aka “that strip you probably think of whenever anyone mentions New Orleans”…fun times.

Of course, I was also in town to work!  Specifically, the CFB National Championship game that was won by LSU. 

Congratulations to both teams for making it that far though!  The Rutgers hoodie I wore to the stadium may be the closest my alma mater gets to making it to that game for a while but hey, anything is possible, right?

Anyway, here are some photos from The Mercedes Benz Superdome where the event was held!

With Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward and TV personality Rachel Lindsay…

Oh, and if you’re worried about the pending extinction of pay phones, they’re apparently still alive and well in NOLA!

Here’s the black cat that cross my path on the way to the stadium on game day.  In a town known for voodoo, that was rather ominous but thankfully I didn’t trip during the National Anthem or get tazed by Secret Service…

Here’s the pregame clip that appeared on tv.  I’m pretty hard to spot but I’m holding the right corner of the flag by the 25 yard-line.

Regardless of your political affiliation, it was pretty interesting being 5 feet away from a US President.  That now brings my total up to 2 since I once attended the same Broadway performance of RENT that Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton attended. 

This trip also checked off another stadium and another state since I’d only had numerous failed attempts to make it to New Orleans in the past.

I now see that I definitely shouldn’t have waited so long and I’m looking forward to going back again in the future!

With that said, make sure to drop your recommendations for other places I should check out next time I’m in New Orleans!

Also drop those Super Bowl predictions too!  Who ya got?

Okay y’all, sorry for the abrupt ending but I still have to pack for Miami and I’m also in a race against this Tylenol PM I took since I’ve been under the weather.  I’ll post again soon but in the meantime, please comment below and make sure to follow me on social media by clicking the logos on the main menu!

Until next time my friends, May the Fork be With You!

-Darrell

Today’s Soundtrack

BOP – DaBaby

Life is Good – Future & Drake

Godzilla – Eminem ft. Juice WRLD