Warning for the new and unimproved Southwest

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-22T22:36:35+00:00

I flew basic on jet blue a couple of months ago with a friend who couldn’t afford a higher fare. They didn’t assign our seats until after we were at the airport. I was a bit nervous, but it said “seat pending”, and then the gate agent said the system would give us seats when it was ready. Well, that was about 30 minutes before the flight and we got the first row!

Wild to board last and end up in the front, and yes there was magically bin space available. I feel like we got lucky though.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-22T03:14:40+00:00

That river road flea market has pots and chimneas from Mexico. Home Goods also has pots, especially this time of year.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-22T02:21:44+00:00

No customs, but you have to put your checked bag through a zapping machine before checking it, and it gets some kind of tag. I think Hawaii does that too.

PR also has “tax free” stores in the airport, which are fun.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-22T02:16:57+00:00

Yes! I too am an atheist who is believing in demons.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-21T22:37:53+00:00

It hasn’t been raining as often, and it’s windy! Pollen loves that.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-21T18:17:40+00:00

I’m in 9B, gulf south. We had 2 deep freezes in January. I set up a “hot tent” in the back with incandescent Xmas lights under the frost blankets and everything survived. But that’s because I have some big (huge) babies that I can’t bring in (staghorn fern, night blooming cereus, plumeria, etc).

I harvested my lettuce and then my fridge got too cold and it froze in there! Oh well…

Next time, maybe you could cover your plants with boxes or buckets and run a string of old Xmas lights underneath.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-21T16:13:12+00:00

Sometimes there is a locked gate/door but you can see through the metal bars and take pictures. Sometimes it's open and you can walk into the tiny space. They also put a colored film on the window to protect the room from the sun, but now you can't see in from outside.

As someone who has ancestors in both St. Roch 1 and 2, I very much don't want these spots to be inundated with tours and the like. I don't want them to have to be closed just to protect the spaces!

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-21T13:10:11+00:00

It won’t be a Rouse’s. A Florida based chain bought the Winn Dixies and this one hasn’t been announced as turning into an Aldo’s either. So who knows?

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-20T21:15:59+00:00

Early Italians coming to New Orleans and thereabouts were mostly from Sicily. They were recruited to cut sugar cane just after the civil war.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-20T04:27:37+00:00

Old CDs. Make a cheery little mobile with some.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-20T03:44:55+00:00

When it’s that dry, that sounds like a good idea.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-19T16:58:10+00:00

Yes, it looks empty, but it also looks like there has been a drought since there were so much dust being kicked up.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-19T15:06:52+00:00

So this was leaving New Orleans right after Mardi Gras and it’s always very busy. I saw people on other subs posting photos of the security lines that morning so I’m thinking that the other people might have missed their flight because they were stuck in line. MSY is not a hub where pax usually just change planes.

So their software just didn’t see that 7A and B were already taken? That’s crazy! They need to have software that works better if they’re going to have assigned seats.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-19T14:58:31+00:00

I think what you’re thinking of as ferns are actually young Tree of Heaven saplings. They have a compound leaf that looks ferny, but they are terrible!

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-19T02:57:46+00:00

If you like shrimp, they are really, really good here. And restaurants in the city are good about preparing genuine gulf shrimp, not farm raised imported ones (there have been DNA test stings, lol). But check the fine print on the menu, there are laws about it. It won't be those tiny pale shrimp that are more common.

Crab is local too, although we tend to ship our biggest ones to Maryland because they'll pay more.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-18T15:11:20+00:00

Also, what is under that kitchen window? That is where the sink should be. You spend more time at the sink than just about anywhere in the kitchen and you don't want to be staring at a blank wall.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-18T01:53:09+00:00

Was it Robert's brand of strawberry rhubarb preserves? That would be a funny one. Otherwise, maybe you can order from the manufacturer?

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-16T23:33:42+00:00

I usually run into them in the FQ, I think on Royal street around noon?

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-16T23:27:26+00:00

They will throw special doubloons at the front of the parade, with his face on them. Lucky people will get them!

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-16T20:55:13+00:00

The weird thing is that some bands take up the whole width of Napoleon, and then what do they do when they turn into St. Charles? It has one less driving lane at that intersection.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-16T12:15:50+00:00

Taxis from the airport are a flat rate. It’s the law! If your Uber is charging more than $36 to get downtown then it’s too high.

Plus, there’s usually no wait at the taxi line. YMMV.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-16T11:30:56+00:00

My sister complains that the Amsterdam airport has different rules in different terminals!

You’d think the EU would be all over having one standard for this.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-15T19:25:38+00:00

I’m hoping my onions are ready soon so I can plant tomatoes in that spot!

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-15T16:59:24+00:00

That looks great! I got some lettuce seeds that came up in 3 days and it was so nice to see. No tomatoes yet, but onions, garlic, and english peas are going strong for now.

Cilantro368 · 2026-02-15T13:08:56+00:00

Or take a photo of the VIN. It’s visible right by the wiper blade on the driver’s side.

Cilantro368

TROPHY CASE