hats off!

when we got back to san francisco from new orleans, i was so excited to stumble upon a show at sfo of vintage stewardess caps.

i had just forgot my cute little otsu planner (yeah, this one) on the plane, so seeing this display helped lift my spirits.





Hats Off! Women's Airline Uniform Caps, a new exhibition at San Francisco International Airport, presents a unique look at the design history of the crowning touch in the fashions of flight--the airline uniform hat for women.

The approximately thirty-five uniform caps included in the exhibition illustrate the cap's role as a practical accessory and an extension of an airline's company image. Caps on display range from haute couture-inspired looks from the 1940s, and modern designs from the 1960s to retro-influenced styles from the 1980s and 1990s. Among the designers represented in the exhibition are Adolfo, Howard Greer, Oleg Cassini, Stan Herman, Eric Javits, Raymond Loewy, Jean Louis, Hanae Mori, Mary McFadden and Frank Olive.

a tentative audience

while in new orleans, we spent a few evenings at megan & shana & billy & danny's house, and one night danny got busy with the grill.

hippo, tippy, and rogue are shameless beggers when it comes to people food and they quickly zeroed in on nathan once he sat down with his plate of chicken. half way through the video, you can see hippo high five him as she has been diligently taught by her mom, shana.

fun, and apparently people food, was had by all.

cafe du monde

no trip to new orleans is complete without half a dozen visits to cafe du monde for beignets and cafe au lait w/ chickory. this place is old old old and open 24 hours. you can sit inside or outside; my favorite spot is on the outside corner nearest the river facing jackson square.


the tables are always sticky! your clothes are always dusty!


people watching rarely disappoints. case in point: casting call for witness.

if you take a stroll through the alley behind cafe du monde, you'll find a window into their kitchen. having made beignets at home several times (with the cafe du monde mix!) i was really jazzed to see how they work it. how cool is this rolling press?! they roll a lump of dough through the press on the left and then run the niched roller along the flattened dough to get a bunch of rectangles, then they fry 'em up in the vats in the background. within minutes, you're served the pillowy doughnuts mounded with powdered sugar. amen.

lucky's

one of my favorite things about being in new orleans is getting to experience it like a local. late one night, we were riding back from a friend's house in mid city to our b&b in the garden district when britten called to invite us out for karaoke at lucky's which we a had literally just rode past on st. charles. when i'm in town, i try to see my friends as much as possible so we had to oblige!

i was pretty tired, but had fun playing with my camera and listening to various vocal stylings. britten belted out let's give them something to talk about, then joked about how the hostess, linda, always always sings nothing compares 2 u, which she did eventually croon.


i left my beloved coat in a cab and have been in mourning ever since. thinking it was the lord's intention to provide me with funds for a replacement, we went to harrah's and immediately lost $25. relaxing at lucky's next to the poker machines, i relapsed and gambled $1. i won 75¢ and got out when the gettin' was good!