The ladies and Anthony head to NOLA for Design Expo ‘91! Laissez les bons temps rouler! Just kidding – that’s not possible with our favorite stick in the mud, Julia. Meanwhile, Mary Jo’s attempt to sow her one wild oat goes awry. And no shock here: we want to hang with Suzanne and Charlene, who are soaking in the city’s cuisine, cocktails, and culture. (Or at least let us crash with Anthony since no one else will!)
And, inspired by Charlene and Suzanne’s girls’ night on the town, Nikki’s gonna sidebar with us on 10 not-so-obvious things to do when you visit New Orleans.
Come back on Thursday for an Extra Sugar inspired by Suzanne squaring off with Lolita DuPage. We’re dedicating this one to the world of drag – its significant historical and cultural impact, major players, and its recent appearance in the news cycle.
Here are our sources from this episode:
Nikki’s sidebar covered all kinds of fun stuff to do in NOLA. Here are a few highlights:
Conde Nast Traveler’s list of the 23 best things to do in New Orleans
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
Or listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music.
Transcript
Salina: Hey, Nikki.
Nikki: Hey, Salina.
Salina: And hello, everyone, and welcome to Sweet Tea and tv.
Salina: Hey, y'all.
Salina: So here we are.
Salina: We're at.
Salina: Where are we?
Salina: We're in season five.
Nikki: We're in season five.
Salina: Are you ready to talk about it?
Salina: Sound like I'm ready to get into New Orleans.
Nikki: I thought we were in New Orleans.
Nikki: I thought that's where we were going today.
Salina: I just got really sad.
Salina: I just need like a cafe ole in one hand, a pile of beignets in the other with like a little.
Nikki: Steam coming off of them.
Salina: That would be so nice.
Nikki: The powdered sugar just melting on your.
Salina: Mouth with a poor server who you just feel like has put up with a whole lot for a whole long time and is ready to murder everyone.
Salina: That was the vibe I got off everyone there.
Salina: So nice.
Nikki: And the scent of urine wafting through your nose from being pigeons everywhere.
Salina: There's a couple of things where it gets a little something, but let's go.
Nikki: Back to the steam coming off the bin.
Salina: Off the bin.
Nikki: So speaking of New Orleans, let's blame it on New Orleans.
Nikki: I blame it on New Orleans that we're here right now.
Salina: I blame it on somebody, somebody's fault.
Nikki: So designing women online's summary of this episode is while in New Orleans for design Expo, Mary Jo gives in to a long standing flirtation with a gentleman acquaintance and is discovered.
Nikki: No.
Nikki: And is devastated to later discover he's married.
Nikki: Air date March 4, 1991 we're calling this one bopping off to the big easy.
Nikki: It was written by de la Duke and Mark Alton Brown and directed by David Trainer.
Salina: I just wanted to give you something.
Nikki: I wish I had some of that New Orleans music, like Zydeco band music or something.
Salina: Whatever I did is like the opposite.
Nikki: It felt like we were in a stadium.
Nikki: Maybe we were in the stadium where the Saints play maybe Superdome.
Salina: Yeah, I was thinking more like a dj kind of situation.
Salina: Also not really in line with New Orleans music, to be honest.
Nikki: You really crapped the bed on that one, Salina.
Salina: Sorry.
Nikki: You have time to redeem yourself.
Nikki: What general reactions do you have?
Salina: Sorry?
Salina: Well, with this one, it was putting me in the mind of maybe baby, which we covered recently because for some, this might be the one where Mary Jo sleeps with a married man, but I bet my bottom dollar that many people, maybe even most people, would say it's the one where Suzanne goes toe to toe with a female impersonator and it all happens in like the last 5 seconds.
Salina: Yeah, but it really cements in your mind.
Salina: Yeah, that's my very first one.
Salina: How about you?
Nikki: So it's funny you say that, because I've watched this episode.
Nikki: I watched it in pre watch earlier this season.
Nikki: We're getting to the point where I haven't watched the last few episodes.
Nikki: I'm just going to continue to admit that, that I never finished my prescreen this season.
Nikki: So they're going to be some real surprises for me at the end.
Salina: I've got an even bigger surprise for you.
Salina: Every time you say that, I forget.
Salina: It's like new news to me.
Nikki: Maybe this is where we are in life.
Nikki: Because I had completely forgotten the twist of this episode, that Garrett is married.
Nikki: I didn't see it coming in my most recent watch.
Nikki: I couldn't have predicted it to save my life.
Nikki: And when he said it, my jaw dropped.
Salina: So did Mary jokes.
Nikki: It sure did.
Nikki: So through the whole episode, he seems really nice and genuine.
Nikki: I knew something was coming because he seemed like a really nice guy.
Nikki: Something was going to happen.
Nikki: Right?
Nikki: The fact that he was married was not what expected it to be.
Nikki: I kind of was expecting that he was going to be a jerk.
Nikki: When he comes back into the hotel room and he has, like, the coffee and probably beignets or donuts, he brings him back in.
Nikki: I was like, he's going to be a jerk.
Nikki: Like, he's just going to tell her.
Nikki: Could you just get dressed and leave now, please?
Nikki: So I expected that when he was married, I was like, so on that note, I had that jaw drop.
Nikki: I did remember that this was sort of like a goofy episode with Suzanne.
Nikki: I couldn't remember what the goofiness was when she ripped her wig off.
Nikki: My jaw also dropped.
Nikki: So those were my two general reactions to this episode were surprised me.
Nikki: I've seen this episode, and it still took me by surprise.
Salina: Isn't it nice to still be surprised?
Nikki: I love a surprise.
Salina: Well, I only have one more general reaction, and that was about the room situation.
Salina: I just had some thoughts.
Nikki: Tell me.
Salina: Well, thank you.
Salina: It's just as stupid that someone wouldn't automatically just stay in the room with Anthony.
Salina: Like he had an extra bed.
Salina: What?
Nikki: I get this whole.
Nikki: They did this early, like a season two or whatever, whenever Suzanne and him design expo again, I think, wasn't it?
Nikki: And they had this whole appropriateness thing.
Nikki: And so I felt like we had been there, done that, and I thought we had crossed that bridge.
Salina: Who do they think's peering in these rooms?
Nikki: Who do they think is paying attention?
Salina: They're in New Orleans.
Nikki: Their rooms were connected also, so they could go in the lady's side and walk through to Anthony's side, and no one needs to know they're sharing a room.
Salina: Bourbon street is literally Sodom and Gomorrah.
Nikki: It's so true.
Salina: What do they think is going to.
Salina: So there's that part that's the least.
Nikki: Of people's concerns about what's going on in those rooms.
Salina: Exactly.
Salina: And then this whole passive aggressive, yet a little aggressive fighting over space among the ladies in the hotel room.
Salina: I just wanted to say that's a real thing.
Salina: Yeah, that was real.
Nikki: Real.
Salina: And from the first second you ever.
Salina: I think the first time we ever went to a hotel and it was literally just us.
Salina: We were senior year of high school, we stayed down in Panama City, and it was like a battle royale.
Salina: Fight to the death.
Nikki: Oh, no.
Salina: It has kind of never changed.
Salina: And it always brings out the most interesting side of your friend's personalities.
Salina: And the people who think they just automatically have x room bathroom, or the people who are always nice, and they're like, I'll just sleep under the kitchen.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: But they're secretly p***** off.
Nikki: They're really mad about it.
Nikki: Yeah, that's me.
Nikki: That's the me of the group.
Salina: I like to think that I've probably rotated and been everyone at some point, including being an only child.
Salina: So there is a part of me.
Nikki: Oh, that's true.
Salina: Understands the Suzanne thing.
Salina: I'm like, there's open space.
Salina: It's mine.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: But you know what?
Salina: You get that beat out of you, and it should have been beat out of.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: Anyways, we went to Vegas one year with friends, and my friend had, like, a timeshare situation, and so she was going to help us sort out the rooms.
Nikki: I was just like, Kyle and I were married.
Nikki: This was a.
Nikki: I think it was our anniversary.
Nikki: Maybe it was our first trip away after having kids.
Nikki: It wasn't our anniversary, but our first trip away after having kids.
Salina: I remember this trip.
Nikki: So I didn't even want to think about what room we would get or how we would share this condo.
Nikki: And I just flat out said, we're just going to get our own room so that I have control over what space I have, because I knew I was going to feel entitled in a way, because it was a trip that we had planned for us, so that felt like the safer way to deal with it.
Nikki: But I've definitely been.
Nikki: We've shared a house before where we had to rock, paper, scissors for who got the room upstairs and who got the room downstairs and the people who lost were very not happy about losing.
Nikki: So it's a lot.
Nikki: Yeah, it's a lot.
Nikki: I try to coordinate all that before we leave so that there is minimal discussion because, you know, I don't love the conflict.
Nikki: And once we get there, I'm going to end up on the floor because I don't want to argue anymore.
Salina: I like watching the conflict, though.
Salina: So if you like to watch the conflict, not only this is great, obviously we have a podcast about it, but the reality tv show summer house in Winter House is also a place where they really throw down and people get unnecessarily angry.
Salina: And I do think it teaches you a lesson.
Salina: Like, hey, you don't want to be that guy.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: I think the lesson in all of this is sort out the logistics before you go.
Nikki: Have the hard conversation before you get there so that when you get there, you don't have the awkward.
Nikki: There will still be some awkwardness because someone's still going to make a petty comment about how they got stuck in that room.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: But you can be like, sorry, we played rock paper scissors three months ago.
Salina: That's right.
Salina: So speaking of stray observations, would you like to cover some about the episode?
Nikki: So I had something that struck me as a plot hole or a potential plot hole, but maybe it's not.
Nikki: It's just maybe a little too convenient of this episode.
Salina: I'll just give it to you.
Nikki: Thank you.
Nikki: I appreciate that.
Nikki: Garrett was framed.
Nikki: So Garrett's the guy, the married man.
Nikki: He was framed as someone Mary Jo would be comfortable enough to bop off with.
Nikki: Someone that she's had in multiple ways, someone that she's had many interactions with.
Nikki: They said something along the lines of, like, this is someone she's run into at all these conferences or meetings.
Nikki: We've not really talked about design Expo, though, in any sort of consistent way.
Nikki: We had a design expo back in season two, which we talked about a minute ago, stranded.
Nikki: But Mary Jo and the others had the flu, so they weren't out bopping off with anybody.
Nikki: And then we haven't talked about another design expo, but in this episode, Charlene set up Garrett as like, oh, you know, he's that lighting fixture rep that Mary Jo always chats with at these meetings.
Nikki: So I just don't know what meetings she's been chatting with him at because they've not been at design Expo.
Salina: Right.
Salina: The only other one I can think of is the one where Suzanne burned down the was.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: That was not design house.
Nikki: Design house, something like that.
Nikki: I looked it up because I thought about that too.
Salina: Okay.
Nikki: I thought about that, too.
Salina: And even in that case, though, if that had been a design expo, it wouldn't have been the right thing, right?
Nikki: That's right.
Salina: She wasn't really involved.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: That's a fair plot hole.
Salina: It's one, I expect.
Nikki: Sure.
Salina: But it's definitely not something.
Salina: It's random person who's always been in my life.
Salina: Random brother.
Salina: I always talk about.
Nikki: We've never heard about these nieces that, yeah, super convenient.
Nikki: The other thing I wanted to say, and this almost feels unfair because I'm realizing in this moment I did not go back and take my pictures of it.
Nikki: Mary Jo's outfits were killing it in this episode.
Nikki: She had cute.
Nikki: Maybe she had the cutest green suit outfit.
Nikki: She looks so in the hotel room, and she's just so petite.
Nikki: Everything fits her so beautifully.
Nikki: But it was, like, wide leg pants and a p**** bow top.
Salina: Well, wasn't expecting that.
Nikki: Sorry.
Nikki: That's what they're called.
Nikki: Like, the big giant bow up here.
Nikki: She was wearing that, and then she wore a really cute little black dress at dinner.
Nikki: To your point, though, when they gave the presentation.
Nikki: So after she had her time with Garrett, her presentation outfit was very, like, that's what you're giving a presentation in after you've had all these cute outfits leading up to it.
Salina: She just wasn't in the right headspace.
Nikki: She was not, but she looked fantastic in this episode.
Nikki: I wanted to mention that.
Salina: Very nice.
Salina: Weird to me that Suzanne made a big deal about Charlene leaving Olivia with Mrs.
Salina: Philpott for a few days.
Salina: She's like, kind of was, like, brow beating her a little.
Salina: Leave your kid.
Salina: That just was weird.
Nikki: She's just trying to get rid of Charlene so they could have extra space in the hotel room.
Salina: Oh, my God.
Salina: That's exactly what was happening.
Nikki: She was trying to guilt her so she felt bad enough to stay home.
Salina: Not catch on to that, because I'm.
Nikki: Like, Suzanne, not weird.
Nikki: She's trying to leave Anthony behind.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: On brand, right?
Nikki: Y'all are playing checkers.
Nikki: I'm playing chess over here with Suzanne.
Nikki: There's a long game to everything there.
Salina: You.
Salina: We also slam for me.
Salina: I'll take it.
Salina: Is it weird that this is so close to the Giselle episode and it's like Julia has no understanding that everyone wants to cut loose a little.
Nikki: She.
Salina: I got so many notes for Julia, but we'll get there.
Nikki: Oh, that's an interesting observation.
Nikki: She's like, just calm down.
Nikki: Everybody just relax.
Salina: Right?
Nikki: We're in New Orleans.
Nikki: It's nothing special, right?
Nikki: It's not the biggest party city in the world.
Salina: Exactly.
Salina: What other strays do you have?
Nikki: I have one more.
Nikki: I have a cut line.
Nikki: In the opening scene, after Suzanne made her entrance, they discussed what you just mentioned, Olivia's care plans.
Nikki: And after Mary Jo said, too bad, kimasabi, this was cut.
Nikki: You know, I never knew what that meant.
Nikki: In this case, it translates as lazy, inconsiderate white woman.
Nikki: Suzanne, I don't want to hear another word about this.
Nikki: Anthony, about this.
Nikki: Anthony is going with us, and that's all there is to it.
Nikki: New Orleans is a big city, and in that big city, there's got to be one more hotel room for one more person.
Nikki: And then that helps transition to the scene where they enter the hotel room and Suzanne is saying, oh, yeah, New Orleans is a big city.
Nikki: Lots of hotel rooms.
Nikki: She was answering what I assume was probably Julia saying, there's got to be one more hotel room, or like a.
Salina: Dawn commercial broke in the middle.
Nikki: Exactly correct.
Nikki: So it wasn't the worst cut in the world, but it was sort of a nice transition.
Salina: Okay, well, I have one more stray, too.
Salina: Okay.
Salina: At seven minutes and 53 seconds, Suzanne and Charlene run off to have an amazing time.
Salina: Hanging out in the French Quarter, drinking hurricanes, going to voodoo shops.
Salina: Why are we stuck with the two boring ones?
Nikki: Because I can assure you, their adventures would not have been as exciting as they sounded in retelling.
Nikki: But you're correct.
Nikki: That was super boring.
Nikki: But that is a perfect transition, which I'm sure was not intentional at all on your part into what I'm going to call a Nicky's nola.
Nikki: Sidebar.
Nikki: Just stop.
Nikki: I've got actual music.
Nikki: It's a sidebar.
Nikki: Nikki.
Nikki: Sidebar.
Nikki: She's got a keyboard.
Nikki: Looking for a reward by digging deep in the obscure, taking us on a detour.
Nikki: What you got, Mickey?
Nikki: Mickey.
Nikki: Sidebar.
Nikki: One of the downsides of us not recording video while we do this is that I will never be able to show the people your russian dance that you do to that song.
Salina: Well, let's not be mean to Russians.
Nikki: What is that dance called, though, where you have the person with the hands together?
Nikki: That thing.
Nikki: That thing?
Nikki: Yeah, it's inspired.
Nikki: It's not being mean to the Russians.
Nikki: You're inspired by them.
Salina: I can't help it.
Salina: It feels more like a meerkat to me.
Nikki: Oh, this is the third meerkat reference you've made in, like, three days.
Salina: That's true.
Nikki: What's the deal with Meerkat?
Nikki: Do you have a pet meerkat.
Nikki: Did you get one?
Salina: I did wear a meerkat t shirt earlier this week.
Nikki: Oh, did you?
Salina: Okay.
Salina: Maybe they've been just on the.
Salina: Yeah, yeah.
Nikki: Are they always on the brain for you, though?
Salina: Yes.
Salina: This isn't about meerkats.
Nikki: This is not about meerkats.
Nikki: This is about what you were just talking about, which is Charlene and Suzanne's sightseeing adventures around New Orleans.
Nikki: Like you said, hurricanes, seeing the witch woman who feels bumps on your head, visiting the voodoo place.
Nikki: So it's no secret, I think, to the people who listen to this podcast, hopefully, that you and I are very big New Orleans fans.
Nikki: We've talked about lots of bits and pieces along the way.
Nikki: So we talked about New Orleans specific candy.
Nikki: I forgot about this one till I was kind of poking around, seeing what we've talked about before.
Nikki: But in season three, episode eleven, I did a little bit on southern candies and we talked about New Orleans specific candy.
Nikki: In season three, episode 17, we were talking about wedding traditions and I covered some New Orleans specific wedding traditions.
Nikki: We've talked about food, season three, episode 20.
Nikki: Season three was a very New Orleans heavy season.
Nikki: Season three, episode 20.
Nikki: We talked about New Orleans food.
Nikki: You talked about bachelorette parties, good little.
Salina: Deep dive back into the episode.
Salina: I did.
Nikki: If you want to talk about New Orleans, these are the greatest sweet tea and tv hits.
Nikki: That was season three, episode 18.
Nikki: And then season four, episode 20 is when you talked about your first ever trip to New Orleans, which was last year.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: Now I'm in the closet.
Nikki: But you're getting ready to go on two amazing trips.
Nikki: They're coming.
Salina: It's just time.
Salina: I'll shut up.
Nikki: It's time.
Salina: Yeah, just wait.
Nikki: But I don't think we've ever talked about things you must do or like bucket list type items.
Salina: Let's hope not.
Salina: Things weird or.
Salina: Buckle up, guys.
Salina: Here we go again.
Nikki: Repetition.
Nikki: But what I did was I went and looked up a list or a few lists of ten sort of not so obvious things you should do in New Orleans.
Nikki: And these are things I've never heard of.
Nikki: And I've been to New Orleans a few times.
Salina: So I was just thinking, what if you looked up ten things you can't do in New Orleans anymore?
Salina: They were only available in 1991.
Salina: Good luck, sucker.
Nikki: Why didn't you tell me to do that?
Salina: Well, I just thought of it.
Nikki: That would be funny.
Salina: Not fun for anyone, really.
Salina: For us.
Salina: Me.
Nikki: One of my favorite things to do before I go on a trip, especially if it's to a place I've been before is to look up something you can only do in that place.
Nikki: Like you can only snorkel with sea turtles on this one beach we went to in Mexico.
Nikki: So I like to do that and then that becomes the thing that I have to do because, you know, I like the limited edition one time only, this is your only shot sort of things.
Nikki: So I was sort of approaching this segment like that.
Nikki: Like what are some things you can only do in New Orleans?
Nikki: So they're in no particular order.
Nikki: I think the last several are museums.
Nikki: I do think I lumped the museums together because I want to give you a list for your next trip to New Orleans.
Nikki: Salina, wonderful.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: We did not do museums.
Nikki: Well, there are some cool ones and Salina loves a museum.
Nikki: We learned that in our last episode, so I wanted to share those.
Nikki: So number one is Vu New Orleans or view New Orleans.
Nikki: A Conde Nas traveler article says previously a rotating nightclub known as Top of the Mart, the upper levels of what is the new Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans have been transformed into a major new city attraction, Vu Orleans Observatory, a 360 degree observation deck and interactive experience on floors 33 and 34.
Nikki: It goes on to talk about how because New Orleans was basically built on a swamp, there just really aren't that many great views.
Nikki: Like everything is super flat.
Nikki: They didn't build up, they just built out.
Nikki: But this is actually, so floors 33 and 34 is actually pretty high for New Orleans.
Nikki: So you can see great views of everything around the city.
Nikki: There are along the way as you sort of go up the elevator and as you go along the experience, I don't know, the observatory, there are some videos that trace the history of New Orleans and it says that in the elevator you're surrounded on three sides by ever shifting scenery.
Nikki: As you go up in this elevator, it just sounded really cool.
Nikki: So that's one thing I wanted to mention.
Nikki: The New Orleans School of Cooking.
Nikki: You might be interested in this.
Nikki: Their website says, welcome to the fun food and folklore of the New Orleans School of Cooking.
Nikki: Since 1980, we've introduced countless visitors from around the world to the wonderful food and rich culture of New Orleans and Louisiana as a whole.
Nikki: So they seem to offer two kinds of cooking classes.
Nikki: One is really more, this is the one I thought you might be most interested in.
Nikki: It's like really more observation.
Nikki: Like they tell you stories while they make it.
Salina: Oh, nice.
Nikki: And then you just get to eat it.
Salina: Oh, wonderful.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: The second one is more hands on, like you're actually cooking.
Salina: But it just felt like I would be berating myself a lot when I.
Nikki: That's what I did it.
Salina: Right.
Nikki: I was sort of thinking that might be a little too triggering for very.
Nikki: You'd be really hard on yourself.
Nikki: But if you got to go and listen to cool stories and eat good food, I think you would enjoy that.
Salina: Yeah, that sounds awesome.
Nikki: Apparently the classes.
Nikki: So they offer classes.
Nikki: They also have a Louisiana general store.
Nikki: Apparently, both of those things are located in a renovated molasses warehouse from the early 18 hundreds, located in the French.
Salina: Quarter right down to the molasses.
Nikki: There you go.
Nikki: I don't know that you'll get molasses.
Salina: There, but probably anything could happen.
Nikki: I don't like molasses.
Salina: I don't even know like I like it.
Salina: It just sounds.
Salina: You use it sounds, right.
Nikki: You use it in ginger snap cookies.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: Ginger says that.
Nikki: Right?
Nikki: Gingerbread.
Nikki: Sorry.
Nikki: Gingerbread cookies.
Nikki: I'd never used it in cooking before, and I finally made gingerbread cookies.
Nikki: I'm like, this stuff's gross.
Nikki: I thought it was going to be like, syrup.
Nikki: It's not, but it's good in cookies.
Nikki: That's right.
Salina: There's that little sidebar in your sidebar.
Salina: You know, I like it.
Nikki: I'm only at number three.
Nikki: Number three.
Nikki: Steamboat natches.
Nikki: I had to look this up.
Nikki: It's spelled N-A-T-C-H-E-Z-I want to say nache, but I think in Cajun, it's pronounced naches.
Nikki: So you can ride this steamboat up the Mississippi river for a dinner buffet cruise.
Nikki: It also sounds like they offer dinner, brunch, and maybe something even in between.
Nikki: But they do lots of special parties, like Mardi Gras, Valentine's.
Nikki: They even host weddings on this boat.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: You can throw up off the side of that boat anytime you want.
Nikki: Anytime.
Salina: Get boozy.
Nikki: Want.
Nikki: That's right.
Salina: Get boozy.
Salina: And that's.
Salina: Oh, I like that.
Nikki: That should be their motto.
Salina: You can throw up anytime you want boozy.
Nikki: And, uh.
Nikki: Cause this is what you'll be interested in.
Nikki: I looked up the buffet.
Nikki: It offers things like gumbo and jumbalaya and then also like salad, bread, chicken, and veggies and fingerling potatoes.
Nikki: I would say I wouldn't be going for the food.
Nikki: You'd be going to ride on a steamboat if that's your thing.
Nikki: They also run another boat on the Mississippi, but it's not a steamboat.
Nikki: I don't know how interesting this is, but the natches is the last steamboat to run up and down the river.
Nikki: According to the company, the ship itself was built in the 1970s.
Nikki: It's modeled after a steamboat from the 18 hundreds.
Nikki: If you're a boat person, some of these things might be interesting to you.
Nikki: This was cool.
Nikki: The paddle wheel, the thing that pushes the boat down the river, is cool looking, made of.
Nikki: It's very cool.
Nikki: Made of white oak and steel.
Nikki: It's 25ft by 25ft and it weighs more than 26 tons.
Salina: Oh, wow.
Nikki: The whistle on the boat came from a ship that sank in 1908 on the Manonga Hala river.
Nikki: And in 1976, President Gerald Ford used the boat for a campaigning trip up the Mississippi river.
Nikki: And so they gave him like a special, I'm doing this captain's hat, okay.
Nikki: To commemorate his time on the boat.
Nikki: And then there was a fire on board in 2022.
Nikki: Firefighters were able to contain the fire and they were able to reopen and bring the ship back online in 2023.
Nikki: So it's backup.
Salina: All right.
Nikki: The fourth one is french quarter phantoms.
Nikki: So this is the one the Conde Nas list called out.
Nikki: But in trying to find more information about it, it felt silly not to call out the fact that this is just a ghost tour.
Nikki: There are lots of ghost tours in New Orleans.
Nikki: This one, the french quarter phantoms, did have a 4.5 star average rating across lots of lists, so that could be a good one.
Nikki: But you mentioned in your recap of your trip to New Orleans that you went on a trip.
Nikki: I mean, on a ghost tour, it looks like maybe you went on the hottest.
Salina: H***, yeah, that sounds right.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: I was going to say haunted.
Nikki: H***.
Nikki: Haunted.
Salina: Okay.
Salina: Yeah, it's hot as h*** last year.
Nikki: That's true.
Nikki: Probably really was.
Salina: It was awesome.
Nikki: The tour was.
Salina: Yeah, I can't say a good, because, and I might have mentioned this then, too, but we were with our friends and they're not always into tours because they feel like then the conversation gets monopolized.
Nikki: I understand that that makes sense.
Salina: And so I was really nervous to take them on this tour because I was like, I don't know if they're going to dig this.
Salina: And they loved it.
Salina: And I just really enjoyed how.
Salina: More so than making it scary, he just wanted to make it make sense.
Salina: And he called out the things about the city that just weren't fair at a given time.
Salina: I especially enjoyed the way he talked about voodoo and in a way that's like, hey, stop being aholes, and maybe just realize that this is just like anything else and let's stop demonizing this entire group of people.
Salina: I'm always down with that.
Salina: And he just had like an encyclopedia book of knowledge about the city.
Salina: Yeah, it was really neat.
Nikki: So that tour showed up on another list that I found.
Nikki: So I'm going to link that list as well.
Salina: I thought you're going to be like.
Salina: And it was one star.
Nikki: No, it showed up as something they recommended.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: I think they did put yours, that one.
Nikki: The hottest h*** tour on an adults only list.
Salina: That sounds right.
Nikki: So there are some other categories if you're, like, with family or you just don't want to go on an adults only tour.
Nikki: Some of us are a little scaredy cat about things like that, so you might want something a little more family friendly.
Salina: We had a scaredy cat with us, and I could probably be classified as one of them.
Salina: Anytime I'm in the dark and I don't know what's behind me in a very haunted city.
Salina: I'm just a human.
Salina: Not a good time, not a phantasma or whatever.
Salina: Phantom asthma.
Salina: There you go.
Salina: Ghost tours, they're a thing.
Nikki: Tippy Tinas is number five.
Nikki: It's a music venue in uptown New Orleans.
Nikki: It opened in the late seventy s and today they continue to host Gulf coast inspired music.
Nikki: The mission of the Tippett foundation, which was founded to underpin the venue and sort of like support it, is to support and promote the future of the gulf South's music culture and heritage via the Tina's venue and brand.
Nikki: According to Wikipedia, because I was like, what is that name?
Nikki: According to Wikipedia, the name was inspired by a well known song, tippetina, by professor Longhair, who is a performer who performed there until his death in 1980.
Nikki: And then before they took on that name, tippetina, the spot was known as the 501 Club in reference to its street address, which is 501 Napoleon Avenue.
Nikki: The building itself was constructed in 1912, and before it became this music venue, it was a gambling house, a gymnasium, and a brothel.
Nikki: So several acts have recorded live there at that venue.
Salina: I try to imagine that day.
Nikki: Which day?
Nikki: Brothel things happening at one time.
Salina: Plus the gymnasium.
Nikki: No, that's where I was, like, basketball and no, we're done.
Nikki: We're finished and complete.
Nikki: But a lot of acts have recorded live there.
Nikki: I think most people would recognize Jean's addiction and fish.
Salina: Okay.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: Mardi Gras World is a place that you can visit there.
Nikki: So it offers a tour which, quote, allows you to see firsthand what it takes to bring Mardi Gras to life year after year.
Nikki: Walk through the hard work and extensive planning that goes into this grand event.
Nikki: When you tour Blaine Kern studios, which is the operating workshop that has created breathtaking floats for Mardi Gras and other parades around the world since 1947.
Nikki: So basically, you meander around this facility where these enormous and amazing Mardi gras floats are built.
Nikki: And you can see them in different phases of being built.
Nikki: You can see different floats.
Nikki: Just sounded really cool.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: Number seven is Cajun Encounters tour company.
Nikki: So this is another one of those where there's probably like a million venues, like the ghost tours.
Nikki: This one just happened to be, like, on the list.
Nikki: But Cajun encounters offers really cool options like city bus tours, walking tours, tours of historic plantations around New Orleans.
Nikki: What actually drew me in is actually something that's on my bucket list, a swamp tour, which I know sounds so stupid on the airboats.
Nikki: Yes.
Nikki: I really want to see gators up close, but not like too close out in the wild.
Salina: So you can flee.
Nikki: So I can flee.
Salina: Right.
Nikki: And I want to be on a boat that's bigger than them, so I can just catch them in the propeller if I need to.
Salina: Oh, my.
Nikki: Worst case scenario, I just need the out.
Salina: Worst case.
Salina: In case you run across a hungry one.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: Got it.
Nikki: Cajun encounters takes you through the honey island swamp, which also sounded really lovely.
Salina: Sounds lovely.
Nikki: According to their website, Cajun encounters is a proud member of the Louisiana Nature Conservancy, and we believe that we have a responsibility to protect the environment around us.
Nikki: We're dedicated to providing an intimate look at the swamp without impacting the environment or the many diverse species that live there.
Nikki: On every tour, you'll have the chance to see alligators, wild boar, raccoons, snakes, owls, egrets and more, all in their natural habitat in just a few feet from your boat.
Salina: That's neat.
Salina: I thought that sounded cool.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: All right, we're entering the museum section.
Nikki: I think Salina number eight is the New Orleans Museum of Art.
Nikki: Did you mention this one last week in your segment?
Nikki: Do you remember?
Salina: That's a great question.
Nikki: I couldn't remember.
Nikki: I don't think you did.
Nikki: So this is the city's oldest fine arts institution.
Nikki: It opened in 1911 with just nine works of art.
Nikki: Today, it houses a permanent collection of nearly 50,000.
Salina: That's a difference.
Nikki: It is, isn't it?
Salina: I think the reason you saw me wait that long is because in my research, I may have ran across it, probably, and then it's like, what did I pick?
Salina: What did I not pick?
Salina: Will there be a test?
Nikki: If I had edited last week's episode before we recorded today, I might have been able to answer my own question, but instead I just put it right.
Nikki: On you right here in front of everybody.
Salina: Just doing the best we can.
Salina: I don't mind.
Nikki: Anyway, so it opened, like I said, in 1911, hosts 50,000 artworks today.
Nikki: They also have a twelve acre sculpture installation with more than 90 sculptures.
Nikki: The website says they're situated on a beautifully landscaped site among meandering footpaths reflecting lagoons like, how lovely does that sound?
Nikki: Wonderful.
Nikki: Spanish moss laden 200 year old live oaks, mature pines, magnolias, camellias and pedestrian bridges.
Nikki: So I found some information on the New Orleans tourism website that said, this museum ranks among the top 25% of the nation's largest and most significant museums and it is the premier art museum in the Gulf south region.
Nikki: Dega, Picasso, Georgia, O'Keefe and Renoir are all featured in the museum's collections.
Nikki: Wow.
Salina: Pretty impressive.
Nikki: Number nine is the Backstreet Cultural museum.
Nikki: This museum is located in the.
Salina: Can't think of anything that backstreet.
Nikki: I know, I thought that too.
Nikki: It's located in the Treme neighborhood, which is the oldest african american neighborhood in the United States.
Nikki: According to the wikipedia page, the museum contains many priceless artifacts of african american culture in New Orleans, including elaborate, brightly colored suits worn by Mardi Gras Indians in previous years and rare photos of Mardi Gras indian gangs from the 1940s.
Nikki: So I feel like I can't just put that there without looking into what that means.
Nikki: So I found on the New Orleans tourism website again.
Nikki: For generations, the Mardi Gras Indians have been an integral part of Mardi Gras history.
Nikki: Mardi Gras Indians evolved from a bond African Americans and Native Americans shared in the 18th and 19th centuries in the south when runaway slaves sought safety among various tribes in the area.
Nikki: Today, more than 20 tribes are found in Louisiana.
Nikki: The white cloud hunters, the wild Apache, flaming arrows and yellow pocahontas, to name a few.
Nikki: These tribes design and create elaborately beaded and feathered costumes worn only on Mardi Gras Day and the Sunday preceding or following St.
Nikki: Joseph's Day.
Nikki: These costumes can only be worn in the year in which they are created.
Salina: Wow.
Nikki: So in this museum you can go see these really elaborate and beautiful costumes among lots of other things.
Nikki: Yeah, that's really cool.
Nikki: Number ten, the last one on my list is the National World War II museum.
Nikki: It's formerly known as the National Dday Museum.
Nikki: It's a military museum located in the central business district of New Orleans.
Nikki: On its website it says the National World War II Museum tells the story of the american experience in the war that changed the world.
Nikki: Why it was fought, how it was won and what it means today so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.
Nikki: It was founded in 2000 and then redesignated by Congress four years later as the nation's official World War II History museum.
Nikki: Wow.
Nikki: It's Smithsonian affiliated, although I do not think it's free.
Nikki: I think you have to buy tickets.
Nikki: So it's not like that DC Smithsonian thing.
Nikki: Not enough affiliate, not enough affiliated, too many miles between.
Nikki: So the museum was founded on the 57th anniversary of D Day.
Nikki: Apparently New Orleans was a natural spot for the museum because the Higgins boats, which were critical to the amphibious landing on Normandy beach, were designed, built and tested in Nola.
Salina: Thank you.
Salina: Because you were answering my question, which.
Nikki: Is why New Orleans?
Salina: Yeah, like, I'm good with it, but, yeah, I figured there had to be some sort of historical significance.
Nikki: Well, there it is.
Nikki: And the last thing I'll mention about it is that the museum has almost a five star rating on Google reviews.
Nikki: And I just sort of looked through reviews because I was like, tell me more.
Nikki: And just like a lot of people talked about how thorough the museum is, how there are not nearly enough hours in the day for getting through the museum if you really take your time and sort of take it all in.
Nikki: So it does sound like worth a visit.
Salina: I will say that as much as I'm not into military history, it's just my brain shuts off.
Salina: It's not that I don't have a lot of respect and all of that.
Salina: It's why I don't watch war movies.
Salina: I get bored.
Salina: But some of my favorite things that I've done in different places, whether it was Charleston or whether it was San Diego or whatever is going on, some of the carriers, they're fascinating to see that snapshot especially a lot of it, like, things haven't been changed in the quarters since the stuff or the whatever.
Salina: And I think it's such a slice of life.
Nikki: I think that's what appeals to me about a museum like this.
Nikki: Like, why I liked the Smithsonian is because when you go in these exhibits, it's exactly that.
Nikki: You feel like you've stepped back in time and you're seeing something that is hard to imagine just reading it in a book.
Nikki: But once you see it, you're like, oh, this is what they were saying, or, oh, this is what they mean.
Nikki: And I'm a little bit like Charlene, actually.
Nikki: I'm a little, not like a World War II history, like lover or whatever, but war things do appeal to me because they appeal to this weird sense of patriotism that I have.
Nikki: It can't seem to quite fully explain.
Nikki: So the museum just sounded really cool to me.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: I'd probably visit.
Salina: Right.
Salina: Well, at least you didn't say something dumb.
Salina: Like one of the biggest shape shifting things in the world's history is boring to you?
Nikki: Well, it's old.
Salina: It's old.
Salina: There's not enough dialogue.
Salina: That's really what it boils down to.
Salina: I'm like, can we talk a little more?
Nikki: I don't like sports.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: I'm like, say some a Commentators say a lot of lines.
Salina: Yes.
Salina: Boring, though.
Nikki: I get it.
Salina: They're over here, they're running over there.
Nikki: You know what?
Nikki: It takes all kinds, Salina.
Nikki: You can like other types of museums.
Nikki: I'll do the war museum.
Salina: I would like to go to this place, though.
Nikki: I think you would.
Salina: Once it's history, I'm into.
Nikki: It.
Nikki: You have any Suzanne watches this week?
Nikki: Which was next.
Salina: That's a beautiful segue into what I was about to say.
Nikki: No.
Salina: Is it?
Salina: Yes, because I was like, wait, we can't forget Zanwatch, so everyone knows.
Salina: I'm trying to be as fair as possible.
Salina: I'm trying.
Salina: And I want to be very clear that in this week's episode, I thought the aggression between her and the ladies felt completely normal.
Salina: Very typical designing women's stuff.
Salina: Nothing there except for our good old Suzanne just being the selfish gal she is with her space.
Salina: And I totally buy that they would also push back on her, very much so in the way that they did, all tailored to their individual personalities.
Salina: I do think this is another one where maybe they could have recorded this earlier in the season and reordered it.
Salina: There's something about the teal jacket she's wearing at the end that looks like something similar I've seen her wear before.
Salina: The only other thought that I had is that it just was interesting to me that while I love the Charlene and Suzanne team up, they paired up the two who are on their way out.
Salina: And so close to the end of the season when I'm assuming some of these things are starting to be known, and that was just something that sat with me.
Salina: Otherwise, I didn't have anything that I was.
Salina: We were.
Salina: We did switch our focus to Julia.
Nikki: And Mary Jo and less on the two of them.
Nikki: I felt like we deserved an Anthony watch on this one.
Salina: What was the deal with that?
Salina: That's so funny because I will tell you that I don't know if you all know, but in addition to some of the episodes being out of order.
Salina: Nikki and I do three episodes every time we meet, and so I will tell you in a future one.
Salina: I also have noticed the absence of Anthony a lot lately, and I have a note somewhere that says something like, don't make me start an Anthony watch because I don't have time.
Nikki: Well, if you give up on this stupid Suzanne watch thing we've got going, I'm trying to look up real quick while we're talking.
Nikki: One of the websites that we have does tend to show when things were filmed.
Nikki: I thought it was IMDb, but it's not there because that feels like now this is the second time you've brought up that it could have been filmed and released out of order.
Nikki: And I can't believe it didn't occur to me before this moment to look that up, but I can't seem to find it.
Salina: Well, good, because don't prove me wrong in the middle of my show, but.
Nikki: I think you're onto something.
Nikki: I think you might be honest, because she does look markedly different between a few different episodes and then the way they introduce her in the show, everything.
Salina: Yeah, I agree.
Salina: And I don't know about.
Salina: So I will say, even in having seen some of the clips from.
Salina: I remember we were early on, earlier on in the show, so we're like, in one, two, and three.
Salina: And then I would see clips on YouTube or on different social media platforms and it'd be from, like, seasons four and five.
Salina: And just all of the ladies.
Salina: I remember feeling like, very, like, just.
Nikki: Because they look so different, they look different.
Salina: And that always throws me when I haven't gradually been brought into a new hairstyle or fashion sense or whatever the.
Nikki: Case is a new decade.
Salina: A new decade is also very troubling for me when I'm still in the previous decade.
Nikki: Get that?
Salina: Anyways, we'd like to talk about I.
Nikki: So I know you said the thing between Julia and Mary Jo contextually was boring compared to the thing between Charlene and Suzanne.
Nikki: Agree with that.
Nikki: But I did like the conversation between Julia and Mary Jo when Mary Jo was trying to rationalize this night with Garrett and telling her, don't stay up.
Nikki: I especially loved when Julia said, hang from chandeliers, put on costumes, order whipped cream, just don't give me any more good reasons.
Salina: Right.
Nikki: That felt so like not Julia and also Julia all at the same time, which I loved.
Salina: Agreed.
Nikki: And then I also loved when Suzanne said a clever makeup job can conceal anything.
Nikki: That was after when she tried to give Charlene the hair of the dog at the presentation, Charlene was just shocked how wonderful Suzanne looked after having two hurricanes the night before.
Nikki: Clever makeup job.
Nikki: That's all.
Salina: That is 100%.
Salina: We kind of already alluded to this one, but I really like Mary Jo's facial expression when Garrett does casually drop that it's his wife on the phone, or don't answer the phone because it might be my wife.
Salina: Her face is just so perfect in that scenario.
Salina: I think that the scene with the failed presentation is probably my favorite of the whole episode.
Salina: There's just so much really, there's so much perfect swirl of sitcom chaos going on.
Salina: I don't know that the whole thing holds for me, but there are these things that do hold for me.
Salina: Charlene and Suzanne are still a little drunk from the night before.
Salina: I actually would have liked to have seen that played up a little bit if I'm getting really picky.
Salina: But Charlene passing out under the podium is pretty great.
Salina: That's funny.
Salina: There's just like all this chaos.
Nikki: We've all been there before, right?
Nikki: Who among us hasn't passed out a little bit?
Salina: Yes, absolutely.
Salina: I can't say it's been under a podium, but I'm sure it was under something.
Salina: They've got, like, all know there's just this chaos of wrong people in the room.
Salina: The lady in the bikini coming through with samples.
Salina: We'll hear about that again in the.
Salina: Then, you know, once Mary Jo does finally spit out what's going on, the mic turns back on in perfect sitcom fashion so that she announces to the room, I don't know.
Salina: I believe that the whole room would have cared, but it was good sitcom magic.
Salina: The other one that really works for me in terms of, like, this one felt relatable is when Charlene and Suzanne come through the door, arguing loudly at 330 in the morning over whether Lolita DuPage is a man or a woman shoving Tefe in a slumbering Julia and Mary Jo.
Salina: That just feels like girls trips, like.
Nikki: Something that would definitely happen.
Salina: There's literally, let me tell you, I've been all of these people before.
Salina: I've been Suzanne, I've been Charlene, I've been Julia, and I've been Mary Jo.
Salina: Okay?
Salina: And it just depends on what decade you catch me in.
Salina: But all of these things feel true.
Salina: Two drunk people arguing over something that amounts to nothing.
Salina: Two people asleep and everyone is concerned about snacks.
Salina: Yes, all of those things are important.
Nikki: Everybody gets a little hungry in the middle of night.
Salina: Absolutely.
Nikki: You burn a lot of calories sleeping.
Salina: And you just need it sometimes.
Salina: What else showed up for you as.
Nikki: A, like, those are all my likes.
Salina: I got one more, which is Suzanne.
Salina: Thank you.
Salina: With Lolita DuPage.
Nikki: Oh, for sure.
Nikki: I mean, that goes without saying.
Salina: But yes, it's just her truest Karen moment.
Salina: And I mean the two different karens.
Salina: First of all, I do mean the karen is in the way we talk about Karen's today, but I also mean Karen Walker from will.
Nikki: And.
Salina: So I would not surprise me if someone was like, in this scene also happened in will and willing grace at some point.
Salina: But yeah, just that whole thing was absolutely.
Salina: It was just glorious.
Nikki: It was amazing.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: She just has so much sass.
Nikki: Sass and like, whatever the word is for it, chutzpah or whatever.
Nikki: She just has like, whatever it is, she has it.
Salina: It's just so funny because we see this oscillation with her personality where at some point she's like a little demure and then the next moment she's like a body broad, like in the middle of a bar in a seedy part of town.
Salina: You just don't know which one you're going to get.
Salina: And I'm here for it.
Nikki: You know, it's funny you say that because I can't decide as you're saying that.
Nikki: I can't decide how I feel about that.
Nikki: I can't decide if it gives me whiplash a little bit in a bad way or if it's that thing.
Nikki: You said this yesterday, actually in a totally different context.
Nikki: But we never know.
Nikki: Once we think we got you in a corner, we get something different.
Nikki: Is it that?
Nikki: Is it a good surprise?
Nikki: I can't decide.
Nikki: Sometimes it feels a little bit inconsistent and I love the consistency.
Salina: It is inconsistent, but I think that is just also watching an sitcom.
Salina: They didn't care the way they didn't have to whip out some episodes.
Salina: Terrible way to put that.
Salina: But it's true.
Salina: You know what I'm saying?
Salina: They're like, we got to do 4000 episodes.
Salina: We got to do them back to back every week.
Salina: There's not the same care and concern.
Salina: I'm actually listening to a podcast right now.
Nikki: It's really good.
Salina: It's called stick the landing.
Salina: And they're going back and they're evaluating.
Salina: I wish I thought of this.
Salina: They're going back and they're evaluating.
Salina: The very last episode of all of these different shows, Friday night lights, I think, is either already been done or it will be done.
Salina: They're looking at the office, they're looking at all these different shows, and they're just saying, like, did they stick the landing?
Salina: And one of the things that comes up, and I swear there's a reason for this, is this idea that tv now that matters.
Salina: No one used to care.
Salina: It was just a good time.
Salina: But now it's like, well, did you bring this character arc around to the end for this thing that you randomly brought up in some random idea for a show?
Salina: You're just trying to make money versus just trying to be much more fancy about it, much more thoughtful about it, much more considerate.
Salina: Those things have really changed.
Nikki: Well, it used to be that syndication was the biggest thing they had to worry about.
Nikki: And syndication happens just in whatever market at whatever time and whatever.
Nikki: I know there's a rhyme and reason to it, but it's just not always in order.
Nikki: I remember when I had cable and I would turn on tv and there would be a sitcom, and you would watch one episode, and then it might go into the next one because it's an hour block.
Nikki: But it wasn't always, like, the next one in the series.
Nikki: So I wasn't sitting there and watching a series in a row.
Nikki: I'd be watching season one of designing women, and then suddenly I'm in season five, to your point earlier, so you don't get to follow the story anyway, so it doesn't matter.
Nikki: So it is a little bit unfair that we follow the show the way we do, but also, it's what we're here to do.
Salina: This is where we are.
Salina: I guess we could have watched it backwards, but we didn't.
Nikki: We didn't.
Nikki: Too bad.
Salina: What about things that we didn't like?
Nikki: You know what is really crazy is I had nothing.
Nikki: I had not a thing in this episode that I didn't like.
Salina: Okay, so I have a couple of.
Nikki: I have a list.
Salina: I'm, like, looking at three paragraphs.
Salina: Okay, so here, this is, like, more about the times and less to do with the narrative of the show.
Salina: Okay, so Mary Jo says something along the lines of needing Julia to tell her she's not being a s***.
Salina: I just thought, first of all, I don't even like saying that word and how terrible that's embedded in us.
Nikki: So I think some of that kind.
Salina: Of thing from this episode just really didn't sit well with me.
Salina: Julia is, like, extra judgmental in this one, not out of character.
Salina: See, that is an inconsistency that we see if we're talking about inconsistency in characters.
Salina: But she said she couldn't believe Charlene and Suzanne, that she'd only hoped the next convention was in the vicinity of a Betty Ford clinic.
Salina: It's a joke.
Salina: I get it.
Salina: That's funny.
Salina: But cheese and crackers?
Salina: Charlene had one drink and Suzanne had two.
Nikki: I was shocked, honestly, when she said, how do you look so good for two hurricanes last night?
Nikki: And I was like, last hour.
Nikki: Right?
Nikki: Like, last night.
Nikki: What?
Nikki: Two hurricanes over the course of a night?
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: Does she not understand that conventions are just a.
Salina: Yeah, it's.
Salina: And it's New Orleans.
Nikki: It's New Orleans.
Salina: If there's a place to let your hair down or take your hair off, it's Orleans.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: I think your criticism is totally valid.
Nikki: I mean, anything you think is valid is what you think, Salina, but I didn't.
Salina: You're welcome.
Nikki: Not even my validation for you today.
Nikki: But I didn't think anything of it because I just felt like they needed a straight man.
Nikki: What I think was unfortunate is that Anthony could have been there.
Nikki: He could have been something like a little more straight and narrow.
Nikki: Because he did say in the very beginning of the episode, like, he was there for a couple business meetings.
Nikki: This is his first big adventure as part of their.
Nikki: So he could have just been not judgmental, but business oriented.
Nikki: I just think that was a misfire to not use him in that way.
Nikki: But probably also, I just really wanted Anthony.
Salina: Well, we wanted our s*** shaming coming.
Nikki: Just from women to.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: I think that's right.
Salina: Well, okay.
Salina: So this is the last thing with Julia.
Salina: Ultimately, she places the blame on Garrett.
Salina: When we're hearing from Mary Jo a lot about how upset Mary Jo is, and we're hearing about it a lot.
Salina: A lot.
Salina: Which is actually part of my problem with the episode.
Salina: She says to her she thinks it's noble that Mary Jo is looking for blame within herself.
Salina: To be clear, I don't agree with that at all.
Salina: I actually think that's not noble.
Salina: I think it's nonsensical.
Salina: Some sort of warped moral code that is put on women.
Salina: That's what I think.
Salina: And then she inadvertently, though, reveals her true feelings and what is a funny meltdown on her balcony.
Salina: No one cares.
Salina: She wouldn't be the only one screaming, for that matter, where she says she's been the only person in this entire city that maintained one semblance of decorum.
Salina: So she let all her cards be shown in that moment.
Salina: And it is supposed to be funny.
Salina: Totally agree with you.
Salina: We needed a straight man.
Salina: Completely unfair to Mary Jo.
Nikki: Yeah, Mary Jo got, I was going to say screwed.
Nikki: That's not a good choice of words.
Nikki: Mary Jo really got the short end of the stick on this.
Nikki: Really.
Nikki: That whole thing was just a series of unfortunate events.
Nikki: I would say, thinking about myself in that situation, I think I would Mary Joe it where I would feel like, oh, my gosh, of course.
Nikki: Finally let my hair down, didn't ask all the right questions, and for some period of time, I would self flagellate and I'd be really mad at myself about it.
Nikki: And then finally I would be like, wait a minute.
Nikki: I didn't do anything wrong here.
Salina: Right?
Nikki: You don't necessarily.
Nikki: I don't know.
Nikki: Maybe at Mary Jo's age, you should ask if someone's married.
Nikki: But, like a wedding ring, right?
Salina: Come on.
Salina: There's some indicators.
Nikki: I just think if somebody is choosing to sleep with you, then I think that it's a fair assumption they're not married.
Nikki: Yeah, I think that's fair.
Nikki: It's not on you to be like, wait a minute, are you married?
Salina: Right?
Nikki: So weird.
Salina: Do you have two families?
Nikki: How many questions are there, right?
Salina: So what did you rate this one?
Nikki: Well, because I didn't have any not likes.
Nikki: I gave it a five out of five, and it was five out of five high spirited stewardesses on a layover to the big easy.
Salina: Okay, that's very thorough.
Nikki: I didn't have anything to rate it down.
Nikki: I loved the concept of Charlene and Suzanne going off to do fun stuff in New Orleans.
Nikki: I think you raised a really interesting point about it being those two who did it.
Nikki: So I'll sit with that for a little while.
Nikki: But they were the most delightful duos to do it, because could you imagine Julia?
Nikki: She'd be such a downer.
Salina: It would have been kind of cool to see her let her hair down, though.
Nikki: We already saw that.
Nikki: We got that one.
Nikki: That's true.
Salina: We're done with that.
Nikki: We're done with that.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: But she should have found a jazz bar and just what was it?
Nikki: Giselled it for a little while.
Nikki: And I loved the whole.
Nikki: To your point.
Nikki: I think there was a lot of judgment in there.
Nikki: But I did love that bit where Julia was just encouraging Mary Jo.
Nikki: Like, do whatever you want, man.
Salina: Whipped cream chandelier, please.
Nikki: Just go away.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: Start to sound like a 90s rap song.
Salina: Mack a little booty up, if you know, you know.
Salina: I think that's early, too.
Salina: Cream chandeliers, edible underwear.
Salina: Luda.
Salina: Luda, if you know, you know.
Salina: Also, he's had a very shiny week himself, so 3.5 out of five is what I gave it.
Nikki: 3.5.
Nikki: Salina.
Nikki: I know more.
Salina: I had a lot of likes, but I gave this one the rating of still a little drunk podium nap.
Salina: There are who among us, right?
Salina: There are parts of me.
Salina: I'll get it out.
Salina: I'll get it out.
Salina: That really thinks this is a fantastic episode.
Salina: So many the things that we've already talked about, whether it be the Suzanne and Charlene team up, Mary Jo just wanting to let loose.
Salina: I think that's an important part of her larger arc in the series.
Salina: We're technically out of sugar bakers.
Salina: We're certainly still on the sound stage, but they gave us some aerial views of New Orleans.
Salina: I'll take it.
Nikki: Felt good.
Salina: High highs, especially thanks to Suzanne and Charlene.
Salina: But the low lows and especially Mary Jo's continuous dwelling, it just went on far too long for me, and eventually it detracted from the shinier moments for me.
Salina: And so that's why I read that for you.
Nikki: For me?
Nikki: I hate it for you.
Nikki: Because I thought for sure just the sheer fact that we were in New Orleans would have been enough to bring you up to at least a four.
Salina: We call it a four, sure.
Nikki: No, you called it a 3.5.
Nikki: It is what it is, and at.
Salina: Some point, I'll have to come back.
Nikki: And there is no changing that.
Salina: Salina, there's no delete buttons around here.
Salina: Permanent.
Salina: That's right.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: No, I think permanent record makes sense.
Nikki: Makes sense.
Nikki: 90s things.
Nikki: I didn't have anything.
Salina: I just had taking a cab.
Nikki: Oh, thank God.
Nikki: I was like, did I miss, like, a whole bunch of things.
Nikki: This always feels like a test.
Salina: So will you pass?
Nikki: That's the question.
Salina: Southern things.
Nikki: So I had two sayings.
Nikki: She's pulling your leg, Suzanne.
Nikki: That felt southern to me.
Salina: Love it.
Nikki: I looked it up, and the roots of it are either London or Scotland.
Nikki: So kind of southern.
Nikki: Yeah, kinda.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: And sticks in your.
Nikki: We've.
Nikki: I think we've talked about that saying before.
Salina: Was I only one that thought it was sticks in your do?
Nikki: I think you're the only one of the two of us, but I do not think you're the only one in the world.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: Yeah, I think lots of people think that.
Salina: That one was also on my list, and that's how I was like, oh, crawl.
Salina: Because it depends on what part of the south you.
Nikki: I think that's right.
Nikki: I think that's right.
Salina: I don't want it in my crawl or my crawl.
Nikki: I just don't want anything stuck in.
Salina: Boop.
Nikki: And then beignets.
Nikki: And that's what?
Nikki: Garrett brought Mary Jo.
Nikki: I said that earlier, so I guess he must have actually brought her beignets.
Salina: Yes.
Salina: Garrett's from Charlote, North Carolina.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: Tip.
Salina: It's really important to note that.
Nikki: Right, too.
Salina: Anthony lawls around in a room all by himself that felt southern.
Salina: I did not look up where that came from.
Nikki: London or Scotland.
Nikki: I'm going to guess there's just like.
Salina: 1 million New Orleans references.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: What is laissez le Bontaro?
Salina: Okay.
Salina: Thank you.
Salina: I'm like, help me.
Salina: And now I just feel like I'm being rude because I don't know how to say it.
Nikki: If you were drunk, it would be okay.
Nikki: Do you want to run downstairs and get drunk real quick and then try again?
Salina: I could give it my best shot.
Salina: Superdome, right.
Nikki: There you go.
Salina: There's a lot of trying to think of that earlier.
Salina: I wrote down a bunch of stuff and I'm not going to say it.
Salina: Jazz funerals.
Salina: K.
Salina: Paul's Louisiana kitchen permanently closed.
Salina: So if we did do the list of things you could do in 91K.
Nikki: Paul's will be on there.
Salina: Right.
Salina: And that is Paul Prudome, who died in 2015.
Salina: Cajun chef, founder of K Pauls.
Salina: He was a celebrity chef.
Salina: If you look up his face, you.
Nikki: Probably go, oh, he's on the bottle.
Nikki: He's on the spice bottle.
Salina: That helps.
Nikki: Do you know he was the chef at commander's palace for a little while, too?
Salina: Oh, that makes sense.
Nikki: That's actually how he got his start in New Orleans as like, how he sort of became up and coming and got to have his own.
Salina: Like, look at that.
Salina: Thank you for that.
Nikki: You're welcome.
Salina: French Quarter.
Salina: We get that place in french quarter that serves hurricanes where only three people in the whole world know the ingredients.
Salina: I just needed to look it up because I needed to know.
Salina: I didn't find that, but apparently the original hurricanes.
Salina: And I thought you might like this or you might already know because I know you.
Nikki: I do love hurricane.
Salina: See, I know this about you.
Salina: So it included the secret ingredient of fascianola.
Salina: This is a housemade syrup of fruits and sugars.
Salina: But it kind of got lost a time until a handful of years ago when the company cocktail and sons researched and came up with an all natural version using fresh, sweet Louisiana strawberries, steeped hibiscus, fresh mango and pineapple.
Nikki: So it's good for me.
Salina: It sounds delicious.
Nikki: It's fresh and all natural.
Salina: Absolutely.
Salina: So that's a thing that you can have.
Nikki: I want a hurricane now.
Salina: Just have a couple of hurricanes come back here.
Nikki: I have a packet of hurricane mix at my house.
Salina: You can't fall asleep under the podium here, but you under the table, fall at the mic.
Nikki: That was me snoring.
Nikki: Snoring into the mic or something.
Nikki: Something.
Nikki: Sorry for that.
Salina: Something was happening.
Salina: And then I was just going to say if we were going to talk about beignets and coffee or allude to beignets and coffee, I'm almost shocked that we didn't get a cafe Dumonte.
Nikki: They didn't just say, yeah, yeah.
Salina: But I wonder maybe they weren't allowed to or something.
Nikki: Well, they said K Paul's kitchen.
Salina: Yeah, they said everything.
Nikki: I keep wanting to call it k pop.
Nikki: That's not right.
Nikki: K Paul's kitchen.
Salina: That's a more current reference, if you will.
Salina: What about references we need to talk about?
Nikki: I had Paul Prudom.
Nikki: Okay, you covered it.
Salina: Wearing your hair shirt.
Salina: This is like.
Salina: But if you need to go on wearing your hair shirt, gnashing your teeth.
Salina: I'm sorry, I just can't listen anymore.
Salina: That must have been Julia.
Salina: That's what I said.
Salina: What's a hair shirt?
Nikki: Hair shirt.
Nikki: What's the deal with that?
Salina: This is to deliberately make your own life unpleasant or uncomfortable in a way that's not necessary, but it actually stems from religious things.
Nikki: Sure.
Salina: It's used by members.
Nikki: Sounds right.
Nikki: It sounds guilt adjacent.
Salina: I highly doubt that it's used widely anymore, but it is used by members of various christian traditions as a self imposed means of repentance and mortification of the flesh as an instrument of penance.
Salina: My life, I like to do it through more mental ways.
Salina: Sure, the mental hair shirt, if you will.
Salina: But yeah, also, I hate those two words together, hair and shirt.
Nikki: I don't understand.
Salina: Anyways, it's supposed to be just like, probably uncomfortable.
Salina: Maybe like an angora sweater.
Nikki: I don't know.
Nikki: Those are uncomfortable.
Salina: It sounds terrible.
Salina: And then also, Victor, Victoria got a mention.
Salina: I didn't even write that down.
Salina: But that's the thing.
Nikki: I did write it down.
Nikki: And then I was like, I don't feel like looking that.
Salina: I mean, I know what it is.
Salina: She's Leandro, she's Victor, she's Victoria.
Salina: That's enough.
Nikki: That's enough.
Salina: That's it.
Nikki: Okay, so next episode, season five, episode 20 I'll see you in court.
Nikki: We'd love everyone to follow along with us and engage Instagram and Facebook at Sweetv TikTok at Sweettvpod, YouTube at SweetTv 7371.
Nikki: Our email address is sweettvpod@gmail.com.
Nikki: And our website is www.sweettv.com.
Nikki: There are several ways to support the show.
Nikki: You can tell your family and friends about us.
Nikki: Please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Nikki: And then you can visit that website for a support us tab where you can find other ways to support the show.
Nikki: So come back Thursday for extra sugar.
Nikki: Salina is going to talk about the.
Salina: World of drag.
Nikki: Or bomb.
Salina: Bomb.
Salina: I believe you mean that.
Nikki: Sorry, I can't do that.
Nikki: I can't do that.
Salina: DJ Khaled no.
Salina: DJ Khaled.
Salina: All I do is wear.
Salina: I can't decide if that makes me sound less 38 or exactly 30.
Salina: Precisely.
Salina: Well, you know what that means.
Nikki: What does it mean, Salina?
Salina: We'll see you on Thursday.
Salina: I don't know.
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