Next stop.....Lake Charles, LA

MJ5150 · #1 02-11-2009, 09:55 PM

Just as soon as I get home from this trip to Milwaukee, I am off to Lake Charles, Louisiana. I'm going to fly in to New Orleans and make the three hour drive. According to the IT guy at the hospital I am going to, he said it's pretty much the same flying into Houston or NOLA. So I chose NOLA since I really, really like the city and have great affection for the people of NOLA now. Plus, I can drive right through Baton Rouge and torment some corny LSU fans. I'll stop in town all decked out in my Gator gear and find somewhere to have lunch.

I don't know anything about Lake Charles, but I am excited about being able to spend a day or two on each end of my trip in NOLA. I have friends there to stay with.

Anyone know anything about Lake Charles, Louisiana?

-Mike

hbarcat · #2 02-11-2009, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Plus, I can drive right through Baton Rouge and torment some corny LSU fans. I'll stop in town all decked out in my Gator gear and find somewhere to have lunch.

With that plan, I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding someone willing to hand you your lunch.

Jeff K · #3 02-11-2009, 10:31 PM

Back in the '80's I was working in New Orleans. I used to work a territory that ran from Baton Rouge to the Texas line (just West of Lake Charles). One thing that I always enjoyed was that almost every time I'd be driving to Lake Charles, I'd hear "Cripple Creek" by The Band (which talks about Lake Charles). That always put me in a good mood. Great food down there. Chow down on some crawfish and cold beer. I'd normally drive to Lake Charles on Monday; do some work; have a few drinks; get some sleep; then do a little more work the next day.

Then I'd drive East to Lafayette where I'd do the same thing. Then on to Baton Rouge where I'd spend a couple nights before heading back to New Orleans on Friday. Good times.

But Baton Rouge was my favorite city of the three. Next was Lafayette. I always considered Lake Charles as something of a "duty" I had to contend with before I could reward myself with Lafayette and Baton Rouge. No offense to any of you Lake Charles natives. It's just that I loved those other two cities.

Well, after indulging myself in some nostalgia, I realize that I have been absolutely no help to you at all! Sorry. Anyway, that was 25 years ago. It might be fantastic by now...

clmjlg · #4 02-12-2009, 09:10 AM

Like the title says i live in lake charles, La and well its nothing to brag about. Its a basic smaller town with lots of places to eat and a walmart and mall. There are two music store worth going to, and thats only cause they are the only two in town that sell anything decent really, Lake Charles music and Docs. Both are smaller and Lake Charles music has more stuff but the owner never shuts up. So i guess in the end its not that bad, but its nothing to write home about either. One thing you have to try is a Darrel's special at Darrel's. Its on the corner of Ryan st. and College, look it up it is a great messy tasty sandwhich worth eating.

Gard · #5 02-12-2009, 09:26 AM

Back to Lousyana, hm?

I can't tell you much about Lake Charles, but when you're passing through Baton Rouge, you should make a stop at The Perfect Bass, they're not far from the interstate...

superbassman2000 · #6 02-12-2009, 12:47 PM

off to little bessie's house?

lol sorry i had to throw in a reference to The Band

jrthebassguy · #7 02-12-2009, 04:55 PM

There's a place called Steamboat Bill's that has great food.

Also, plenty of casinos around.

elgecko · #8 02-12-2009, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

off to little bessie's house?

lol sorry i had to throw in a reference to The Band

Beat me to it!

Wally Malone · #9 02-14-2009, 03:37 PM

Trip Wamsley lives in a little town near Lake Charles named Sulfer. I'm assuming he still lives there. You may be able to catch him live in the area. I was there in the late sixties and my wife and I played with the Boogie Kings at that time. We were there for about six months and stayed in a trailer that was rented by a motel. Being in a mixed marriage when first checking into the motel the lady commented that my wife was beautiful and asked what island she came from? I responded Manhattan. To this day that one always comes to mind as one of my better ad libs.

Wally

KingOvHell · #10 02-14-2009, 04:27 PM

The home of Lucinda Williams

MJ5150 · #11 02-14-2009, 09:12 PM

Hey Jake!

Clear out you PM inbox. I tried to send you a message. I am actually going to fly into Houston now instead of NOLA.

-Mike

**NOLA Bass** · #12 02-14-2009, 10:47 PM

Too bad, I was going to say hop of I-10 in Baton Rouge and hit The Perfect Bass for sure.

MJ5150 · #13 02-20-2009, 07:42 PM

Well, that was fun! Lake Charles is a nice place actually. Sulphur on the other hand....not so much.

I made it to the big casino last night, L'Auberge du Lac. What a nice place for sure. I wish I had stayed there.

As I usually do when I travel, I get in my car and drive till dark and then turn around and go back to my hotel. My drive last night to me to the edge of Louisiana. I made it all the way out to Oak Grove, by Creole. Then I double backed and stopped at The Sha Sha Grill for dinner. This was the EXACT type of restaurant I was looking for. Run down little shack in the middle of nowhere, only people inside are friends and family from the immediate area. The second I walked in, all five or six people inside stopped and looked at me. They were all white like me, but I was clearly an outsider. No one talked to me, except the waitress who only spoke long enough to confirm my order and take my payment. Still, it was a really cool joint. I later found out that where I ate my fish poboy was under 20' of water during Hurricane Rita, and the only joint in the area that has opened since the hurricane. Which brings me to another subject.....

Instead of taking the same boring drive back to Houston on I-10. I left Lake Charles at 3PM today and drove back out to Oak Grove, then headed west on the Creole Nature trail all along the Gulf Coast. Through Cameron, Johnson Bayou, Little Florida Beach, and a couple others. I went up through the oil fields, through Port Arthur and a couple other spots before joining back up on boring old I-10. What an AWESOME drive. I stopped several times to walk along the white sandy beaches. Picked up some shells for my neice, which she will love. I have now been to the western and eastern ends of Louisiana.

But dang, I was shocked how desolate that area is over three years later. I didn't expect it to be fully restored, but most of the area looks like the hurricane came through last week. Massive amounts of destruction, just like I saw in Pass Christian and Gulfport. Just west of Cameron, I saw a collection of about 15 RV's, so I stopped to check it out. There were many of these little "towns", but this one caught my eye since it was right by a demolished school. Recognizing I may be viewed as someone gawking at their misfortune, I was careful not to infringe on anyones privacy. I stepped out of my car, and I was met by a very nice black woman who I think was sent out to "check me out". I was dressed in a suit since I had been working, so maybe they thought I was from the government. Shortly after, other people began appearing and I started getting some major flashbacks to the movie "Southern Comfort". But nope, they were all super nice. Black folks, white folk, people with no teeth, rich doctors looking for a new life. Quite the mix. They all shared a story.....they were cast aside by their insurance companies and the government after the hurricane. All they had enough money for was to buy the RV and try to make the best of their lives. They had no where else to go, and no way to get there. Most of them were way older, and lived in the area from birth. It nearly brought me to tears to visit with them. But as I listened to people talk, they didn't act like they were missing anything. They missed having a gas station and mini-mart nearby, but they didn't seem to miss all the luxuries the rest of us expect everyday. These people are in the middle of nowhere. I think the closest place to buy groceries is like an hour away.

Finally, one of the older guys advised me to get going since the highway was not fun to drive on in the dark. I drove off...shocked, sad, and determined again to change my life for the better and start to value what matters in life. Same affect my first trip to NOLA had on me.

I encourage anyone who can to make that drive. It took me about four hours to go from Lake Charles to Houston, but I stopped frequently. One highlight is riding the ferry in Cameron to get across the canal. I thought I could drive around the ferry, but that wasted 30 minutes of my time.

So thanks for reading.

-Mike

aikakone · #14 02-21-2009, 12:11 AM

Oh, I was too late! I was going to recommend that if you're a fan of fretless bass, Trip Wamsley works at one of the music stores. Of course, I see Wally already mentioned it. Anyhow, he's a cool cat to have a quick chat with. In fact, he adjusted my church's Fender P last Saturday, and he seemed interested in helping me with my Spector fretless when I go to LC later today. (My teacher is actually one of Trip's former students. Small world. I've joked that it makes me Trip's "grand-student.")

Lake Charles has a population of 71,000 or so. It's not super small, but it's not completely cosmopolitan, either. It still has a nice homey feeling. (For comparison, the town I where live in the next parish north has about 9,000 people, so a huge comparable difference.)

MJ5150 · #15 02-22-2009, 04:56 PM

Ohh....one more thing. I ran into my fair share of LSU fans down there. So one evening, I put on my Gator National Champs shirt and a Gator hat and went out for dinner. I had one lady look me up and down and then ask me..."what are you doing over here?" It was classic.

-Mike