z-man wrote:LIPH wrote:You know, back in February I was having lunch with a bunch of BN'ers in Margaritaville Orlando the day after the JB concert. I left because I had to drive up to Tallahhassee for the next concert and I missed meeting Jimmy and getting his autograph by about 20 minutes. I don't feel so bad anymore.
Good Job Larry!!!
Is there a "rest of the story" that goes along with the ticket/autograph?
How much time you got?
trip report (the whole trip, not just Friday at Jimmy's show):
Touched down at Charles DeGaulle airport a little after 8:00AM Thursday. After taking a bus from the plane to the terminal, going through Customs and trying to find my way from the airport to the hotel, I was finally in Paris. It was too early to check in so I got my camera, checked my bag and headed out to explore.
The Louvre was less than a 10 minute walk from the hotel so that was my first stop. The big glass pyramid in the courtyard was a little jarring, it doesn't fit in at all with the architeture of the Louvre and the surrounding area. I spent a couple of hours there, saw the Mona Lisa (no photographs allowed) and I was surprised at how small it was. I was expecting one of those big old paintings. Also saw the Venus de Milo, where I wanted to strangle some Japanese tourists. They're about the rudest people I've ever seen, just walking in front of everyone taking pictures as if nobody else was there.
After leaving the Louvre I walked through the sculpture garden out back, I think it's called Jardins Tuilleries but don't hold me to the spelling. I made my way through the gardens to the Place de la Concorde, formerly Place de la Revolution, where the guillotine used to be. Now they have the Obelisk of Luxor instead, a gift from Egypt that is over 3000 years old.
Next up was the Champs-Elysees to do my best Parisienne imitation and take a leisurely stroll the length of the avenue to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc is in the middle of the absolute worst traffic circle I've ever seen, 12 streets converging in the middle. You can't walk across the street to the Arc, you have to go downstairs and walk through an underground pasageway to get there. You can go to the top of the Arc but there's no elevator and I didn't want to pay 8 Euros to walk up 284 steps and get CPR when I got to the top.
It was time to head back, check in to the hotel and try to recover from jet lag so I'd be ready for the show Friday night. But I must have looked like I knew where I was going because a hot blonde in a bright red sweatsuit stopped me to ask for directions. She spoke heavily accented English, but I couldn't place the accent. Unfortunately I didn't know where the street she was looking for was.
Friday dawned bright and sunny and it was time to head to the Seine, cross the bridge and go to Notre Dame. I'm not the religious type but it was a very impressive sight. I spent some time touring the inside of the cathedral and being the typical tourist, then walked around the outside taking pictures. Next stop, the closest bridge to walk over to the Left Bank. A little strolling along the narrow streets taking in some of the local color, then back to the river bank for a boat ride on the Seine.
The guide on the boat was bi-lingual but she had such a heavy French accent it was hard to understand some of her English commentary. There are a lot of historical buildings along the river, and some nice bridges over it, so the ride was 11 Euros well spent. An hour later the boat ride was over and it was time for lunch, then another leisurely stroll back to the hotel to rest up for the show that night.
The New Morning jazz club was about a 20 minute walk from my hotel so I figured I'd leave at 7:00 and get there in plenty of time. When I got to the club there was a line down the block waiting to get in (it was a general admission show) but 2 friends of mine from Pittsburgh were right at the front of the line so I stopped to talk to them and some of the other people, who I didn't know, who had been waiting there with them all afternoon. When they opened the doors and started letting people in I was still at the front of the line so I went right in. We wound up with a pretty good spot, right at the edge of the stage in front of Jimmy's mic.
Some guy came out and gave us the ground rules - no sitting on the stage, nothing (handbags, drinks, whatever) on the stage, cameras were OK but no flash photography.
Just after 8:00, Jimmy and the band hit the stage. The whole band except Doyle Grisham, John Lovell and Ralph MacDonald was there. Jimmy was in a great mood, really happy to be playing his first show ever in Paris. He threw a little French into his comments between almost all the songs and seemed to be having a great time. About halfway through the show he asked if he could get a glass of rose wine. When he finished the first glass he walked to the edge of the stage and gave the glass to Deb, my friend from Pittsburgh. Her husband didn't get anything.
The show lasted about 2 hours, no intermission, and it was a great show in a nice intimate setting, New Morning probably only holds about 300 people. After ending the show with
He Went To Paris, Jimmy walked right over to Deb and said "I have to sign your hat". She was wearing the JIMMY BUFFETT FOR PRESIDENT baseball cap everyone got at MOTM in 2004. It had a model of the Eiffel Tower on top with a flamingo on one side and a parrot on the other side. He signed the hat then stayed out on stage for 15-20 minutes signing autographs. The only thing I had with me was my ticket so I reached over and said "Jimmy, can you sign this for me?" He said "sure" and signed it.
Saturday was my last chance to play goober tourist so I set out for the Eiffel Tower. Between taking my time walking and stopping at various places along the way, it took about 2 hours to get there. I should have gotten there earlier, there were hundreds, I mean
HUNDREDS, of people online waiting to go up the Tower. I don't do lines well, especially when they're that long, so I didn't ride the elevator to the top. I spent some time in the park near the Eiffel Tower, then headed back. Again playing the tourist, it took about another 2 hours to get back to the hotel.
Saturday night I was walking down the block near the hotel trying to decide where I wanted to go for dinner. I was standing on the corner waiting to cros the street, looked up and Gerard Depardieu was across the street. He's a big man, a rough looking guy too. He looks like he could be an enforcer for the mob.
Yesterday was travel day, a bus ride from the Paris Opera House (about 3 or 4 blocks from the hotel), right to the airport. I'd go back, even though I don't speak the language
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