Roadtrip 2011 ~ First Stop New Olreans

San Antonio to New Orleans to Atlanta to Frederick to Syracuse to New York City to Louisville to Memphis to Ft Worth to Austin to San Antonio 2 weeks, just a little under 5000 miles & a lot of cigarettes later…

We left San Antonio on Monday, June 6th at 2:31am… I remember the time because I wanted to be on the road by 2:30 & thought damn, we’re already behind schedule… You need to know that I am a little… what’s the word… anal? about traveling. I like a schedule, I like to know where I’m going, when I expect to be there & what I will be doing once I get there.

The first stop was New Orleans. Now I’d only been to NOLA once before, in December, so going in early June was a very different experience. The first noticeable difference was how different the French Quarter smells in the summer… It’s pretty damn funky. The 2nd difference was the heat/humidity. We literally carried 2 suitcases up 1 flight of stairs and were drenched in sweat when we got into our room. It was MISERABLE. But it was an awesome room with a great view from the balcony.

There was no where to park on the street, turns out it was street sweeping day on the particular street we were staying on, so we drove the car to a paid parking lot & then WALKED BACK TO THE HOTEL IN 200% humidity. That was also an experience, since the last time I was there, I was with a big group & didn’t get hassled much at all. We well encountered all matter of people, men mostly asking for money. Adrian lit a cigarette & was immediately followed by a guy asking if he could bum a smoke. So, we ended up walking the rest of the way w/out smoking… We got back to the room & ended up taking naps (since we left SA at 2am & drove through the night to avoid both Houston & Baton Rouge traffic… btw, thanks for the tip Brandi!)

We made reservations for dinner at at Chris’s suggestion & it was so so good. We walk in & the owner of the place is sitting at his permanently reserved table in the bar area. He was a friendly gentleman and made polite conversation with us since we were the first dinner customers of the day. We had the baked oyster trio & the spinach crab thing, I’ll have to look up the name of it latter, because it was awesome!

Fresh seafood is definitely a favorite of mine. I’ve thought about trying to go pescetarian, but then I remember I make a mean chicken fried steak & it quickly faded from my mind.

My good friend Wendy lives in the area & met us at the restaurant for dessert & drinks. Here’s another little side story, I met Wendy on a Military Wives message board many moons ago, but we had never met in person. We have been ‘internet’ friends for such a long time, I mean, I haven’t been a military wife in at least 4 years & this goes back way further than that, but I recognized her as soon as she walked in. We hung out, took a picture w/ something that said Bourbon St on it & ended up moving the car to a parking garage that Wendy & her husband recommended.

Wendy then enlisted her husband to take us on a non-tourist tour of New Orleans. We got into a car w/ people we had only physically met about 2 hours before & didn’t even bat an eye. I mention that because that is how strong the bond is with the girls on my message board. I know them, I trust them, I’m willing to get into cars w/ them & let them take me all over a city I don’t know. It’s kind of amazing that these types of friendships are possible. As much as I hate the internet & social media sometimes, & as much as it has made it so that people can hide behind their computers & alienate themselves, it has also made this place a small small world. I know people that live all over the world. That makes me happy.

Anyway, we got to see the city hear some of the history from locals. They also took us to for beignets and coffee.

It’s crazy when you meet people that you just gel with. Next trip to New Orleans will be in the late fall, never summer, never again. We’ll also make sure we stay somewhere w/ on-site parking a little closer in the heart of the Quarter.