The Big Easy

Well, my weekend romp to New Orleans was fantastic!

My friend Ashley and I left ATX around 1:45 PM on Friday and braved traffic on I-10 all the way to New Orleans. Ash and I were excited to go to New Orleans, because: 1. neither of us had been there before, and 2. we realized that this was the first time we'd been somewhere that we absolutely had no familiarity with in a long time. A great feeling of adventure! We arrived about 10 PM, met up with Brigette, and ate at Popeyes (you have to eat at Popeyes in New Orleans, if nowhere else) before getting some shut eye.

Saturday was a jam-packed day. We breakfasted at a coffee shop near her apartment, which is near Tulane, called Rue de la Course. The structure itself used to be an bank, complete with the old upstairs safe and green accountants' lamps on every table. Brigette took us to her favorite spots in Audobon Park; then we went shopping and ate lunch in a cute shopping district close to Tulane.

Saturday night was incredible. I decided to be open to whatever the city had to offer, and I enjoyed all the experiences immensely. We had dinner in the French Quarter in a place on Chartes St., and we walked around for a while trying to locate the first Mardi Gras parade of the season. We never did find it. Brigette took us to Bourbon St, of course, and I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people on the street. I described the experience as "6th street on crack," and I definitely felt invigorated by the atmosphere. We stopped in a little jazz club, Maison Bourbon (I think), for a while to hear a local artist, Jamil Sharif. The music was so good! At times, I was so caught up in it that I forgot to think about where I was or anything else. Quite an accomplishment!

After Bourbon St. we took a cab to a street off the French Quarter, less populated by tourists. I don't recall the name off hand. We went inside another little jazz place called The Spotted Cat to hear a swing band. The club itself is just a smallish room, dimly lit, with a tiny stage near the front entrance and a small bar at the back. The room was packed full of people of all ages. It was so full there was barely room stand. The music, however, was invigorating, and everyone in the room seemed to move together. (Well, sort of, this one couple kept dancing into me, but nevermind.) It was an incredible experience!

Sunday we had beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde and viewed the Mississippi River. Brigette took us to her little church, where we met very kind and lively people. All too soon, we were back on the road to Austin, and we arrived back in town at 10 PM.

I am glad that I went, because the trip reminded me of the importance of experiencing new things, people, places. I can so easily fall into a rut, but I don't want to continue to do that--limiting my reality to one place until I die. haha. Didn't mean to take a serious turn there. Anyway, if you haven't been to the Big Easy, I highly, highly, recommend it.