New Orleans

On Monday, we had a five hour drive to New Orleans. It was fun driving over a lot of rivers and lakes, especially once we got into the bayou area. We stopped in Mississippi at a rest stop and it was SO hot! Sam and I have no idea how people can bear the heat there! It is so incredibly humid, but little did we know that New Orleans would feel pretty similar! We got into New Orleans at about four o'clock and I could already tell that the city had its own unique vibe. We checked into our hotel about half a block from Bourbon Street and then met up with Sam's family friend, Caitlin Metzguer.

Caitlin has lived in New Orleans for about two years now and works as a case manager for a nonprofit that assists people transitioning from homelessness. Her knowledge of the city was impeccable and she showed us A LOT in just a few hours. She said we had to try crawfish and took us to a local seafood market to buy crawfish and shrimp. She drove us through the uptown area on Magazine Street and took us to Audubon Park to eat them by the Mississippi River. Talk about humid! She taught us how to peel the crawfish and suck the juice out of the heads. Sam didn't like that too much and I tried not to think about it... The crawfish were SO fresh and delicious. The only cost about $1.99/lb because the fisherman are trying to get people to buy their catches in the midst of the devastating oil spill. After eating crawfish after crawfish and shrimp after shrimp, we headed to Caitlin's favorite bar and then separated so that Sam and I could see more of Bourbon Street and the surrounding downtown area.

Bourbon Street became increasingly crowded as the night progressed and we only had to walk up and down it once to see how crazy it was. New Orleans has a pretty loose atmosphere, especially in terms of alcohol and sexuality. Almost everything is open 24 hours, there is no open container law, and there is constant movement and motion. Bourbon Street is the epitome of those qualities and I preferred the surrounding streets and the area where Caitlin had taken us. Sam and I ate some jambalaya and red beans and rice at a restaurant on Decatur Street and then got the famous banana's foster at another nearby restaurant. We returned to the hotel to rest after all of the activity and energy of downtown and met with Caitlin before leaving for San Antonio at a local coffee shop called P.J.'s near the World War II Museum. We were so happy to stop in New Orleans and we hope to return again to experience more of the city's flavors and sights.