My dear friend Dana has always been a NOLA fan and for years has suggested I visit for their awesome Jazz Festival. Well, while that didn’t happen (I mean those kinda crowds just don’t do it for me), I did go for a visit, and I have to say…it did not disappoint!
On my continued quest to visit all 50 states, Louisiana was on my list so along with my partner in crime, Suzanne, off we went. Now we never bring the spouses on our crazy trips, but try to tell your loved ones that you’re going to New Orleans without them. Yeah, not so much. So June and Rob joined us on this one with pretty much no idea of the itinerary we’d planned.
We booked a lovely Airbnb on BurGUNDdy (yeah, that’s how it’s pronounced) Street in the heart of the French Quarter and spent the next five days having the time of our lives. We ate Muffulettas, did a City of the Dead walking tour visiting the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, drank Hurricanes at Pat O’Brien’s on Bourbon Street, had gumbo at K-Paul’s, took a swamp tour in an airboat where we saw a 10 foot alligator (!), danced in the street to a dixieland band, saw a wedding parade, drank liquor out of a shared bottle on the street (the smallpox test is pending), listened to great music on Frenchman Street, celebrated my birthday with an oyster shooter (blech!), wore ginormous beads and carried a sign on Bourbon, ate po boys and fried alligator, toured two plantations and enjoyed beignets at Cafe Du Monde.
As if that wasn’t enough, we rented a car and visited the USS Alabama in Mobile, and spent a couple hours playing blackjack at the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Bam! Two more states just like that!
It was a thrilling way to celebrate my birthday and the wonderful friendship we share with Suzanne and Rob.
Suggested by Dana Lee and Claudia Hyacinthe
Completed 11/5/18