The Big Easy

We arrived in New Orleans around 3a.m. Thursday morning. A hostel was booked over the phone somewhere around 9p.m  while driving through Mississippi. It was located in the Art/Warehouse district not far from the superdome and had air conditioning in addition to a bed, that was more then enough for us because we were exhausted.  First thing in the morning we headed over to the French Quarter to meet up with New York friends who were also in town. We all met up at a place called Tropical Isle for the infamous "Hand Grenade". I haven't the slighest idea of this drinks content, and the bartender will only say it's a secret

recipe but let this serve as a warning that these things are potent! After partaking in one and waiting a terential down pour we decided it was time to partake in some local fare. Jessica is a pescatarian so a famous place found on Yelp.com was perfect and within walking distance. Acme Oyster House has been showcased on show's such Man vs. Food for there raw oyster eating challenge. We had the best chargrilled oysters either of us had ever eaten, and shared a Shrimp PoBoy, all of it was amazing! That's basically how we spent our two days in New Orleans eating, drinking, and oh did I mention sweating? The temperature there never fell below the 90 degree mark, and the humidity makes the air so dense it's difficult to breathe. What an amazing city it is though! The Big Easy has culture all it's own unlike any other city I've encountered in the U.S. Jazz bands are playing on the street corners, friendly people with extreme southern drawls will tell long winded stories even though you only asked for directions, the architecture and art galleries,voo-doo shops and haunted cemetary tours,it's ok to walk down the street wearing a masquarade mask at night while drinking a highly potent alcoholic beverage that tastes like fruit punch served in a cup that takes two hands to hold, and food unlike any other (Coops on Decatur Street had the best Jambalaya). Even after the devistation of Hurricane Katrina there is no doubt that this city is alive! Although it was only our first stop we both agreed at the end of the trip it was in the top 3 best ones of the entire trip. As for the next few states they didn't fare quite so well. Texas is a mighty large state to drive through, check back for details...

Lauren