After heading off from Ft. Worth, I headed straight for Louisiana and Swamp Country! The Drive was beautiful again and I was amazed how much literal swamp land encompassed parts of the state that I drove through! At one point I was on a bridge that went on for miles and miles above all of these trees that were submerged in swamp water and living very happily and without drowning which I found amazing! I even managed to come into town around dusk when another great sunset despite being on the East coast per say! You could see for miles out into the water and it was a great sight to be seen especially since I ran into Baton Rouge traffic and was at a halt!
On my way however I was able to stop in Shreveport, Louisiana where I was told it was like the "ARMPIT" 0f Las Vegas very jokingly by friends of mine! I didn't care though and needed a place to use the restroom and grab lunch so I pulled over and hit up the Eldorado Casino and Resort in town! I decided to hit some Penny Slots for a few minutes and within 5 minutes time, I took $5 and turned it into enough money to buy lunch, buy souvenirs, and some gas and head back out on the road! Now I've always had pretty good luck over my life time with Penny Slots! Most people make fun of me but when you're approximately $1500-2000 up over the course of a life time on Penny Slots, I'm usually the one laughing all the way to the Cashier's Cage!!! : )
After working my way through the madness I met up with Brother Sherah in Metairie, LA just outside of New Orleans from some killer Chinese food before moving on to one of my favorite spots of all time, Cafe Du Monde, where they make BEIGNETS!!! For those of you who don't know, Beignets are basically fluffy down fried in (very healthy, not) grease and then DOUSED or should I say DUMPED with Powdered Sugar!!! Those in combination with your favorite beverage of milk, coffee or hot cocoa and you are one Happy Camper!
The next day I headed out with Sherah to explore the local surroundings! We went through some breath-taking areas with lots of life, activity and spirit and then we also hit the opposite of the spectrum and saw all of the heartache, loss and destruction of some of the Hurricane Katrina areas! I was even lucky enough to get a first hand tour of the LOWER NINTH WARD where they were hit the hardest and was also one of the least wealthy areas of New Orleans! It is simply indescribable what I saw in my time there! I tried to capture it with some photos but they don't come close! Now, I must explain that I am rather Spiritual, more so then Religious though I believe in most of the same things anyways, and I have always had a certain ability to sense energy and feeling and other strange things... In New Orleans there was such a dichotomy of emotions and energy and life! I felt this immense energy on one hand that seemed to bring great life to the city, a very proud and passionate vibe, and yet on the other I sensed great despair and a lack of life almost if you will!? It was very peculiar but powerful and very moving for me as well! After some exploration in the Ninth ward, we went to visit the Chalmette Battle Fields where there were Plantations, Monuments, Cannons, and lots to explore, however it was getting dark at the time so it was not only was it a bit spooky but I was a little on edge as well! We walked for a ways despite this and came to the Mississippi River and Levy there that didn't happen to be the one that broke but it was sure still another great sight and especially at night! I had no idea how large it was and barges were floating down it as we watched from the shore! After some reflecting and good conversation we headed back to grab a EUROPEAN dinner (It was about 8:30-9:00pm) at the Harrah's Casino and Resort next to the River walk in downtown New Orleans!
Again for those who know me! I am a "SUCKA" for all you can eat buffets and though I am fairly average in stature, I can put down a "COW'S" worth of meat and other delicacies in these types of scenarios!!! I did not disappoint and before you know it Sherah and I were dining on some of the best buffet I've had in years! We ate too many crabs and shrimp to count and followed it up with some great dessert! Craw fish Jambalaya, and various other friend local delicacies also followed suit!!! After that we grabbed a drink at this fun bar in the middle of the casino where they had an ice bar! I hadn't seen this before for some reason, perhaps I wasn't paying attention but this was like a freezer ledge at the most inner part of the marble bar where you could put your drink or Bud Light and it would keep it nicely chilled while we watched the NCAA final! Oh yeah, PS I picked North Carolina to win it all and they did! In the end I did not want them to win as I had other favorites but I still had a feeling that despite my best interests, they would! Didn't win any money in pools, but still a great experience watching March Madness, my favorite time of year also because of my Pisces background, across the country!!!
After some more gambling where we came out even, we decided to head home for the night and rest up for another killer day to come!
My last night in New Orleans we went down to Loyola University and Tulane University and toured around campus for a little while! Loyola reminded me of Washington State in that most of their buildings were red brick which I absolutely love! There was one building however that looked strikingly different than all the rest! Sherah told me that long ago Loyola didn't have the funds to pay for brand new/from scratch planning so they came across this blueprint that was originally for a ship that never actually was built! They apparently used this as a basic blueprint for the building to be built and today it stands with all of its windows in the shape of oblong circles that instantly made me feel as if I was on a cruise ship! Pretty crazy stuff but true!
After reliving my collegiate years we hopped on the New Orleans Trolley which took us further into Uptown, New Orleans where we ate at another great Mexican restaurant whose name escapes me at this moment! They have the best SANGRIA Margaritas in town and after one large one we were both a bit GITTY and Ready to Rock!!! We took the Trolley again back to Sherah's car and hit up downtown along Canal Street and many others where we actually got to sit in on a Live Jazz Session and enjoy some local micro brew that also impressed my taste buds! After another full evening of fun, we headed back to Metairie, LA and I spent the rest of the night Facebooking and prepping to head to Atlanta, Georgia and Brother Jessica! Can't wait to share more but before I go here's a few more fun facts for you guys!
1. New Orleans has little hole in the wall SNOW BALL establishments where they served shaved ice with just about any flavor of topping you can imagine! They even had Margarita, Wine, Sangria, and many other Alcoholic flavorings but minus the alcohol! This was about the point where I mentioned we should have gotten a couple of those and then hit a liquor store and added the real thing for an even greater FROSTY TREAT!!! If ya know what I'm saying!?
2. New Orleans has drive through DAIQUIRI stands where you can literally go through the line and grab your favorite Alcoholic beverage and then head off to where ever it is you're going! They also allow open containers in cars which was a bit strange but hey what ever floats your boat right! I guess in New Orleans..."One For The Road" really stands as far as possibilities go and its LEGAL!!!
3. Another big thing here is Above Ground Cemeteries! They are very mystical looking with all kinds of monuments and phallic structures reaching toward the heavens! We didn't actually go in any but you can see them very clearly from the freeways and it was another great experience to take in along the way!!!
4. Not To Offend but whatever you do, do not even acknowledge street people in New Orleans, if you talk to them they will talk your ear off and tell stories and follow up in the creepiest of ways! If you give them anything, their friends and others will see this and then follow you until you give them money too! Best strategy is the hardest for me...Just Ignore Them! Same goes in Atlanta but that is a story for another time!
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