Biscuit, Blues and Vodoo

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Arriving in The Big Easy

I arrived at 1 a.m. this morning. Getting off the plane was amazing…. I've traveled further than this before but for some odd reason, the flight felt like it took forever. I sat in the Exit row, which is always my preference, but I got squished up against the window. The man net to me was elbow hoggin my space. So, again.. twas a long ass flight!

My first impressions of New Orleans was the music that seemed to always playing from the moment I stepped off the plane. It was there all around me. I heard Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World playing….and in the background a whole lotta parlez vous francais. Interesting. So along I went, searching for an airport shuttle to whisk me away to Hotel D Leau Vive. The hotel was on the outer skirts of the famous French Quarter. Jack, who assisted me on my arrival, was very friendly and offered a lot of advice of where and what to do "if" I felt like taking a stroll in the French Quarter. It was 1:30 a.m. by this time, my eyes were burning from wearing my contacts all day, and I was so tired so "strolling" in unknown territory wasn't on my mind at that particular moment.

The hotel suit is great! Thank you, Amy! It reminds me of an old warehouse actually. A warehouse converted into a 2 bedroom suite with a kitchen. I love it. It's got a great Jacuzzi tub as well in the bathroom. So this I'm really loving. The hardest decision I had to make was figuring out what bed I planned to sleep in. Do I sound like Goldilocks but an Asian version? By 3 a.m., Goldilocks made her decision and fell asleep. Oh Yum! What bliss!

I woke up to the noises in the street below around 9 a.m. Excited! I was here! Yuhoo! What to do - what to do! My first choice was to make it down to the French Market. I had read a few articles about it and I was curious to see what types of surprises I could stumble upon. Every girl loves a surprise, right? So after grabbing a quick cup of coffee, I head out for the French Quarter. The moment I stepped outside of my hotel, the lure of jazz music guided me towards the Quarters. I was a few short blocks away…. The further I walked along the old streets…..the more I fell in love with this place. What the hell took me so long to come here? I can't believe I had never been here before! The magic just took over and I was spellbound.

New Orleans is like another world. It's loud and the energy is very much alive. At least in the French Quarter it is! For a brief moment, I regretted not ever knowing what it was like pre-Katrina. I walked along the streets and I everything was distracting. Totally distracting. There were stores everywhere, music playing, kids tap-dancing on the sidewalk, old charming buildings and horse and carriages drifting by you. Restaurants galore as well as voodoo shops on every corner.

I finally found the French Market and spent a good hour walking up and down the aisles. Admiring all the trinkets the various vendors sold. I found the alligator feet my friend Angie had asked me to buy. I'm still holding out though…I'm determined to find it elsewhere for a lower price. I bought a few pickanini (SP?)dolls that are soo cute. I also got some oils to burn. There was so much stuff but I am determined not to go crazy on my first day.

After leaving the market, I walked along Decatur Street and admired the various artists w/their artwork on display. Nothing caught my eye, so I ended up contemplating on getting a "reading" in front of the famous St. Louis Cathedral. How ironic is that. 20 gazillion psychics in front of one of the prettiest churches in the region. I stepped inside just to get a glimpse and mass was starting so I left. I walked along towards Bourbon Street and had Gumbo for lunch. Not bad….the Gumbo. After watching a few drunks stumble their way down the road, I decided to continue walking.

I met an interesting lady named Teresa. She runs or owns a psychic shop on Bourbon Street. I have to say people are so friendly here. I bought myself 2 beautiful masks and while waiting for her to ring up my sale, we just started talking about Katrina and that whole FEMA mess. She told me a great story about a friend of hers who had been struggling w/some illnesses when Katrina hit. Her friend was relocated to a nearby state where she had to apply for assistance to come back to Louisiana where she obviously left her heart. So she was finally approved and just as she was getting ready to move back to Louisiana, she and her boyfriend both won the State Lottery! 88 Million is what I think she said her friend won! How great is that? The funny thing is, someone had bought the ticket for her! Talk about luck!

So I'm back in my hotel. I am freakin tired. What a great day today was. Tomorrow, I have to work a few hours but after I'm done, I'm going to visit the WWII Museum on Magazine Street and stroll along that area to see what I can discover. I'm so torn because I do want to do a Ghost Tour but for some odd reason - I'm scared! Yes! Scared! I, who never gets scared of ghosts and the boogeyman, is hesitating on going on that Haunted Mortuary Tour! I think I'll wait until Clarice gets here on Thursday! Yeah Yeah… I'm a big baby! I'll make her go w/me! Haha!

Alrighty…..till I blog again!

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Photos

A little bit of Boo
Here's a ghost of a picture... a picture of me with a friendly visitor who decided to hog the camera!

......Cemetary in New Orleans
Here's a picture of a typical New Orleans Cemetary