Hello from NEW ORLEANS!

---

Good Mornin' from New Orelans!

Wow, we are actually here. We are in New Orleans. Blocks away from the French Quarter. Steps away from Emeril's..and..too close for comfort to some spooky looking warehouses! LOL! It is 11:35am and I am looking out the window of our room (Marriott Residence Inn -- $49 a night travel agent rate -- yeah baby), and listening to the faint sounds of Cajun music. It is coming from close by, but not sure where. The sun is shining, however there are dark clouds to the left....it has that "thunderstorm" on the horizon look, which I love. Cajun music and thunderstorms -- in New Orleans, how cool?

Yesterday, as we bid farewell to beautiful Destin, we headed out on our 3 1/2 hour drive through Alabama (lord help us) and Mississippi. We were only in both states a short time, but enough to still appreciate their differences. The ONLY thing I like about Alabama are their red dirt roads. I am sorry, you just don't see that color dirt up north. It is pure Alabama and I like it. I know Mississippi is known, well, for the Mississippi River, but they also have many smaller beautiful little rivers that you drive past on I-10 to New Orleans. I-10 takes you right through Biloxi and Gulf Port, both popular tourist destinations. We were going to stop at Biloxi, but were anxious to get to New Orleans. Biloxi is really just known for their casinos. We need every dollar so no casinos until Las Vegas! :)

We arrived in New Orleans, after crossing a very long and quite spectacular bridge, around 4pm. The traffic OUT of New Orleans looked horrible! A lot of people must've been heading to the beaches for the Memorial Day holiday. We were lucky and avoided all traffic! The first thing that strikes you about New Orleans is HOW OLD it is and I mean that in a GOOD way. All the buildings look their age (New Orleans is over 300 years old -- Providence just celebrated their 100 birthday), and yet they are beautiful for that. You see wroth iron balcony's with flowers hanging over, colorful houses and building's, and you are never far from a view of the great Mississippi River. It's truly amazing, but New Orleans does live up to all it's suppose to. It is a spooky city. Not a scary city -- a spooky city. It has that mystery feeling to it. Like it should be covered perpetually by fog and mist, but luckily it's not. The streets are narrow with flicker lights and many, many bars, nightclubs, cafes, restaurants and shops. There is music blaring out of every restaurant and nightclub and the sounds of laughter, drunkin stupor, and an overall "festival" atmosphere around every corner. It has a great mix of old and new. You pass old street cars and horse & buggy's as well as new mega resort hotels and shopping complex's. One one side is dixie music and jazz and on the other side blues and rock. There are street performers, street vendors, outdoor cafes, small boats docking, mega ships like Carnival docking, old churches, cemetaries, voodoo shops, mardi gras stores, and a smell unlike any where else on earth I am sure. It is a mix of beignets (friend donuts), licquor, bbq, and suntan lotion. Try that on for size! LOL! It sounds strange, but it has a distinct New Orleans smell. There is also a distinct New Orleans SOUND. You hear dixie land jazz playing, horns, tumpets, bass drums, and ship horns and laughter. You hear street performers putting on shows, the street car's bells chiming, the "click clack" of the horse buggies and zydeco and cajun music blearing. Gone are the sounds of seagulls, ocean waves, 80's/dance/hiphop/rap music, and taffic. You experience all this in the French Quarter and Riverfront sections of New Orleans. You couldn't experience this in Destin.

New Orleans truly has something for everyone. There are casinos. Cruises. Nightclubs. Bars. Restaurants. Cafes. Cabarets. Drag Shows. Gay Clubs. Shopping. Free street shows. Sightseeing Tours. Mansions. Plantations. Beautiful Gardens. Moss covered trees. Bayous (marshy creeks of water),
Street Cars. Ghost Tours -- everything. Around one corner you expect to see Ann Rice and a ghost or two and around the next Emeril and a bunch of fishermen. It feels like Mardi Gras even though it is the end of May. Yes, New Orleans is 100% unique and unlike any place on earth. I love it. April loves it and we haven't even began to explore it 1%! WOW!

Today we are going to get our "bearings" -- kinda plan out our stay here for the next week. There is SO much to see and do here I am kinda overwhelmed. We will probably go to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville (of course) and walk around the French Quarter and drive a street car to some cool (really) old cemeteries (above ground). We are both kinda under the weather today, and it is warm, so we are going to have to take it easy. But that OK, because were in the BIG EASY -- NEW ORLEANS! :)

Will write more....

Til then....

Happy Travels!

Des & Ape

---