Welcome to the South

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We left Baton Rouge early this morning in order to get a good start on the day. We drove the hour to New Orleans and decided to look around the le Quartier Francais. First, however, we stopped at the information center so that we wouldn't be too lost as we ambled the streets. The guy was EXTREMELY nice and helpful, our first taste of true "Southern hospitality" (although maybe it actually began in Baton Rouge with our friendly waitress at Cracker Barrel). The man gave me a lot of hints and places that we needed to go to get a good feel for the quarter and city. He then proceeded to chide me for only spending a few hours in the city, the greatest city in the world.

The French Quarter was amazing. First we walked down Bourbon Street since that is the standard thing to do. It may have been one of the sleaziest streets I've ever been on in my life. No joke. It made Vegas with the people handing out cards look good. Not that anyone was doing that here, but it just felt much worse. On the other hand, Bourbon Street's other side had lots of cool jazz clubs. Conflicted street.

We finally got off Bourbon Street and walked down some of the classier streets. We arrived at St Louis Cathedral. Stunning. The outside looks fantastic and its even prettier inside. I, somewhat morbidly, loved the tombs that were written in French (and the ones written in Spanish too, especially since I understood those!). The architecture is superb and it shows that no expense was spared. Across from the Cathedral is Jackson Park. Now this is where I'm confused. I understand that Andrew Jackson "saved" the city from the British in the Battle of New Orleans (which took place AFTER the peace treaty was signed...way to go Andy), but all the statues have an interesting inscription - "The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved." Well, sometimes at least (in Louisiana's mind). It is preserved against British invasion, but not so much during the Civil War. Whoops.

Across the street from the park is the best little cafe in the world - Cafe du Monde. Well, not so little. Bustling is a better word. And it has the best orange juice (though definitely wasn't as necessary as the one from climbing down Masada) and the best beignets. My mouth was in heaven after that short little snack break. Then we went up to the Moon Walk, the pathway along the Mississippi River. It's named Moon Walk after Moon Landrieu, and important city resident and father of current Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. The Moon Walk gives way to a nice little promenade which has a small yet beautiful Holocaust Memorial. And that turns into the River Walk, mall and all. It was a nice walk but extremely hot.

So then we decided it was time to leave New Orleans. We could have taken the easy route out on I-10 but I've been dying to see the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway, the longest bridge in the world. It is 24 miles over the lake and by mile 12 or so New Orleans was but a distant memory, fading away around the curvature of the Earth. It was a long but pretty sweet drive. And then we finally decided to head to the night's destination - Montgomery, Alabama.

Now, I have no problem with the South. In fact, I love it. I even catch myself using some words like "y'all" in every day conversation. But Montgomery might have pushed my love for Southern hospitality a little far. The motel owner, the hostess at the restaurant, the waitress - nicest and most attentive people in the world. I'd like to visit the South many times in the future, but I don't think I'm cut out for this type of nice-ness.

Tomorrow's plan looks good - Atlanta and Woodstock, Georgia. This trip is almost done, but I still have lots of energy (surprisingly)!!!

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