Well, I finally got a chance to visit the Big Easy. My thoughts? Read on.
So, after years of having the Crescent City romanticized by visiting Disneyland and strolling New Orleans Square, and watching The Princess and the Frog, I finally had my chance to cash in my birthday trip for 2024 and visit New Orleans.
The Drive Out
The drive to New Orleans took us almost due south through Missouri. The route was a little funky, taking us off the main highway in Hannibal where I was immediately pulled over for speeding. Luckily, I got by with just a warning but I was mindful of my speed for the rest of the trip.
As we pulled away after the stop, we came across one of the innumerable road kills we saw while on the trip, which isn’t unusual. What was, though, was what was feeding on it. It wasn’t a crow or vulture or anything. It was a full-fledged American bald eagle. That was my first time recognizing one in the wild. Sad that it was in such a undignified position, eating leftover carrion, but it wouldn’t be the last bald eagle we’d see on this trip.
We continued on south through Missouri, skirting around St. Louis, and into northeastern Arkansas, where we stopped in the town of Marion, a suburb of Memphis, TN. This would be the second time we’d find ourselves at a hotel in Arkansas within two months, the first being while driving to Albuquerque from Kentucky.
The next morning, we continued on, making our way through Memphis, spending all of maybe 15 minutes in Tennessee before we found ourselves in Mississippi. We traversed the entire state before dropping into the toe of the Louisiana boot. We soon found ourselves on a bridge that seemed to extend forever, piloting over the swamps of Louisiana, where I caught my first glimpses of actual swamp shacks, accessible only by boat. I was thrilled as I saw them as well as the beginnings of the Spanish moss-draped cypress trees dotting the landscape.
The bridge seemed interminable, lasting for around 25 miles. We finally entered Orleans Parish and soon found ourselves in New Orleans.
It’s Dirty
As with most big cities, New Orleans is dirty. As we exited the freeway, it was hard to not draw comparisons to other big cities we’ve been to, like Albuquerque or Chicago. There was graffiti everywhere and trash piled up on the sides of the road.
We continued on our way toward the AirBnB, things not seeming to improve. The main road we were driving on was pitted with potholes and lumps of asphalt. The roads were a mess.
We got onto the street where our final destination was and we were immediately apprehensive of the area. There were shuttered businesses, buildings in severe disrepair and the structure two doors down was boarded up.
We pulled up alongside the curb in front of the AirBnB and watched as a man clearly under the influence of some illicit substance walked up to a stoop a couple doors down and we watched a drug deal take place in broad daylight. This did not bode well.
I approached the front door, a heavy security door, and went to use the provided code to unlock the front door, when I noticed there was no knob on the door itself. When the deadbolt unlocked, the door popped open with no input from me.
I entered and discovered the cleaner was still there cleaning the place up. I scared the living daylights out of the person, who emitted a yelp as I walked in.
When they left, Brandy helped quickly unload van and I went to pull it in behind the gate on the side of the house. Unfortunately, the space was so narrow, I had to fold in the side view mirrors and still did not have enough room to get out easily. This was the only time I tried parking there.
When all was said and done, I got a chance to peruse our accommodations. The house was a shotgun style house, meaning the rooms were stacked, front to back, with no hallways. The living room was in the front of the house. The next room back was the first bedroom. Beyond that was the second bedroom, then the dining room, through which the bathroom could be found. Beyond that, at the very back of the house, was the kitchen.
The kitchen was large and open, but, like the rest of the house, was very run down. Drawers stuck, cabinet doors were falling apart, and it was just kind of dumpy. The floors were extremely uneven and, in some places, not structurally sound at all. There was a door on the side that likewise did not have a doorknob on it. The security door had a knob but didn’t latch, so the only thing keeping it closed was the deadbolt.
Settling
After a quick trip to Walmart for supplies for our stay, we got everything unpacked, and I set up Brandy’s workstation to get her ready to work the week ahead. I tried my hardest to settle in but the road noise outside was tremendous. I tried to watch TV but the smart TV wasn’t connecting to the wi-fi. I did some basic troubleshooting to no avail. I gave up on that.
We finally called it a night and hit the sack hoping the rest of the city would improve my outlook.
French Quarter
After my trip to the Quarter that Monday, I was not hopeful for the remainder of the trip. The area was just as filthy and stinky as advertised. I’d hoped things would improve as I approached Jackson Square, and they did, slightly. The grifters, homeless and addicts were out in full force and did nothing to spark optimism from me.
Streetcars
I’d hoped traveling by streetcar would help my outlook on the city, but I found riding them on par with riding the city busses in Albuquerque- full of derelicts and drivers that cared as little for their passengers as any municipal bus driver.
City Park
My visit to City Park was a good step forward in repairing my vision of the city. The ride I took to the Garden District helped as well. I found that staying out of the French Quarter entirely was key, but that left me with very little “New Orleans” to appreciate. The business district, their downtown, all of that was much like most other big cities. I didn’t get out of the Garden District and perhaps visiting Audubon Park may have helped but I didn’t get a chance to make it that far.
The Food
The food was fantastic, I will give the city that much. The alligator, the gumbo, the jambalaya, the beignets, the pralines, pretty much everything I ate was amazing.
Shopping
As with many of the cities we visit, most of the gift shops in New Orleans offer the same merchandise. We took a shopping trip to French Market and, while many of the flea market stands did sell unique merchandise, there were some that sold the same bric-a-brac as the stores surrounding it.
I did pick up an overpriced print of a jazz musician from a local artist, and a book from a local author. We did some more browsing around and picked up from trinkets- a magnet for the fridge, gifts for our friends and family, coffee and beignet mix from Cafe du Monde, and so on. That shopping trip culminated in finding our van booted in a parking lot where we’d already paid for parking. When I argued my case to the enforcement officer that came to unboot us, she insisted I still pay $20 to have the boot removed, even though there was no fault from me. I was told I could appeal the charge, but it was $20, I had no desire to argue the point.
Swamp Boat Tour
Far and away, my favorite part of visiting Louisiana was the swamp boat tour we took on our last full day there, and that wasn’t even in New Orleans.
Final Thoughts
So, what are my final thoughts on New Orleans? I’m glad I got the chance to visit, I really am. Would I visit again?
No.
Quite simply, it didn’t live up to my expectations. As I mentioned, I had a highly romanticized vision of the city thanks to visits to Disneyland and watching The Princess and the Frog. I suppose I’ll have to rely on those to let that illusion live on.
What’s Next
Brandy is off to Utah the first week of December, then, shortly after her return, we will be heading out for a week in Idaho to visit my parents for Christmas.
Brandy is planning a January trip to Colorado to visit the Ice Castles in Cripple Creek, then a 2 week trip back to her happy place is already in the books for her birthday trip in February.
I’m looking at a week-long trip to southern Utah in mid-September for my birthday trip, then in October, we have a trip to Mexico planned to see Blue October at a resort down there.
Then, next Christmas, or shortly thereafter, Brandy wants a big gathering in Colorado and invite everyone we know. I doubt many people will show up, but we will extend the invitations and whoever shows up shows up.
2024 is shaping up to be one of the craziest years I’ve ever experienced and I can NOT wait to write up my annual Year in Review post to recap the amazing things we did this year, then, shortly after that, I will be celebrating the fifth anniversary of this blog. I can’t believe it’s been five years already…
Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.
With nothing exciting between now and Christmas, look for my next post likely just after the new year.
Until then.
-Phil