Good Evening Jazz and Blues lovers!
A total of 348 miles on the road today, and it felt like eternity…!
We left Houston this morning around 11.30AM, thanking Mike again for his wonderful hospitality and his warm welcome, we really appreciated it.
It was another of those rainy days (oh well, I guess I again complained too much about the sun and the heat yesterday!), and when the it rains, we all know people start going crazy on the highways.
Houston, TX to New Orleans, LA is about 350 miles, roughly 5 and a half hours drive respecting the speed limit.
We arrived in New Orleans around 6PM, a slight delay due in part because of the incessant rain, but mostly because of a few accident along the way (not on our side, but I don’t know why people always have to stop to look at what happened!), and because we hit rush hour in Baton Rouge, LA some 80 miles away from NOLA.
It’s been a pretty boring drive for the most part. It started getting more interesting once we passed the border with Louisiana (for which I obviously have the always present souvenir picture).
As soon as we crossed the border and we passed the lake, once we got closer to New Orleans, we started driving through huge swamps, and I-10 all of a sudden looked more like the long bridges leading tourists to the Florida keys, than the interstate I got used to for so many miles while driving through Texas.
And here is the Welcome to Louisiana sign:
I also had to take a picture of the last exit sign on I-10E as we approached the border with Louisiana; it was exit 880, confirming what I came to learn in these few days I’ve been driving through the Lone Star State, Texas is huge indeed!
Here is the "NOLA" skyline from outside of the city:
And here is the famous SuperDome:
And a view from the Interstate:
The hotel we got this evening is unbelievable, $76 including taxes and 24 hours parking, for a real Suite on the 11th floor on Canal Street, one block away from the French Quarter. The apartment is big enough to move in, I still can’t believe we got such a great deal.
This is a view from the living room:
As for the French Quarter, that’s where we had dinner this evening, a Brazilian steak house (yes, another one! LOL) located at 725 Iberville Street. The meat was very good, Hap probably had a whole lamb, he said he really liked it! I preferred the Top Sirloin and the Filet Mignon.
After dinner, we decided to take a walk on Bourbon Street, and let me tell you, it was absolutely wild!
I’ve never seen so many people partying like, drinking alcohol everywhere, smoking cigars, flashing other people, throwing beads, etc.. I mean, I certainly saw Mardi Gras on TV, but didn’t realize the city comes pretty close to it every weekend.
We really had a great time and always felt safe thanks to the ever present New Orleans Police Department. We’re now back at the hotel, and I’m planning some sightseeing for tomorrow.
We will probably visit the city in the morning, and then drive through Mississippi, and stopping in Mobile, Alabama for the night. It’s only a 150 miles drive, it shouldn’t take more that 2 and a half hours.
Good night Po-boys!
Nico
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