Louisiana redux & the arrival

The Louisianians calmed down. Maybe it was just a rush-hour thing. Or maybe there was a big football game on. Or maybe they all had crawdads and king crab waiting for them at home. That would make me drive crazy for sure.

I woke up this morning with a runny nose and a raging headache. The skies were clear when Kobee wanted to go out to pee, but by the time I'd showered and was ready to pack up the car it had started to rain. Hard. I got on the road where it was (thankfully) much less crowded than the night before, but it was still raining. People were also still tailgating, but I've pretty much decided that's just how they drive in that part of the country. I was regretting not grabbing tissues from the hotel room.

I had decided I was going to New Orleans. The kid behind the Super 8 check-in desk said the weather was going to be "cloudy," despite the torrential downfall right outside the window. I figured I could handle cloudy, and so Kobee and I set out. It rained the whole way. I had chosen Cafe du Monde as my ultimate destination - it's a tourist place, but it's in the French Quarter and I would be able to get a beignet & a cafe au lait, and at this point it's all the same to me.

I was excited going into New Orleans. I'd already passed through Baton Rouge and had a taste of the architecture and the general feel of the place. The houses in Baton Rouge were small, modest and quite dilapidated, but it was still a very pretty place. I went over a bridge that spanned a bayou and wondered about the trees - they appeared to be dead, which caused me to wonder why, and how long they'd been dead there like that, and did new ones sprout up, and the old ones fall? until I realized they were probably just dormant. They were dark and shadowy in the rain, but not in a dreary or ominous way. They just WERE, and it was fitting.

The pedestrian traffic in New Orleans was rough, but being from Berkeley gave me a leg up in that regard. The parking was even worse than Berkeley. There were signs all along the streets "Paid Parking," positioned right next to signs that said "No Parking Any Time." I drove around for about 20 minutes trying not to hit the pedestrians in the rain and looking for some sort of rational pattern within the signs that would allow me to choose a legal parking spot. I finally gave up, having not hit anyone, but figuring my luck was running out, and went into a public parking lot. If anyone goes to New Orleans, just park in the lot, save yourself the headache.

While driving around, however, I got a good look at the amazing sights. It's just like what you see in pictures and movies, but you know, it's real life. Gorgeous old buildings with verandas and trailing plants. The buildings are positioned right next to each other, but wrought iron gates led into alleys that were often lush gardens. Buildings two, three stories tall with intricate wrought iron railings ruled the architectural roost, but there were also modest wooden structures with simple columns, or maybe just a veranda. Windows and doors were tall and narrow with wood shutters, most of which were kept closed, undoubtedly to preserve the privacy within.

I took some pictures, but struggled with it. Kobee had never been sight-seeing with me before. There were some power issues. She wanted to keep walking and sniffing. I kept wanting to stop, eyeball the best camera angle, stoop down, step up, stand in the middle of the street, whatever. As soon as I found my spot and aimed the camera, Kobee would decide it was time to go and blur the shot. Shell will appreciate those pics. To add to this, it was still raining. And cold.

I had saved Cafe du Monde for last. Wet and cold Kobee and I were told we could sit on the patio, me inside the iron rail, her tied right outside it, under the awning and still at my table. I sat down and got comfortable and began people watching, thinking about my cafe au lait and my beignets (three to an order), when I noticed Kobee miserable and shaking, wet and cold. I couldn't sit there sipping my cafe au lait while she was miserable and so, before anyone even showed up to take my order, we left. It's only 5 hours from where I am in Florida. I will go back.

I am here now. I'm tired, Kobee is tired. We're going to sleep in this very comfortable bed. I think I will sleep all day tomorrow. And maybe the next day.

Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.