Hi all y’all…..we made it…..we’re actually here :) all six of us..... Verna-Lee, Linda-Kay, J.W., Jenny-Ann, Helena-Marie and me…Lorrie-Mae. We’re already well on our way to creating an adventure that will live on in our memories (and in this blog) for years to come.
It was an early morning start but three planes later and we arrived in the Big Easy safe and sound and none the worse for wear. Kelowna-Seattle, Seattle-Dallas, and Dallas-New Orleans. We turned our clocks ahead three hours and were ready to take big bites out of this unique city that none of us has ever experienced before.
Flights were all on time and although they were all filled to capacity none of them was too long and there were no glitches along the way so everything went as smooth as the oysters in the oyster bar on Bourbon Street or the smooth talkin, slow walkin, hucksters working in front of the “interesting” hot spots along that same action filled zone!
Taxi from the airport took about 20 minutes and cost $50. We got booked into our hotel (the Sheraton on Canal Street) and were thrilled with our views from the 44th floor. We overlook the Mississippi River and the ferry dock that will take you over to the East Bank of the city. Our room is fine (with the exception of no fridge and the fact that the wireless isn’t complimentary in the rooms) and tonight we’re especially impressed with the beds!! We’re both about done for the day and tomorrow will dawn very early as Jenny-Ann has booked a car and we’re off to experience our first black Friday in a city about an hour northwest of here where they have a massive outlet mall that has all of us drooling in anticipation.
Before I go any further with this missive, I have to tell y’all that Verna-Lee is absolutely brilliant and has Jenny-Ann and Helena-Marie completely fooled and believin’ that the hotel left a complimentary bottle of wine and chocolate in our room. We do in fact have both of those items but……they came out of Verna-Lee’s suitcase – yep…..she is one smart cookie and we’re gonna have a very fun filled couple of weeks.
Tonight we had dinner at the hotel (not the best spot in town for sure but adequate and we were hungry). It was a bit of a shock when the bill arrived with a 22% gratuity included…..that tip would have been fine but the meal wasn’t all that great and everyone agreed that it always stings a little when your right for choice is taken out of the equation.
After dinner it was time to explore a little so we hit the streets (Canal Street to be exact) and followed it down to Bourbon Street where we turned onto the half dozen or so blocks of ‘pedestrian only’ area and where the fun began. It’s a cross between Vegas and Amsterdam and EVERYONE is in a party mood. The air was charged with a crazy kind of energy that consisted of an abundance of music, the voices of bouncers, hucksters and pullers trying to draw the crowds into their establishment, the cross dressers (like the guy in a tutu), scantily clad women lurking behind the muscle bound roid addicts, drunken party goers from around the globe, slurpy/dacquiri shops on every corner, balconies filled with folks encouraging us to earn the beads they’d like to shower us with, and of course the good ol’ NOPD (both on foot and on horses) making their presence known. All in all….it was a great first night and we’re excited for the days and nights that will follow.
Lorrie-Mae
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