Ol' New Orleans

The sounds of jazz echoing across the streets of New Orleans was just a taste of what was to come the following day. The culture of Louisiana was evident every place we went to and step-by-step, we were confronted with all sorts of people – some sad, some scary and some entertaining.


The ride from the airport was already an adventure. The driver accelerating and swerving his way through traffic, as if he had an important place to be and was just trying to rid himself of us. I held on to my fiancé’s hand, tensing up my shoulders all the while enjoying this exhilarating ride with the humid Louisiana air hitting my face. I had no idea how this short trip would turn out, I was just excited that we had finally stepped into the land of so many legendary jazz performers.

As we stepped foot into The Roosevelt Hotel, I was taken by surprise by the beauty of its architecture, crystal chandeliers and golden accents. I’d seen pictures of this place but to actually be staying in this historic hotel was a dream come true. As we continued along inside, the shiny floors and seemingly endless series of chandeliers had me gasping in awe. How I managed to get us here was by chance but we were there.


Walking the streets of New Orleans was a different experience. However, the griminess of the streets gave character to this interesting place. The stench gave me a sense of how things were during those famous celebratory minutes, hours, or even days. Although I disliked the uneven pavements, and broken sidewalks, there was something that I was attracted to.


It could have been the antiquity of the old bookstore that, as soon as you walked in, had that wonderful smell of musty old pages and had that quiet, studious atmosphere that an old library would have had years back. The beauty of this old bookstore took me from present into the past, with the beautiful, disintegrating brick walls and wooden staircase that was beat up and rugged. It was through this bookstore that I connected with New Orleans.

Or it may have been the tantalizing scent of the candy shop we ended up going into. The dozens of chocolates, chunks of fudge and endless supply of sweets were made in the old fashioned way and the quaint little shop had such a joy in the atmosphere it was contagious. It also could have been the beautiful, old houses we passed by as we strolled around the French Quarter. Whatever it was, I had found a place I knew I wanted to return to. Be it to live or to visit, I have to come back. 


Now the Jazz Festival was fantastic. We went to see The Strokes for Polo's birthday because, since I knew that was his favorite band, I'd decided to book this trip on a whim. As told in my prior entry, I didn't know what to expect. I anticipated and anticipated until the time came to leave. 


This mini-adventure was a complete and utter success, to say the least. It left me wanting to stay a little bit longer and experience more of what we'd experienced in one day. (But in one day we sure got a lot done!) 


I look forward to making more memories with Polo and I'm positive that our marriage will be full of adventures such as this one. Whatever the future holds, I will look forward to and enjoy the memories we made this past weekend. 


New Orleans will forever be imbedded in our hearts. 


V