One Of My Favorite Places In The World

You know how normal people go to a dealership or shop locally for a car?
My husband is not normal. A few months ago, he decided that he wanted a particular GTO or what he calls a Goat, and he has spent countless hours scouring the Southeast for the right one. I knew this was going to be a pain in the ass because I would be the one driving him to wherever this car would show up, ergo I used it to my advantage and hinted that he search fun places. New Orleans was on the top of that list, so I didn't argue when he found his "dream" car there. He still admits that he used up every brownie point he's ever earned for allowing this insanity, but at least New Orleans kept him from going negative. Winkwink

We booked an awesome room at the Hotel Modern in Uptown New Orleans, which put us on a great parade route, right next to The Bar, and about a mile away from the French Quarter. Unfortunately, we didn't actually get to see a parade, but we did get to meet up with my friend from high school that I haven't seen in TEN years. As a matter of fact, other than Facebook, we haven't even spoken in ten years, which is a testament to our friendship.

As a local, she took us off the beaten path for a real NOLA experience. We went to Cafe 615 for dinner (where Catfish is the side dish for Gumbo), and we all had so much fun we decided to continue it on Frenchmen Street. Laurel and Chance wanted nothing to do with the tourists on Bourbon Street, so we got a VIP tour of the local bars. However, don't think we are too cool for school; we still called it a night before midnight. Geez that seems really sad now that I type it out. Hey, there's always next time.

The next morning was gorgeous, so we meandered down to the French Quarter for breakfast. We had lofty plans of eating at Cafe DuMonde, but considering about 1,000 other people decided on beignets, we ended up at the Gumbo Pot.

It was right off the river and allowed Weiser to sit on the porch with us, so it turned out to be an awesome substitution. As soon as my Eggs Creole hit my lips, I knew that I loved this place, in spite of the fact that it got bad ratings on Urban Spoon. Would I say it's a 'must eat'? No, but I would say it's good if you don't have time or patience to wait for a meal in the French Quarter.

We decided to take a different route back to the hotel, so we finally got to walk Bourbon Street. I was underage during my other visits to NO, so this was my first time physically walking the strip. It actually reminded me of the Red Light District in Amsterdam, minus the naked women in the windows. But close.

Bourbon Street, where the bums smell better than the drunks, the locals are more colorful than the tourists, and the cocktails are always to go.

One of the neatest things I saw was a Before I Die wall.

Before I Die is an interactive public art project that invites people to share their hopes and dreams in public space. Painted with chalkboard paint and stenciled with the sentence “Before I die I want to _______”, the wall becomes an enlightening way to get to know your neighbors and discover what matters most to the people around you. It creates a public space for contemplation and reminds us why we want to be alive in the world today.

This was an awesome mini trip, and now I just want to go back. Of course I'd rather go when we don't have to bring an extra vehicle home...even though the 'Goat' was totally worth it. {More on that later!} So, what would you write on the wall?