Back from Vacation Part 1

Posted by Bob Greenberger on May 22, 2012

It’s been awfully quiet here, not because I’m licking my emotional wounds, but because Deb and I were out celebrating. Last spring Deb completed her master’s degree and I completed my studies in December. We waited until after my student teaching to get away and commemorate the accomplishment with a real vacation. She suggested New Orleans which I have wanted to visit for over 25 years.

We flew out last Tuesday and returned only last night, relaxed and very pleased with the trip. New Orleans is a storied land, different than the east in many, many ways. The food is more flavorful, the people welcoming, and the city is a mélange of architectural styles representing the French, Spanish, and American settlers through the centuries. We enjoy walking cities and this certainly fit the bill, to the point where our feet gave out long before our spirits.

Tuesday

Thankfully, we flew very early and arrived with plenty of time to settle in at the hotel towards the edge of the French Quarter. Once we settled in, we hit the streets and began exploring. Over the week we discovered that unlike our other vacations, there was a distinct rhythm here. In the mornings, we’d see others of our generation (and older) walking the streets. Younger people didn’t really emerge until lunchtime and then the streets swelled as the day wore on until sunset, when it became largely teens and younger adults, usually with drinks in hand.

Unlike previous trips where we poured over tour guides, we relied on the Internet, each of us doing research and combining our recommendations until we built an itinerary that we could live with. Between TripAdvisor and Yelp we did pretty well for ourselves, beginning that first night with dinner at Olivier’s, a very good restaurant.

Walking from our hotel, we wound up on Bourbon Street and that first night I was taken aback a bit by the fervor and cacophony. Barkers held signs and sweet talked people, girls with trays of Jell-O shots swayed in doorways and from most every establishment blared live music from rock cover bands to soft jazz. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »