Day 1: Eau de "Bourbon Street"

The first day of the trip has come and gone, and if every other day ends up being as busy as this, I'm going to need to sleep for about a week straight when we get home. Geries and I started off fairly early since we made sure to pack as much as possible the night before. We got on the road at about 8am, and arrived in New Orleans around 4pm, putting us pretty close to the mark set by Google Maps. A pleasant surprise came as I checked my phone on the drive through Alabama, and we realized that we had just gained an hour after passing in to the Central time zone.

Other than the surprise time-warping, though, the rest of the drive was fairly mundane. However, there were some pretty scenic views of a marshland around the Alabama-Mississippi border, and of the Mississippi River upon coming into New Orleans.

The real fun came when we arrived at our destination, and didn't let up until we collapsed of exhaustion at the end of the day. Immediately upon our arrival our host, Tess, told us about a music festival called The Bayou Boogaloo. So before unpacking anything else we hopped on our bikes and took a ride through the city and ended up at a large park with a small river running through it, along with three stages supplying live music to a large and lively crowd. After walking around a bit and listening to a couple of numbers performed by local bands, we took another ride back to the city and began exploring.

First we made our way from our host's place in the Garden District toward the French Quarter where we caught a glimpse of the mighty Mississippi and watched a ferry come back and forth across the river. Next, in search of food, we went deeper into the French Quarter and ended up on Bourbon Street, where we ended up spending the rest of the day (at least in the vicinity). Getting lost down Bourbon Street was quite an experience. Despite it being Sunday night, the street was crowded with throngs of locals, tourists, eccentric street performers, and doormen trying to coax passerby into their establishments. It was a non-stop assault on our senses with the constant barking of doormen and street performers, more than a little shoving and jostling for position on the street and sidewalk, bright neon signs glaring overhead, and above all a noxious smell that can only be named “Bourbon Street”-- a pungent mixture of the fragrances of sewage, alcohol, cigarette smoke, and most likely pot.

After wandering around in a bit of a daze, and making more than a few rounds on our bikes trying to spot a suitable place to eat, we phoned for help and were directed to the Acme oyster bar. Unfortunately when we got there, the line was well out the door, so we opted for Felix's Seafood across the street. While it took a while to get the food, the fresh seafood po' boys we ordered were delicious, and a great way to end our first night in New Orleans.