Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

The husband and I have been planning another short trip for the tail end of this year. We both had a few vacation days left for the year, and being that he can't take his time during the holiday shopping season, we decided to take some time off sooner rather than later. Also the strong feeling that we were going to snap if we didn't take some time for some much needed R&R was a driver to get us to take a few vacation days.

Our original plan was to take some time in October and either go back to Riviera Maya, or maybe stop into the other side of the Mexico and take in Puerto Vallarta. We found a few decent deals for both places, and the idea of sitting on the beach of an all-inclusive resort was really appealing... until we saw a great deal to New Orleans.

The New Plan

I LOVE New Orleans. Like Lady Gag in Bad Romance, I "lurve, lurve, lurve" New Orleans. It's a great city, tons of history and culture, and lots and lots of booze. Esvan has never been, and it was a great price for flight and hotel, so we jumped on the deal!

I've not been to New Orleans since Katrina, so for all I know things are drastically different. If the recent news reports are to be believed, everyone in New Orleans is poor, dying, destitute and without hope as the city completely crumbles around them and no one bothers to help… including the news crews that are just sitting around filming it all. While I'm sure there is still some residual effects remaining from the devastation, I'm also pretty certain that, at a minimum, the touristy parts of the city are up and running fine. After all, the French Quarter was not that affected by Katrina.

In any case, I'm completely psyched for the trip. The chubby kid in me is coming out and I'm am already craving some quality Cajun and Creole cooking. I want a po' boy, I need some jambalaya, I have to have some beignets! More red beans and rice? Yes please! Oh, did you make an off-season King Cake just for me?! Yum!!

But it's not just the food I'm excited about. The culture of the French Quarter is fantastic. Yes, there are certain tourist traps to be avoided at all costs (I'm looking at you, Pat O'Brien's!) and shops that are just a waste of time (oh look… another shop full of beads), but you simply can't beat meandering the streets of the French Quarter with a drink in hand, wandering in and out of jazz clubs and interesting artisan shops.

And for a people watcher like me, the evenings along Bourbon Street provide endless hours of entertainment (literally… most of the bars are 24/7). I can plant myself on a balcony and just watch the crowds ebb and flow and see people let go of their inhibitions and just have fun.

Oh, And BTW...

Did I mention that during weekend we booked to go down there the French Quarter plays host to one of the biggest gay parties in the country? While I knew that Southern Decadence would be happening in late summer/early fall, we did not know that it would happen to fall during the same weekend we chose to go to New Orleans. We also did not know that a few acquaintances from Chicago and a couple friends from college would be in New Orleans at the same time, so we not only get to party it up a little bit, but we get to do it with some old friends!

Frankly, we're there to be tourists first and drunken revelers second, although in the Big Easy those things tend to go hand in hand. I want to explore the area more, I want to do an architecture and history tour, I want to hit up the zoo and/or the aquarium, I want to eat at all the best restaurants, and after all that is done, I want to enjoy some drinks in the midst of the party.

We're both looking forward to the trip, and I can't wait to share stories and photos once we get back!