New Orleans is a city full of
history and many cultures, such as French and Cajun. During the first week of
January, I had the opportunity to visit this wonderful city. I went to visit my
friend in Baton Rouge, about an hour and a half from New Orleans, and that week
we took a trip there.
Before we hit the road, we stopped
at a fast food chain that is native to the South, called Raising Cane’s. The
entire restaurant is based around chicken fingers. The man who started it had a
dream to start this chain, but no one would fund him, so he worked long, hard
hours in order to raise money to open his first restaurant. Even though there
are only 4 things on the menu, the chicken is so good that it was a success.
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| The results from the spillway |
After lunch, we were off to New
Orleans, but not without hitting a big traffic jam first. We headed down I-10.
We crossed the Mississippi River and I saw the Bonnet Carre spillway that is
used to divert the water if the river floods. It has only been opened a couple
times though. You can tell that it was opened recently because all the wildlife
where the water was let out is dead and it looks like a wasteland with barren
trees.
We finally made it into the city.
The skyline was beautiful, and I had never seen so many colleges in one city. The Superdome looks much bigger in person. As we drove through New Orleans, it
became clear that pedestrians took advantage of the fact that they have the
right-of-way. As we looked for a parking spot, we came to the cross roads of Bourbon
Street, where we had to wait for several minutes until people finally let us
cross.
When we finally found a parking
space, we made it onto the crowded street. There were people everywhere and
both my friend and I were wondering why. We did not realize that the day we
decided to go to New Orleans was also the day of the Sugar Bowl. This explained
why half of the people were sporting Michigan garb, and the other half were in
Virginia Tech garb.
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| People filled the streets |
There were so many people that
outside each bar stood someone trying to usher people passing by, inside their
bar. It reminded me of the people who stand at the kiosks in the mall and try
to make you buy their scented hand lotions. One man went so far as to grab my
hand and told me to come inside. I respectfully declined.
One thing New Orleans is famous for
is an alcoholic drink called the Hand Grenade. It’s a licensed drink specifically
to New Orleans and the recipe is a secret. It has a very fruity taste and it’s
impossible to taste the alcohol in it but it is known for its high alcohol
content. I bought one of these and sipped it as we explored Bourbon Street.
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| One of the many masquerade masks |
The gift shops all had the same
things but it was still exciting to me. Each shop had a plethora of Masquerade
masks. I bought a blue one with feathers as a keepsake. There was also an
extensive collection of shot glasses in each shop. Each souvenir was more
overpriced than the last.
We eventually made it to the French
Quarter, which was much quieter thankfully. The crowds of Bourbon Street were a
little overwhelming. The French Quarter was very pretty and the art was
beautiful. Unfortunately it was getting late at this point so many of the shops
were closed but we were able to explore some of the art shops. Each place had a
unique style. Some focused on paintings, some focused on photography, and some
focused on antiques.
Getting out of New Orleans was
another adventure. It was right before the game and all the fans were headed to
the Super Dome, which we had to drive by. Traffic was bad but it could have
been worse. There were cops directing traffic and keeping an eye on drunk and
rowdy fans.
Despite the fact of the crowds and
craziness, I’m glad we went the day that we did. I feel like I had the full New
Orleans experience because of it. The city was unlike any other I have seen and
I cannot wait to go back and visit again.
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