New Orleans Day 2

Saturday morning I woke up feeling much more rested than the day before and headed outside for a run. I had seen a path along the river while at dinner the night before that looked promising. It was a great spot for running- there was a strong breeze, the sun was incredible rising over the river, and there were lots of other runners. The only draw backs were that it was only 1.5 miles long and it was brick. I had to go back and forth quite a few times and the bricks were unforgiving on the body. But, getting outside was totally worth it. I started the day in a great mood. During the morning meetings, our practice finished early. So we decided the absinthe bar would be a good activity for 11 am.

Oof. I like the process of pouring it, but I did not like the taste. They light a sugar cube on fire over the absinthe and then drop water in over the burned sugar, which makes the absinthe foam and get cloudy.

After eating a good lunch to soak up my absinthe,I headed out for a walk through the French quarter. I went into the voodoo museum and just enjoyed wandering aimlessly and admiring the architecture. New Orleans is a city where you truly feel like you are in a different place. Then, I got to meet up with my friend Kyle and Molly and their new baby. The just moved to Lousiana from Maine and have been too busy unpacking and taking care of the new baby to explore the city at all, so we had a great time walking around. There were musicians and artists listing the streets and a festive spirit in the air. After an hour of walking we stopped at café Bignet, because no visit is complete without bignets and café au late. Nothing hot and crispy and covered in sugar can ever be bad. Good thing we split an order, because I would have too easily polished off the whole basket.

After they left I glammed myself up for cocktails and dinner. We had cocktail hour in an atrium in the middle of the hotel. All the noise and debauchery of Bourbon street was completely gone and it was like being in the French country side. After the formal dinner (so, so good), we all changed into comfier clothes and then hit up Bourbon street. I was determined not to be a lame bum 2 nights in a row. At night, the street is just insanity. It’s loud and bright and smelly. People are shouting all around you and different music blasts from every door way. The people watching is fantastic. We went to a bar with a flaming fountain in the middle, where I drank a giant and huge hurricane (I had to try at least one!). The night got pretty hazy from that point out, but it involved a mechanical bull, a dance club, and pizza at some point. I can say I gave Bourbon street all I had.