rabbit rabbit

So my time in New Orleans has been a bit of a wash. Spent most of it in my hotel due a combo of being hungover from Sunday and the air quality just getting to me something fierce. I don't know if it's just extra muggy, or something swampy is coming in, but the wafts of cigarette smoke I keep walking through are particularly bad. I think smoking is largely being phased out on the west coast, with all the distance laws, and very few of my friends are smokers, so being around a TON of smoke. Uhg.

So while I'd like to visit Roswell and Oklahoma City and Austin and Kansas City again, and camp some more in Missouri. I don't think I'll be in much of a hurry for New Orleans. I'm not into music enough to really get enthused about the venues and live music (which applies a bit towards Austin as well). Movies and art are the main attractors for me, when it comes to cities. Give me good theaters and awesome museums and nature. Oh and clean air. So it's like, visiting an awesome city is awesome but if there is nothing in it that is immediately I MUST SEE THIS, then it's really wasted on me.

But I did have some fun! On Sunday, I set out to Coop's to get the rabbit jambalaya which Garth recommended. It was nearby, which was awesome. There was a line at the restaurant, but I asked the dude working the door, "hey, what's the wait if you are just by yourself?" and he said "there is room at the bar" and he opened to door for me. Points for travelling by yourself!

So I got my jambalaya, which was amazing. It has everything in it, and rabbit is surprisingly tasty! The ladies next to me at Coop's were Kathrine and Shayla (I believe) and they were from New Jersey. They were spirited and awesome and they bought me drinks! Which is why I was hung over. Haha.

But yeah, they bought me a drink and this dude from across the bar bought us all drinks. And he tried to follow us to Cats Meow, a two story karaoke place, but we linked arms and ditched him in the crowd. Cats Meow was a melee. So many people drinking on a Sunday night! But it was a fun spectacle. Large crowds of people doing karaoke on a stage with back up dancers. Everyone was friendly. But I burned too bright too fast, and opted to return to my hotel while the going was good. I had put in the hotel in my GPS as a favorite, so it was easy to just pull it up and follow the instructions. Though I hadn't left the French Quarter so it was a short walk along crowded streets.

But oh I paid for it. I got out for a bit in the morning and got some beignets. But the open air and the smoking crowds at the cafe made me nauseous, so I returned to the hotel where the air was fresh and cooled. And I spent time just in my room, watching TV, hydrating, and slowly munching my way through beignets and carrots.

The first time I had a beignet was in Kyoto. I had some awesome ones at Brenda's in San Francisco.

In the late afternoon, I set out and walked around the city for a bit. A lot of establishments were closed due to it being Memorial Day, which was a bummer. Bars were open, but I wasn't about to make a repeat. So yeah, I just walked around. Lots of statues in New Orleans. It's a nice city, but oh the air got to me. I'd visit again, but maybe when I have more plans about what to do. I sort of just showed up without Googling activities, so I had no plans besides "being there". With Oklahoma City, I at least googled museums.

But it was nice to have a bed and shower and quiet for a couple nights. Almost been on the road four weeks now! Dang!

I could have later check out, but I kinda wanna hit the road. I've got my rest, I'm feeling better.

Sorry that New Orleans isn't a more exciting report. But I am getting a sense about what I want in a place to live.