I just got home from New Orleans. What a trip! I got in around midnight last Thursday (after attending the Nautical Institute seminar). Friday morning the workshop started bright and early 8 AM. I’m not a morning person.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday was spent 8-5 in the travel writing workshop I was there for. Monday addition on ‘Social Media’. My brain was spinning by then and ready for some down time.
Tuesday, I slept in and was able to spend the day around New Orleans gathering information for my planned writing projects. I had researched beforehand and thanks to Mike at Hospitality21 and Christine at the New Orleans CVB, I was comped tickets to a couple of wonderful New Orleans attractions.
Everyone I talked to about the World War II Museum raved about how good it was. I had been wanting to go for a couple of years. I spent all afternoon there and still didn’t get the complete experience (I missed the movie and show- I’ll have to go back for that).
I made it to the Steamboat Natchez just in time for departure. A really nice way to spend the evening. A jazz dinner cruise on the Mississippi River. You could imagine yourself back in the day of Tom Sawyer if you ignored all the people taking ‘selfies’.
I had a late flight out on Wednesday, so spent the morning wandering around the French Quarter: walking down Royal Street, checking out the antique shops, looking at the artists working along Pirates Alley and Jackson Square, breakfast (brunch) at Monty’s, listening to jazz at Latrobe Park, timidly tasting a couple selections at the Pepper Palace, wandering through the French Market, and then taking the Riverfront streetcar back up to Canal Street.
I spent the last couple hours wasting my time (and my money) at Harrah’s Casino and before I knew it, it was time to head back to the hotel to catch my ride to the airport. I guess it’s a good thing they don’t allow smoking anymore, I might have missed my plane if I hadn’t needed a smoke!
More later, as I get my photos uploaded. 🙂
Sounds like you had a great time in NOLA. We really enjoyed seeing you, and catching up. Hope you’l tell us about the workshop, and how you’re going to set the world on fire. I know you can do it!
thanks Penny, it was great seeing you again too. Are you back home now? Have any other travel plans?
I have a room mate moving in tomorrow, so hopefully he won’t be too disruptive. My internet is still iffy so I hope everything will settle down here soon.
I do want to pitch these articles, looking into who would like them. I have a book ‘the best of the magazine markets for writers-2014’ that I’m looking through. I still much prefer real books to the internet for reading and research!
We got home late Tuesday night. Next week, we’ll hit the road to Montreal and Quebec City. After that, we’ll be home until late December, when we leave for Panama. Hope your new room mate will work out. Is this someone you know? These things can go either way, but I hope it goes well for you.
Have fun in Canada, at least you’re getting out before it freezes. Panama should be perfect. I hope you have a great trip.
I don’t know him, I just put an ad in the paper. So far, he seems OK. I don’t see him much since he’s been working a lot. I hope it works out too! It helps a lot with me not being able to find any work. Maybe I can find another one in a couple of months when my friends come and get all their junk cleared out of my other bedroom and I’ve made more progress packing up my crap.
I’m still hoping to be able to move to Panama myself. Might make a stop in Mexico first tho. 🙂
Thanks. We leave for the frozen north tomorrow. Seriously, Montreal and Quebec City are really lovely this time of year. Hope you can find a second roommate. That will take some of the pressure off while you sort out your next move. It pisses me off that you and so many others may have to give up work you love because of the stupid decisions of a pack of government morons. But, when one door closes, another one opens. At least that is how it went for me. Giving up a career I loved to move to New Bern from Atlanta nearly did me in. Then I found work as a staff writer for a local newspaper, and moved from there to freelance travel writing and blogging. I couldn’t be happier. If you have to leave the work you love behind, I hope you will find something sea related or something brand new that will give you an income and a great deal of satisfaction.
You definitely deserve it!
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