Our final road trip destination will ultimately lead us to Austin Texas. We decided to take the road trip since it is February and a rather slow time for business, so we might as well enjoy the week and see some places we wouldn’t have seen if we just flew in and out of Austin. We had only one night and one day to spend in New Orleans.

Waking up, we planned to take showers and hit the town for as much as we could stuff in a few hours as possible. We’ll… as any seasoned traveler will know, you have to roll with things as they come, because stuff doesn’t always go as planned. We did not plan to have the hot water not work in our hotel room. After calling maintenance and a sweet little gal wearing navy blue work overalls did her maintenance magic, an hour later than scheduled we were on our way. We hiked a few blocks to the nearest Cafe DuMonde so we could start the day with our sugar fix. Beignets from Cafe DuMonde are a must have treat in New Orleans. They are fried dough squares served three in a serving and are covered in what seems to be, a full cup of confectioners sugar.

We were then soaring high on a sugar buzz and called an uber to get us to the other end of town to attend Catholic mass at a cathedral near our already arranged lunch gathering spot. I am not catholic, but Carolyn is. I enjoy worshipping God in any of his houses. The cathedral was just stunning, it was nice to pause and reflect on the goodness of the Lord and all of his glory, thankful for his grace and mercy that have been extended to me in my life. 

After mass we walked around the corner and wandered into a really cool used bookstore. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I could just submerge myself for hours and hours in a bookstore. That’s when my introvert self is soothed and comforted. I run my fingers across the pages of real paper books, as the scent of paper and ink nurture me inside like home cooked meal. This store immediately reminded Kyleigh and myself of the book store we stumbled into in Key West last year. I purchased an antique post card of New Orleans as my token souvenir. I’ll use it as a bookmark.

We had plans for brunch at 12:30 so we walked a few doors down to the Live Oak Cafe to meet our friend Kenny Murphy who moved to NOLA from Savannah about eighteen months ago. The bustling cafe was filled with chatter and clinking of silverware and dishes. We were seated right next to the band. Lively music and kept the spirits high as we placed our drink orders and soon Kenny arrived. It was so nice to see him happy, a smile that is genuine and looks as if he is where he belongs playing jazz music in the town where it all began. It takes a lot to pursue your dreams of making art, or music. Not an easy task. I fully applaud those who step up to make it happen. Kenny is an artist who I knows what it means to put in the hours of dedication and hard work to fulfill a dream.

After brunch Kenny took us to see our friend Anna Lee who also used to live on Tybee Island. Anna Lee works at a really cool place called the Bayou Wine and Beer Garden. This place is huge! We ubered over there and walked from the front of the bar all the way through to the back side where we saw that familiar smile that will light up a room. Anna Lee was hosted us with style and grace as we sipped wine and snacked on a Charcuterie. Another friend, Rose aka Mary Margarita (who also just moved to NOLA) showed up in her In for a Penny T-shirt, although she took the liberty to re-design it during one of her drunken craft nights. See photos.

I’d love to return to New Orleans for a longer trip. There is just so much to see and do. It was hard to fit it all in the 20 hours we were here!

We wrapped up the day and hit the road by 6:00 so that we could be in Baton Rouge in time for dinner.