The Big Easy - New Orleans, LA

New Awlins was a good stop. Jenn and I visited 20 years ago and were not in love. This time, we liked it much better, but as a city to live in, I am still not impressed. It is the dirtiest city I have seen, next to Philadelphia. I don't mean the run down looking buildings, I mean actual trash and buildings in major disrepair. Even before Katrina. That being said, it was still worth the visit.

Pro tip: do not say Nawlins or New Or-leans. You will brand yourself as a tourist. The locals say New Awlins. Also called Da City.

Yes, there is quite a bit of character and beauty in New Orleans. The colors of the city are amazing. We skipped the scumville that is Bourbon Street and walked the more interesting parts of the French Quarter. Jenn really wanted some beignets from Café Du Monde. What is a beignet? It is a deep fried pastry. The café calls it a French doughnut, but I thought it was more like fried dough (elephant ears to those of you from the Midwest). They were good, but heavy.

A huge part of what makes New Orleans unique is the waterfront, so we started there. After that we walked through an open air market and hit some shops. Quinn loved the voodoo shop. The one we went to has only two locations: New Orleans and Salem, MA. Creepy.

I had to hit the hot sauce shop. Among others, I tried three REALLY hot ones. Only a couple of years ago, two of them were in the top 10 hottest sauces of them all. Yes, they hurt. But two of the three also tasted good. In the fast paced world of hot sauces, you don't stay at the top for long. Someone is always creating a hotter sauce. They had some sauces that you had to sign a waiver before trying them. I love hot, but those were not for me!

Just as we were leaving, a thunderstorm rolled in. It was a major downpour and the thunder and lightning was awesome! We don't get thunder and lightning in the Bay Area (two or three baby rumbles once or twice a year does not count).

New Orleans was fun. There is still a lot of repair from Katrina and in places I think they are trying to revitalize. I would like to come back in 10 years or so to see the difference.Read more