NOLA

So my husband is basically amazing!

He travels TONS for work and is getting an MBA and still he finds time to get me away for a weekend HOME. I grew up in South Louisiana and nothing says South Louisiana more than
NEW ORLEANS!

As he was there on business he arranged for me to join him afterwards to soak in NOLA!

It was perfect!

The flights, the food, the weather, the sights, the food, the sounds, the history, the food

& we even did pretty well with the parking!

If you aren't from here it may be hard to grasp the idiosyncrasies of the town but you can appreciate the beauty and history (and food) of such an eclectic place.

(In case you couldn't tell I am a souvenir eater.)

I even came home from the trip with a greater appreciation for my parents in raising me somewhere far from family but that exposed me to a

culture that I would have never known otherwise.

I hadn't been back since KATRINA and it was amazing to see the recovery and the damage that remains. To see the theater where I first saw Les Miserables fenced off and still being repaired broke my heart. To know that the church that I went to my first dance at had to be demolished and all that is left is the concrete slab was indescribable. To see homes all over the city- not just the 9th ward- with the X's and dates searched still there was disturbing. And to drive down streets where we would have been underwater back then brought tears and inexplicable emotion.

On the other hand; to walk where both mine and my husband's ancestors walked when they immigrated was tender. To see where my dad was working all those years after I left for college was so interesting. To remember my Louisiana history teacher, Mrs. McCartney, and her passion for this place we called home was inspiring. To taste of the food was heavenly.

To hear the music and see the art was inspiring. To watch the Mighty Mississippi River flow and know that it helped make this nation was a testament to me of how amazing this place is.

But above all of this to share this experience with the person I love the most was

SPECTACULAR!

Sure 48 hours wasn't enough but it just gives me the excuse to go back.

Until then I will be craving the food!

First place I ate@ right off the plane. Blackened Redfish-mmmmm

Charbroilled/grilled Oysters @ ACME Oysters

Louisiana Shrimp & Grits

@ Surrey's on Magazine St.

Bananas Foster @ Brennan's on Royal St.

AMAZING Greek Restaurant

Metairie, LA

(best hummus EVER!)