I finally turned forty years old last week and to celebrate this well rounded number my girlfriend took me to New Orleans. I had not been to New Orleans since I was a small child so I was really excited to experience a city, that as musician, I had always heard as being a hoppin city. We left Dallas in the morning and drove which came out to be around eight hours. That may sound like a long drive but honestly with the right company it is an amazing drive. I took a longer route taking me through several small towns that were farming villages that’s main crop appeared to be sugar cane. At first I was not sure what it was because it looks like a bush but as it grows you begin to recognize it. Miles and miles of sugar cane fields slowly give way to the bayou as you drive into Baton Rouge and cross the great Mississippi River. If you have never seen the Mississippi River then I highly recommend you find the chance. Such a huge mighty river. You can see how it captivated Mark Twain to write so much about it. After crossing a huge bridge it was about another hour and a half and we came into the famous city of New Orleans.
Now, I stayed at the Hotel Indigo it’s about a five minute walk from Bourbon Street. Which is perfect, just close enough to enjoy but far enough to not have the party on your front door stoop. When we arrived we immediately dropped of our bags in our room and immediately made our way to Bourbon Street for a delicious New Orleans meal. We paced the French Quarter where I saw several palm readers and fortune tellers as well as an accordion player what felt like it was straight out of a scene of Master and Commander, that was especially awesome. The park was filled with all kinds of things like that. Eventually, we found ourselves at the Oceana, a hot spot in Nola. I remember the meal was delicious but the four shots of Irish whiskey make it hard to be specific about what exactly I ate. I know the hush puppies were amazing.
After my four shots and delicious New Orleans meal we began making our way around Bourbon Street, getting lost exploring the Quarter. It was about then that I passing the twentieth daiquiri shop when I finally asked what it was. Apparently this is a liquor slushy. I immediate thought this must be a traditional native drink of Bourbon Street and if I really wanted to immerse myself in the culture I would have to drink one. I approached and began looking at the flavors and decided on watermelon I think. I know the liquor added was vodka. I asked if we could add additional shots. Now, this is where the story gets really exciting.
“Can I get two extra shots?”
“Yes”
“Can I get three extra shots?”
“Ugh.. yes..”
“Ya know, we should probably go ahead and do four extra shots.. can we go ahead and do that?”
“Wow.. ugh.. yes, we can do that”
I began exploring the French Quarter armed with my liquored up slushy and began getting lost in Nola. We made our way to a huge beautiful Catholic Church that someone was saying something about a giraffe but I have no idea what the hell they meant and I don’t think that is totally the six or seven shots of liquor. Actually, as I write this, it may have been. The Church is extremely beautiful and sits directly in front of a large park. This is where I heard the accordion player and palm readers. I then popped in a few shops and got some cool stuff. The feeling on Bourbon Street is definitely a party atmosphere but it has such a deep soul. You can feel the history of this beautiful city all around you. It will be easy for me to remember this as one of the best birthdays I have ever had.
Dan Goes Outside 