I <3 New Orleans

Cruise journal coming soon, I promise. As soon as I have time to think about it without forgetting all these other adventures I’m having that I want to share.

I’m in the W New Orleans. I’ve been awake since 3:45 this morning. Halfway through my meeting at Shell, I realized I’d been up for over 6 hours, and the morning wasn’t half over. It’s been a long day.

I’m so glad my coworker Danny offered to drive. He actually knows where to park at Intergalactic. We got there in good time, considering our flight took off a bit late. They had to find 11 people willing to take the later flight, cuz they’d over booked. For $300 in travel credit, I’d have done it, but I kinda had somewhere I needed to be. Like the meeting I was traveling for.

Anyway, so we board the plane. I had a window seat. And an aisle seat. At the same time. And two people had to move from the front to the back to make sure the plane was balanced okay. Fun! But I wasn’t nervous at all. Danny said he was.

So meeting good job team blah blah blah. Then they took us to lunch. At the Red Fish Grill. I had the venison patty melt, and yes I’m now fully aware that my lack of appreciation for sea food and spicy food mean I will never fully enjoy all New Orleans cuisine has to offer. It was still a dang good burger. And I’m *fully* capable of appreciating the chocolate bourbon pecan pie with caramel sauce that they put in front of me for dessert. FULLY capable. I was really full. And they recommended a good place for us to go to for dinner, and we went, and I was too full to really do it justice. But my ravioli were yummy, and the duck Danny ordered was SUPERB. There was a jazz pianist in the foyer, and wainscoting and striped wall paper and stained glass and still life paintings in heavy frames. But my favorite part of this trip by far was the walk back to the hotel.

First off, I love this city because of how much is within walking distance, and how many people walk. We walked to lunch. We walked from the office to our digs. We’ve walked everywhere. And anywhere you can walk along the street admiring the paintings in the galleries, then get pulled to the window of a club by the sound of a band with a 70 year old drummer, a 20 year old pianist, and a trumpet player who sounds as rich and smooth as Miles Davis… That’s heaven. Danny keeps talking about jazz fest, and I really want to come back here for that weekend.

I have another meeting at 7:30 tomorrow morning, so I should really go to bed. But I have to tell you all about my room. Where to start. Well, let me go over to the window and gaze through the white louvered wooden blinds. I can see the Hilton. I can see the Harrah’s. I can see the pool that has “WET” in big letters on its bottom (they like W words at the W, apparently). I can see some unmarked tall buildings, and the rest is kinda lost in the fog that’s draped the city all morning. I have a closet with an actual door, a nice roomy bathroom, and an incredibly soft, cushy, and roomy king-sized bed. It really seems excessive for one small me. And that’s just the beginning.

I have a machine on my desk/table that will sell me a handful of Hot Tamales for 5¢. I have a clock radio that plays CDs. I have a 27” TV and a DVD player. I have two cushy chairs with a glass-topped end table. And I have a mini-bar & munchie box that has, I kid you not, a teddy bear in a plastic wrapper. In case I forgot mine. Which I did. But since he costs $12, I suppose I’ll leave him for someone else. But I want him very much. Lessee. What else is in the goodie pile?

• White wine
• Red wine
• Bubbles

(WTF? Bubbles? Hold on. Okay, bubbles must mean that miniscule bottle of Champagne.)

• Bud light
• Heineken
• Corona
• W wine ($42 friggin dollars???)
• Soda
• Juice
• Large water
• Small water

(They’re all snooty, and call it H2O.)

• Energy drink
• W snickers
• W M&Ms
• W Oreos
• W cocktail jelly beans
• W Cocabon chocolates
• W Twizzlers
• W cashews
• W trail mix

(What makes them all so “W”? Oh, the fact that they’ve been additionally-packaged in a plastic box with a sticker across the lid that says “W”. I bet that’s so you can’t just replace them with, you know, stuff you bought at the gas station for less than, what, $6? Right.)

• Pringles
• Energy bars
• Mojito mints

So much for the edibles. Now things get even more fun. Besides the teddy bear, we have:

• CD
• T-Shirt
• Tote bag
• Short story book

(Huh, wonder what sort of authors? Huh. Among others, the author of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Steve Martin. Can’t see if they’re any good. It’s also wrapped. :-P)

• W candle
• Umbrella
• Corkscrew
• First aid kit
• Intimacy kit

Yes, that last is just about what you think it is. Eeenterrrresting. The coffee and tea aren’t on the list with prices, so I can only assume they’re complimentary. There’s an incredibly soft bathrobe in the closet, tempting me to take a bath and lounge around in it. There’s a little catalog where I can order W pillows and décor and jewelry and even MATRESSES. Oh, CAN I??? Yeesh.

The stationery rocks, though. You know how in the 18^th century you wrote your letter on thinner paper, and continued onto the envelope, which was just like the paper, only sturdier, maybe, then folded it all over and sealed it with a… wax seal? Looks like they’re trying to mimic that. Might have to snitch some and write someone a letter, just for kicks.

But for now I’ve described all the wonders I’ve found thus far, and it’s REALLY been a long day. I’m glad I’m going home tomorrow, but I’m glad I’m coming back for fun later this week.

Night, all!