Current mood: mellow
Hey, I remember the way we would both say we'd be together forever and a day
Well I guess that day came sooner than late
'Cause now we're a part and a way
And it feels so stra-n-g-e, wouldn't you say?
I used to call you babe, and you used to obey
~ "Hey America" by Lil Wayne
Our magical carpet ride commenced at 5:45am on Thursday morning. Three Girls, one Hyundai, One trip to Starbucks, "a latte" of energy pills, and 18+ hours in the aforementioned Hyundai. Did you know that even though one drives through several states to get from Omaha to New Orleans, a majority of the mileage is spent in Misery, I mean Missouri? Did you also know that when someone tells you that you can just drive the Missouri part and they'll cover the rest of the states, that you are getting royally screwed? Well, it's true on both accounts.
Exit One Twenty-Four, Exit One Twenty-Four, Exit One Twenty-Four, Exit One Two Four -- Exit 124 in Columbia, MO is a rockin' exit. There is a Steak and Shake, a Wal-Mart, a traffic-light that NEVER-EVER changes to Green, a store where you can find bargains that you cannot possibly turn down (though we turned them all down), and a Toys R Us. There are lots of other things too – but those are the important ones. Trust me on this. The Steak and Shake service is mediocre – but the food is pretty damn good. Don't believe the pictures on the menu though. The Vegetable Beef soup is NOT that chunky and they are stingy with the crackers.
The driving rotation was disorganized and consisted primarily of one of us saying "my eyes are getting sleepy – someone else drive". Funny thing though – the driver only gets to pick the music if that music is rap. If the music is not rap – then the driver has to sneak in a CD after everyone else falls asleep. And when they wake up – it will return to rap. There is a huge rap following in Hyundai drivers, apparently. It was quite frightening.
Arriving in New Orleans around 1am on a Friday morning means only one thing – "let's go to Bourbon Street and drink "a latte" of alcohol. One visit to Mango Mango provided us with daiquiris and free shots. The street was crowded – the bars were crowded – the weather was perfect. Once Ali-Son's cousin was off work, we found ourselves at her apartment, where the space was limited and my extra comfortable sleeping/camping pad was no longer comfortable by any stretch of the imagination.
Our first morning was spent at Café du Monde (only after a visit to Mango Mango). White Russian Daiquiris are delicious when combined with Café au Lait and Beignets. After we had eaten our fill of fried dough covered in powder sugar we went to City Park for Day One of Voodoo Fest! I'll be sure to fill you in on everything in Part 2. I can promise you this, though – there will be several more drinks; some music; more drinks; "a latte" trips to the Port-a-Potty; and more . . . stay tuned!
