bourbon orleans

On Sunday, June 28, 2009, I was scheduled to do a three hour tour of New Orleans with a few co-workers. We were to meet in the lobby of the hotel. Since we had to check out that day, I packed all of my belongings and went to the lobby, intending to leave my bag with the valet while I went on my tour. I arrived in the lobby about six minutes late to find that the group had left without me. I found out later that they had called me several times, but my cell phone did not ring. Once I figured out that they were gone, I rolled my bag back up to the room. I called another co-worker who I knew was also moving to the new hotel that day. She told me that her son was picking her up and that I could ride along too.

At the appointed time, the son picked us up and drove us to the new hotel, the Bourbon Orleans, which is right on Bourbon Street. It was too early to check in, so we left our bags with the valet and went off to breakfast. I had already eaten breakfast in my room, but I had coffee with them. When we returned, a number of other co-workers were sitting in the lobby. So off we went to lunch!

I do have to say that the food was incredible in New Orleans. I regret that I didn't write down every restaurant that I visited and every meal that I consumed. They were all memorable. I do not recall a bad meal. I ate jambalaya, gumbo, fried oysters, crab salad, several varieties of fish, shrimp, crayfish ...

Needless to say, I enjoyed New Orleans!!!

Monday night, it was "dinner on your own" and a group of us went to Irene's, which was (I think) the best restaurant of the trip. The atmosphere is just so very special and the food was to die for. I was seated next to some of my favorite co-workers, so the conversation was wonderful. This was a very happy evening for me.

Tuesday night, we went on a rather cheezy riverboat cruise. I suppose it was exactly what anyone would expect. But the boat itself was in a state of disrepair. The carpet smelled of mildew. The furniture was very old and cheap. The members of the band appeared to be in their 90's. But the food was pretty good!

Then on the last night of the meeting, our CEO took us to Antoine's. What an incredible place. We ate in a private dining room and every bite was delicious. I even ate fried oysters, which I generally don't like. After dinner, we went back to the hotel.

I flew home on Thursday, July 2, 2009. I drove home from the airport, already planning my next five moves. I needed to do laundry, pay bills, visit with my son and my cat, call the office and then pack again for the trip to North Carolina on the 3rd. It was family reunion time!!!