Dallas and The Big Easy

Welcome back to the blog -- glad to have you here! Many of you may be wondering why the frequency of the blogs has diminished over the past few days, and your inquiries are quite reasonable. The answer is quite simple: I had developed a bad case of poison oak a few days back, and after believing it to be fully treated, it reared its ugly head once more. My immune system must have been run down after many days on the road, and the infection was twice as bad the second time 'round. Fear not blogosphere: After a couple days of rest and recuperation I am back to feeling well enough to continue the journey and to keep the updates coming...

Last you heard from me I was in Oklahoma City headed for Dallas. After a rough night of little sleep, I made the 3 hour drive South into Dallas to visit some family for a couple days. Upon my arrival, I was greeted with a cold glass of ice water (greatly appreciated on those hot Dallas days) and news of the evening's activities. My Uncle Norm, Andrea, and myself were to grab some yummy eats at a Mexican seafood joint in Dallas, but before that we were headed to The Bridge ( a local homeless shelter, for more info go here) to serve dinner to its constituents. It was a great experience, and really gave me a good perspective on life, and the liberties that we take for granted everyday. The food at the final destination was quite good as well, and once again we were graced with the good company of Steve and his girlfriend Izzy (last sighting: San Francisco).

After a good night's sleep, I awoke and headed out on a whirlwind tour of Dallas courtesy of a seasoned tour guide, my Uncle Norm. We hit all the hot spots in and around Dallas, all the cool neighborhoods, American Airlines Arena and the downtown area, and my personal favorite, the $1,000,000,000 Stadium that Jerry Jones built. This thing is absolutely massive and you can barely get past the gift shop without ponying up the cash for a full tour. After all that touring, we had worked up quite an appetite which we squelched with some delicious BBQ from Rudy's (some of Texas' best!). We got a huge platter of food, and within minutes did our magic on it and made it disappear.

After a quick pork induced nap, it was again time to go eat, and I met up with more relatives for more Mexican food. The food was great, as was the conversation, and as soon as the day began it was coming to a close. This night, though, was as restless as I'd had on the entire trip as my mind stirred with anxiety for my upcoming trip to New Orleans - The first part of my trip where I would be venturing into completely unknown territory, and the prospect of that excited me greatly. By dinner time the next day, I would be in The Big Easy.

I woke early the next morning, gathered my belongings, said my thank yous and goodbyes, and got on the road. New Orleans is a good 8 hour drive from Dallas so I got on the road early hoping to be eating a Po Boy by nightfall. The roads through Louisiana wind and dip through varied country, starting in the arid North, and ending in the swampy marshlands of the South. The route that my GPS led me on was not on the main interstate, but rather the rural highways that stretch through little towns with signs extolling their Po' Boys, Crawfish, and Gumbo. I couldn't have been hungrier upon arrival, and my wishes were granted: A huuuge shrimp Po Boy for dinner -The perfect end to the day.

After meeting up with Steve and his girlfriend Izzy in Dallas, he suggested that I come stay with him at his Aunt's place in New Orleans and we could paint the town: How could I say no? A good night's sleep behind me, my belly full of yummy gulf shrimp, we headed out to do a little touring of the North Shore of Lake Ponchartrain. We visited the lake's shore (which was high due to gulf winds, but beautiful), an antique graveyard, and the Abita brewery (very cool, and sustainable, check them out here) among other sites. After a quick tour of the North Shore, we headed back to home base for a little rest before a night out on Bourbon Street.

What can one say about Bourbon Street? There just isn't an accurate way to sum it up, but it's an experience that everyone should put on their bucket list. Its a party atmosphere with Southern charm, and here the party never stops. There are bars for just about every type ranging from karaoke and cowboy to rap and blues and few strip clubs thrown in for good measure. It is truly a feast for the senses with music blaring out of every window, bouncers gesturing for you to come inside, and of course the relentless NOLA heat that is ever present. Truly one of the best nights of my life -- and it was all capped off with a visit to Cafe du Monde for Beignets -- Absolutely spectacular.

After a truly amazing time in New Orleans it was regrettably time to move on. Once again I packed my things, and headed Eastward.

A.S. Bloom

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