The Big Easy Leg

I very much enjoyed the Houston to Louisiana drive. I found driving through the Bayous fasciniating. I saw my first oil fields. I had no idea there were so many oil plants nor any idea what an oil field looked like. Now I know.

Most of the six hour drive was spent on never ending "bridges"

A slight traffic detour led me along some beautiful Louisiana countryside

These tower thingys go on forever

Just about in NOLA

My first and only visit to New Orleans was magical. So the skeptic in me wondered if it would measure up the second time around. New Orleans re-blew my mind immediately. I chose a funky old mansion from airbnb. It said mansion in the description but I was expecting a big house. This shit was a legit mansion. As in I was sleeping on the servants annex and the ceilings were 15 feet high and I had a private sitting room. And it wasn't perfectly pottery barn restored, which I liked.

Part of my sitting room

A view of my wing from the courtyard

I pulled up at dusk to the giant pink mansion in the middle of the city and it was sensory overload just like my first visit to the city. The airbnb hosts apparently also run a bike rental business so they were busy seeing a large group off on bikes painted white with many colored lights all over. I carried my bags and the old wieners up the steep steps to my apartment and set off to my next task-food. My trusty sister had located the nearest vegetarian restaurant for me which happened to be just one tenth of a mile away. I was half way to the restaurant thinking I was probably headed the wrong direction because the neighborhood didn’t look restauranty, when I smelt it. The amazing aroma of carbohydrates and onions quickly led me to "Seed" where the wieners and I were greeted by two separate posses of people impressed with my dogs’ cuteness. These New Orleanians just get it!! Of course I know I have the cutest dogs in the world but not everyone seems to notice. My hounds were noted quickly and voraciously. I tied them to a bench as I stepped into seed to place my take out order and noted the crowd of people gathered round my pups taking photos.

Bikers in front of the mansion

Weiners being cute and waiting outside the restaurant.

We headed back to our mansion with my delicious smelling food. I had already fed the pups at the last rest stop in their cage. I devoured a delicious kale and peach salad and then took a pee break. When I returned I discovered one of my pups had taking the honors of starting my main course. Fortunately it was just a nibble off the side of my polenta cake and I couldn’t quite blame her. The aroma was tantalizing. I enjoyed my mushroom, onion, raisin sauce doused polenta cakes as much as my dog had.

New Orleanian Night Scape

True to it's rustic style my bath had no shower. However, I discovered the reason behind the mini clawfoot tub. They fill quickly and I was able to take a very quick bath more easily than I would have suspected.

The dogs are horrified that I left them alone to bathe.

The next morning I took the recommendation of my host and went to French Truck Coffee. They made me the best mocha I've ever had. I went for a little run with my camera before setting off on the last leg of my journey.

I met this adorable pup on my run. We exchanged kisses.

My host hugged me good bye and then we were off once again to visit Mississippi, Alabama, and home.