So where did I leave you all? Oh yes, I believe I was panicking about losing almost all of my money at a strip club on Bourbon Street. So, after a several hour nap, Jolynn and I woke up with POUNDING headaches, intangible nausea, and the room still spinning. All we can think about is food, water, and the number one hangover cure…… more alcohol. So we begin the day by walking several blocks down the road where we find a very quaint part of town with fancy art shops and hipster vibes. After quite a bit of time and Jolynn’s complaining of the distance we walked (love ya Jo sorry!) we find our way into a taco restaurant. I mean who doesn’t like tacos when they’re hungover? Now, is a great time to explain how amazing of a friend Jolynn is, knowing that I was completely irresponsible with my own money; she proceeded to fund the entire rest of this trip with only the promise of me repaying her! So, we order several tacos each and a drink or two. We proceed to only take one or two bites and realize that our stomachs still hate us. The waiter must have seen the look of sure pain in our eyes because after getting our receipt, we found he had written on it “Feel better”! He proceeds to tell us to go back and nap longer, which we are more than happy to oblige!

Later that evening we wake up again and decide to head back to the French Quarter. Being the uneducated tourists we were at this time, we had no idea where else to go in the city, and thought that this was the only way to enjoy ourselves in NOLA. We agree, with the threat of public shaming, to not drink excessively or to separate again! We also establish a new mission for ourselves… to find Beignets! For those who don’t know, these are fried, airy, dough covered in powdered sugar. Similar to an amazing doughnut! So we walk to the trolly noting the look of rain in the sky and head downtown. Once, we get off the trolly, we are immediately greeted with the rain. Now, this is not a small sun shower, this is a drenching downpour, of what feels like biblical proportions! Jolynn and I had an immediate bounding moment over the idea of “embracing the suck” of the rain and after being soaked to the bone we seek shelter in a bus stop with a homeless man talking to himself. Jolynn deserves more credit then I could possibly give her here because she didn’t complain for a second! We laughed at our circumstances and waited for the rain to pass! (Maybe there’s a lesson in life in this moment?) Once the rain passes, we proceed to find more alcohol and even our beignets which we enjoy with some live music!

After gorging ourselves on the fried goodness that are beignets, we found ourselves walking past the same sights and sounds from the night before that were now just blurs of vague, drunken, memories. At this point, we found ourselves kind of in a daze and just not enjoying the night, maybe this point is when we began to realize that the tourist district of a city is usually one of the worst spots in that city? So, how do we find where the locals go? I should once again apologize to my mom here, because as much as we are taught as kids to not talk to strangers, this is the number one way to find the right places to get the better food, drinks, and music on any trip! So, when a homeless man, who smells questionably of urine and bad decisions, comes to you and says he will tell you the best place to visit in the city for two dollars and a cigarette, you hand over the cash and tobacco and listen up! He proceeds to give us directions to a street called “Frenchman Street”, where we are promised nothing but local bars and live music, a bit of paradise to say! We, too quickly, decide to set off across a city, we were completely unfamiliar with, following the directions of a drunk homeless man, in hopes of a good time! ( I sit here writing this and realize that this could have definitely turned out poorly! But hey, it didn’t!) While making our way to the promised land, we find ourselves a bit lost because in my infinite wisdom I began talking to and following two very attractive girls. They were in town for a “Herbalife Convention”. Now, I have to point out I can’t be blamed for this because I was lightly intoxicated, single, and they seemed interested in me. However, after aimlessly trying to find our way around town, they lost interest and went their own way. I was informed by Jolynn, who like a real wingman, followed me around during this side episode, that they were just trying to sell me on their Herbalife stuff. I guess once again drunk me is easily distracted by an attractive women. Who would have guessed? Ultimately we reach the promised land of Frenchman Street, and find that the drinks are cheaper, the food is better, and the music is great! We danced all night and drank too much again, but didn’t lose each other this time! Admittedly, this was probably the best night of trip and all it cost us to find, was two dollars and a cigarette given to a homeless man!

The next day, we decide to take it easy. Later on in our travels, Jolynn and I find out that day three is usually where we need to separate for a few hours, because we will be at each other’s throats if we don’t. However, we had not realized that yet! So we proceed to plan a day of touristy things to do. We book a swamp tour and a ghost tour, and proceed out for the day! We grab more beignets for breakfast from the Cafe’ Du Monde and proceed to catch the bus to “Cajun Encounters” for a swamp tour! After arriving at the bayou, we board an airboat and speed down the river, at what feels like 100mph, proceeding to race another airboat at one point (stay tuned for the video of this). Once we are deep in the swamps the pilot begins to point out alligators and boars; and fishes a crawfish from the swamp, passing it around for show and tell. We make our way back an hour later and as much as I hate to admit it… it was a great time! We head back into town for a bit of food, more alcohol, and later that night our ghost tour. The ghost tour consisted of several bar stops and staring at buildings that we were promised were haunted, maybe the bar stops were more necessary than I initially thought?

Day four we spend following up on two spots we found during the ghost tour, The Museum of Death and the Pharmacy Museum. Following these, we come up with the bright idea of getting a tattoo while in town and begin looking for a shop. This would start a tradition of getting a tattoo from a local artist in every place we visit. The first we find is completely booked so we are forced to find a second. This one consists of several booths, one in front of a big bay window looking out over the street! I am brought to one of the rooms, not visible from the street, where I get a small black widow on my back; and Jolynn is brought to the front booth, where she gets a design of the intricate custom ironwork found throughout the city on her back. While tattooing me, the artist comments that I am bleeding more than he has ever seen and asks if I have been drinking the last few days………… yes, yes I have sir! despite this, the tattoo set in perfectly! Once I was done, I went to see how Jolynn’s work was going and find her laying face down on the tattoo bed. Now, this seems innocent enough until we come to the horrifying realization that a crowd is forming at the window because they are all watching Jolynn be tattooed……

We head back to the AirB&B for our final night and pass out! The next day we check out catch the trolly to a restaurant for lunch and head to bus stop for the shuttle to the airport. The trouble is, by this point in the trip, we have become a bit cocky to figuring out how to navigate the city. So, after about an hour of attempting to find the correct shuttle and bus combination to get us to the airport, we give up and order and uber; opting to not be late to our flight! We head through security, vow to revisit New Orleans, and jet back to Ohio with a new found love for spontaneous trips!