Arrival

Outer Journey Arrival

HOLY MOLEY I can finally say I MADE IT! After so many train delays I am finally in the city. As some of us tried getting up when we got here the lady in the train yelled and made sure we sat down and boy was I just ready to stand up. Upon our arrival to to train station I could see the superdome out my train window. The superdome is where tons of people when during the happenings of hurricane Katrina. I couldn’t believe how big it was! The train station had quite a few people in there but was easy to maneuver around. We literally had to go inside through one door, get our luggage, and then out the main door. Casie called an uber prior to getting our luggage so we could freshen up before dinner. When the red uber van arrived to the terminal we began to pack our luggage in the back. Justin put his suitcase in and then Casie attempted to put his in the back and because his luggage was so heavy he fell down with it! He somehow even managed to pick up a random cell phone while he fell too! I never felt happier to be in a care where I can see all the bright lights, rather than sitting on a dark train. We were waiting outside so when we got into the uber it was warm and the driver was friendly. When we arrived to the hotel I never felt so relieved! I walked into the clean, chic hotel and knew that this trip was going to be awesome. Char and I went up to our room and it was so nice! The beds were obviously both made and they had fresh white sheets on them. There were also two t.v.’s! We could totally watch different shows at the same time! I also noticed the scenery around the town still had their Christmas lights! Now it’s dinner time. On our walk to the Pierre Maspero’s I saw the town’s Christmas lights, which were beautiful, even though it’s no longer the holiday season. I noticed a gigantic casino that was full of lights as well. I’m not much into the gambling part but I would definitely go to experience what it’s like. As we kept making our way to the restaurant there was a guy with a bike with a carriage on the back and so badly wanted to give us a ride. Casie and I were very tempted to catch a rider with him because we were just exhausted from the past 24 + hours. We finally made it to the Pierre Maspero and the building was amazing. It was very rustic looking and had amazing lanterns on the outside that I fell in love with. I had a blackened chicken alfredo and I couldn’t believe how tasty it was. Olive Garden’s alfredo doesn’t have anything in comparison to the Pierre Masperro’s alfredo.

NOLA train station

Inner Journey Arrival

After about 20 hours of traveling, you could say I was more than just excited to get off that train and so some walking. I felt so stiff as if I would just collapse. When we got into the train station I was so excited because I’ve been looking forward to exploring New Orleans with my classmates. When walking into our hotel room I felt instantly relieved because the rooms were so cozy. I was so tired all I could think about was bed time and how I am going to sleep like a baby when my head hits the pillow. After getting out belongings up to the room we walked to the restaurant. When we got to the restaurant I instantly felt uncomfortable because it was VERY packed. Only some of our group could stay inside and even that was crowded. If you were in there you felt as if you were on top of the customers trying to eat and just hovering over them. It was also very hot in there so I decided to wait outside with the rest of my classmates. I stood there wondering if we were ever going to eat because I was that hungry. I hadn’t had a meal since the 2^nd of January and boy was I ready to chow down on some food. I receive my meal and it looked wonderful. The blackened chicken alfredo is what I had and it was served with grilled blacken chicken, alfredo sauce, noodles, and parmesan cheese. It’s creamy white sauce was definitely rated a 10 out of 10. I would definitely go back but it could be a little pricey, but then again it’s not the cheapest down here. When I got my check I got a little nervous because I was second guessing myself whether or not I brought enough money, but I think I will be perfectly fine. After dinner we decided to walk to Café De Monde for some beignets and wow did they look delicious. The fried dough with A TON of powdered sugar on top looked like a pile of white snow from back home. I tasted the beignets and they reminded me of a funnel cake so it wasn’t bad. I don’t usually go for the funnel cake flavor but I had to at least give them a try since I am here in NOLA. After being at the café Casie, Char and I decided to cath an uber ride home. Hanging out with those two is going to make this trip even more exciting and I can’t wait to see more!

Louisiana sunset