And so on to New Orleans....
The first thing that struck me about Nola was the oppressive stuck heat particularly after to cold of San Francisco but after a couple of day I got used to it.
I lucked out with the hostel I stayed in, which had single rooms available for not much more than the dorms including a little kitchen!
Just around the corner was a 24 hour bar, bizarrely with a launderette at the back, where I went for a drink the first night. With what I found was typical southern hospitality, I was soon drinking free beers and getting involved in singing Pogues songs with the 'Irish' locals....
After taking some time to recover, the next morning I set out to explore. The oppressive heat kept me off of the streets for most of the day so I visited a few museums, including a fantastic second world war museum and a tiny civil war museum.
One of the highlights of Nola was the discovery that the New Orleans Saints were playing a pre season game while I was there and I managed to get a ticket! I do love a bit of American Football and so had a great evening. Again the local fans kept me in beer which was incredibly generous at $9 a pint! The Saints beat the SF 49ers do a was good.
The days were fun but Nola is all about the nights. I did make one evening trip to the famous Bourbon street strip of tourist bars, but I mainly hung out on Frenchman Street, which is literally teaming with live music bars and clubs. With blues, country and folk all night I was in my element!
While heading out one afternoon to find a bar known for showing all the Premier League football, I took a trip though the expanses of derelict space which is the result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I sobering trip, I was amazed quite how much of the devastation still remains 6 years later.
New Orleans was certainly the friendliest place I visited in the US and somewhere I would love to return to even just for the nightlife!
So with only one more stop on my trip I might even get this blog finished before the first anniversary of my return! Here's hoping.....
