RoamingRushka

Paloma and I felt as if we were on top of the world looking out of our condo balcony onto the dragon shaped lake of the Ozarks below. The week in the lake of the Ozarks flew by and the reality of this lifestyle hit me: the highs are high, and the lows are low. Check out Paloma’s awesome Vlog about our time there.Ozark Mountains Roadtrip ☀️ 5 Things to Do in Missouri & Arkansas | Travel Vlog

I was personally feeling quite apprehensive about New Orleans; the city has a reputation from certain media sources for being dangerous, dirty, and a Sodom and Gamorra of sin and wickedness. That, paired the fact that it exists in a state that lies near the bottom nationally in terms of economic performance, and at the top of the list nationally in terms of violent crime and vehicular incidents, to say I had my concerns would be an understatement. Nonetheless, we packed up our Honda Fit, Pebble, and got back on the road. 

Half of the drive took us through beautiful, mountainous, remote country, where the only towns we passed through felt like ghost towns with busted-down buildings. To break up the 12-hour drive, we stayed the night in Little Rock, AR, and were both pleasantly surprised by the quaint little city. After a nice pizza dinner and a few Guinnesses, we settled into the Hampton Inn to rest up for the second half of the drive the next day. The second half was made up of marshes and swamplands, dotted with more ghost towns in similar disrepair. 

Day two—Little Rock, AR to New Orleans,LA—was the longer of the two legs, but fortunately we arrived with plenty of time before sunset. My first impressions of our neighborhood were very positive. The Lower Garden District is beautiful and exudes a similarly southern charm that I loved about Savannah, GA.

After a well deserved night’s sleep to rest up, we started to venture out into the city. My favorite aspect of New Orleans is the walkability. The weather was perfect when we arrived, especially considering Lake of the Ozarks got down to the low thirties while we were there (not to mention our previous port-of-call Minneapolis). When you have a city that is lined with beautiful oak trees dripping in moss, cobble-stoned sidewalks that are centuries old, and beautiful architecture, losing yourself in a six-mile walk can be medicine for the soul. 

Situated directly up-river from the French Quarter (technically west), our neighborhood, The Lower Garden District, is filled with beautiful homes, mossy oak-lined walkable streets, restaurants, businesses, and transit connections via the St. Charles street car. The main thoroughfare is St. Charles street, which eventually turns into Royal St in the French Quarter, but our favorite street in our neighborhood had to be Magazine St. Brimming with cute shops, fantastic restaurants and bars, and the ever-present Queen Anne homes, we found ourselves hiking up and down this bustling street throughout our whole stay. 

The street car is a steampunk icon with beautiful brightwork and a conductor flipping switches and turning knobs that seem to have no correlation to the movement of the street car itself. Its vibey aesthetic makes up for the fact that you never know if you’ll be able to count on it to get you where you need to go on time. In fact, several of the aforementioned six-mile walks were due to the fact that I was expecting to get on a street car but one never came. Regardless of punctuality, the street car is a pretty efficient system, with an app that allows you to purchase tickets to show the conductor upon boarding, and a web-page that shows you real time where the street cars are on their route. I saw many folks actually using the street car to get to work and back as often as I saw tourists fawning over their first experience with the street car. 

Our day trips included a visit to the Tabasco factory in Lafayette, LA, as well as a swamp-tour in a marsh just south of New Orleans. The day trips were fine, but the best thing about LA is New Orleans, in my humble opinion. 

My favorite aspect of New Orleans had to be the culture of the people there. They exude southern charm, are welcoming, and most importantly, really know how to have fun. I frequented the New Orleans Boulder Lounge, and the people who worked and climbed there were so welcoming. Making friends in the Big Easy is as easy as it gets. Conversely, Bourbon St. (the most infamous street for debauchery in the FQ) was the only street that felt unsafe to me of all the (albeit higher socio-economic) streets I explored. 

The verdict for New Orleans is that it is going to be a city that I hope to visit frequently with my closest friends. It is without a doubt the most fun we’ve had in a city on our road trip, however Paloma and I are unanimously opposed to moving there full time mainly due to the state government, but also due to incoming climate change related issues that will continue to plague this beautiful city.

I am now about a half-year behind on my blog entries, but finally feeling invigorated to write. Stay tuned for more!

—RoamingRushka