New Orleans (Pt 7)

Last day in New Orleans... After checking out, we left our bags with the doorman and headed to Petunia's for one last New Orleans brunch. While waiting for a table, Keith called to say that he had just gotten his orders - he was leaving that night. Great organization and advanced notice on the part of the Army, huh? Anyway, we finally got a table and ordered a St. Marie's crepe (spinach, chicken, and cheese) and a St. Louis (eggs benedict with crabmeat). The crepe was pretty good, encrusted with melted cheddar cheese on all sides. It got a bit overwhelming near the end, but it was still great. And, the bits of crab and hollandaise sauce I did have were pretty good. I think, however, that I definitely liked the pain perdu much more. Anyway, after brunch, we went to get our luggage and then trekked to the 39 Tulane bus stop for the bus. The bus driver told us that he'd let us know where the stop we wanted would be, but, honestly, announcing it as you're opening the door for that stop is just insufficient, especially for passengers with luggage. Anyway, we had to walk back to the actual intersection for the bus, and then we had to walk really fast across the street to just barely catch the bus. Sitting on the bus to the airport was a bit disheartening for me though. However, much the French Quarter seemed to be recovering from the effects of Katrina, the poorer parts of town and outside of town still seemed in need of more attention. I don't know if that was how it was before the hurricane, but, in any case, the poor in that area still seem worse off than the poor in California. Maybe I've just been further removed from the poorer areas of SF than before. Anyway, we got to the airport and ended up flying standby on an earlier flight to Houston. During the layover, we also are watching the Sugar Bowl, as we're waiting for our flight to Sacramento.

Overall, it was a great trip, I had tons of fun, and, for better or worse, I didn't get a damned thing done in terms of research, work, or school.

*Sigh* back to reality...