Feeenix

I stopped here for the night to visit my friends Mike and Stephanie from College. I really don't care too much for Phoenix, and its' urban sprawl, major roads, red lights at every quarter mile... But I hadn't seen Mike and Stephanie since the Fort Collins days when Conor O'neills was still an establishment in Old Town. I figured that while I was driving through the vicinity it would be nice to stop and sleep on their couch for a night and let Athena (their boxer) get a whiff of me... literally.

I met Mike through a class I took on Sustainability in the Caribbean in the summer of 2005. He was, at the time, a Recreation and Tourism major I believe, but heard of the class while wandering the halls of the gym during his scuba diving class. The events to how he ended up there are a bit bizarre, but we all had a lot of fun memories from the trip.

We went to Sushi Eye in Chandler, which is one of the many Phoenix suburbs that Mike and Stephanie so happen to live. I am not going to lie, it might have been some of the best sushi I have eaten.

My parents lived in Tempe, about a stone's throw from Chandler, before I was born. My dad was teaching at Arizona State University while my mom was pregnant with my brother (mind you it was the middle of the summer, suckfest?). I wonder what it would have been like if I had grown up in the greater Phoenix area. I am kind of glad that my parents decided to leave, New Hampshire was a good choice.

Tucsan, AZ
I was trying to kill some time before getting to Phoenix because both Mike and Stephanie work until after 5, so I checked out a little bit of Tucsan. By a little bit, I basically mean I drove downtown and parked by the first colorful building that caught my attention and then wandered around even more aimlessly.

Fort Worth, TX

Today I dropped Jenny off at Louis Armstrong International Airport and headed through the rest of Louisiana en route to Fort Worth, TX. I found it amusing that driving north through Louisiana there are billboards for Emergency Rooms at a Hospital nearby, I hardly think that you need to advertise for an ER. It isn’t like someone decides “Oh, look, honey, there is an Emergency Room in 4.3 miles, feel like stopping and having an aneurism so we can go visit?!” As if an emergency room is a tourist destination.

I crossed over the Mississippi, on a bridge very similar to the Tappan Zee.

I arrived in Fort Worth around 4:30 and went out for some delicious Tex-Mex at a restaurant that makes fresh flour tortillas. I don't remember the name of the place...

Fort Worth is the 27th largest city in the US. It was established in 1849 as a protective Army outpost situated on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River, the city of Fort Worth today still embraces its western heritage and traditional architecture and design. The highrise buildings are all outlined with white lights and when lit at night are striking painted against the dark Texas sky.


Tiina and I visited the Fort Worth Stockyards on Thursday, very touristy thing to do. They parade the cattle through the streets very regularly and there are stores that sell various tokens that say "don't mess with Texas" and the Confederate Flag symbol.

I got in some good "bad influence" shopping with Tiina, which i hadn't done in a few years since we were in Fort Collins together. If you ever find yourself in Fort Worth and want to blow some money, go to the Jean Guru and the Shoe Gypsy on Park Hill Drive. I got these fancy shoes, which I love! I did not purchase any Hudson Jeans, being financially well behaved is a lot less fun. We chatted about how we have both felt the frustrations of the post graduate identity crisis and where we want to go with our lives now that we have finished design school.

On Thursday night we went to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar, which was very vulgar, just my style.

I bid my farewells on Friday morning to head to Marfa, TX to see the Madrid Family. Please check back, I am being sort of vague because I am mostly trying to catch up from the stuff I have done the past week. I will be adding and editing a lot of this stuff soon.

water always wins.

Imagine you are struggling to get by (easy enough, most of us are). A class 5 hurricane is heading to your region and you are ushered to evacuate the city, neighborhood, and community you live. Not only are you evacuating, but so is the entire city. It is said to be the worst storm to hit in centuries. You pile your immediate posessions in what vehicle you have and start to leave your city, unsure of the next time you will be back. You are then immersed in a traffic jam that lasts for 8 hours only moving one mile. The storm begins. Thrashing your car, your family, and the life you knew.

You finally make it to a hotel outside of town for the night. Only hours in the roof of the hotel is ripped off by gale storm winds. You have no electricity, no water, and now no shelter to keep you dry. You can't go home. You can't leave. The roads are flooded. After making it through the worst night, you learn that your home is submersed in 20 feet of water. You are told to find a place to stay, still not knowing when you might be able to go "home."

You stay away from home for 5-8 months, the water doesn't drain from your neighborhood for a whole month. You stay in a bunk house that is 500 sq. ft. shared with 12 others who have been evacuated, with little privacy to call your own.

You return to a deserted neighborhood. Your windows have been broken in from wind. Your house is no longer sitting on its' foundation. Your car has washed away. What belongings and valuables left behind are either washed away by water or looted and anything of sentiment or value has been stolen. There is 6 inches of dirt blanketing the floor you once had carpeting on. There is a large X spray painted on the front of your house.

FEMA has decided the state of your home, the date determined, and whether any bodies have been found.

You contact FEMA for assistance. You are informed that it will take as long as two months to get shelter. As soon as FEMA delivers your temporary trailer you are told that you can't habitate until they "check you in." This takes as long as a month. They slap your wrists for moving what you have left into the trailer you will be calling home on your front lawn for an undetermined amount of time. In Charlene's case, this was 2.5 years with 5 other people.

You are finally given insurance money, but your jobs have all been long lost. You need to survive on the money given to you by the insurance company. If you are lucky, Habitat for Humanity or another charitable foundation helps you build a new home.

Unfortunately, only a fraction of the residents of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and other surrounding areas have even returned to their neighborhoods. Only a fraction have been lucky enough to get the insurance money, the adequate help from FEMA, and assistance from Habitat for Humanity. I was very grateful to have heard a first hand account of one woman's story of tragedy and loss in New Orleans during the past 5 years. When you drive around the Ninth Ward, and other areas such as Saint Bernard Parish, you are struck by how the area looks like the storm only happened a month ago.

Part B New Orleans

Today we went to breakfast at Cafe Du Monde. This place is in the French Market and is famous for its' beignets and coffee with chicory. It is also very inexpensive and quick if you are looking for a famous eatery that wont make you wait ages.


We then ate some Gumbo, but before we got our Alligator Sausage Appetizer, a huge rat ran behind my head, and then back by my feet. Oh well, it happens, so we stayed and ate there anyway. But I wont lie, I was a little worried that maybe they put rat in the gumbo to thicken up the meat.

Next we took the Saint Charles Streetcar to the Garden District to walk around. The Garden District, historically, was subdivided into parcels and sold to the wealthy who did not want to live in the French Quarter with the Creoles.



And Magazine St. has some cute shops.


We were so tired after all the walking around that we went back to the hotel and took a nap. Later that night we went to Acme Oyster house for some delicious seafood and to watch the Superbowl. Acme is a favorite oyster-house of many friends, so we decided to try it out. I have only eaten raw oysters once before, and Jen hadn't ever. They're all right, but I kind of think they are as good as what you put on them. Maybe it is an acquired taste.

Part A New Orleans

Saturday, January 31, 2009
Arriving in New Orleans took longer than expected, but was well worth it. We drove over the I-10 Bridge, which I believe is a temporary bridge as the other one was washed out during Hurricane Katrina. It is an amazing feat that bridges can span that distance over Lake Pontchartain. Construction was under way for a new bridge.

After checking into the hotel room at the Royal Saint Charles, which is a block behind Canal St. on the opposite side of the French Quarter, we cleaned up and decided to head over the the French Quarter to check out some of the places that my Uncle Ben told me to visit. We wandered around, took some photos and watched some street performers. Pirate's Alley seemed like a place of interest, being that I love Pirates, Pirate jokes, and drinking Sailor Jerry and acting like a pirate. Some claim that Pirate's Alley was a place where wild shenanigans of yore took place, or that slaves were sold in the Saint Anthony's gardens adjacent to it, none of which are confirmed to be true, yet still a fascinating legend.



Since it is legal to walk (or stumble if you will) the streets of New Orleans with open containers of alcohol, we grabbed an Abita Ale to accompany us on a little touristy walk of the French Quarter. We then headed toward Bourbon St. On a Saturday afternoon in February, with the hint of upcoming Mardi Gras in the air, the French Quarter is a very happening place. Music fills the air from the myriad jazz clubs and bars lining the street.


We found one with a local Jazz band playing and ambled in. The Krazy Korner is on the corner of Bourbon and St. Peter Street. It had a wild band playing with a metal washboard and an accordian. We stayed a while, and continued to drink Abita until I started making friends with the bartender

and Jen was making friends with the band members.

We wandered back to the hotel in the evening, back up Bourbon Street, past the brothels and strip clubs toward Canal Street. I already knew I thought New Orleans was "bomb."

Artsy Fartsy New Orleans

Montgomery, Alabama

Leaving Charleston we didn't really anticipate that the drive would SUCK. Approximately 12 hours of driving on only a glimpse of sleep is not a good idea. We ended up stopping in Montgomery, Alabama for the night. We both needed a good night of sleep.

This leg of the journey is pretty bland. There wasn't much noteworthy, so I will be brief and get to the goods of New Orleans.