The Best Part of New Orleans

The best part of New Orleans was all of it. That may sound completely original, but it's true. Even the bad parts somehow ended up being good. From the awful train ride to the amazing food, the entire trip was so special and one I will never forget. It can be especially difficult to go on a trip thousands of miles away from home with a bunch of people you don't really know, but that's also the beauty of it. Going on a trip with a group of people you hardly know gives you the opportunity to meet new people and form new friendships. I was so thankful to meet so many new friends in such a short period of time. If you are thinking about going on a trip like this, but are worried because you don't know anyone, don't be scared! I promise, people will be welcoming and friends will be made! 

Walking around on numerous tours for several days may scare some people away as well, but don't let it! Yes, the trip did require walking, but it was absolutely worth it. There are many parts of the city that can only been seen by walking and with the right shoes you can make it through! So even though walking was one of the downfalls it also allowed us to see so many beautiful things it was absolutely worth it! 

Trying new and mysterious foods may also sound bad and scare you away, again don't let it! On the trip I, against my better judgment, tried an oyster for the first time ever. Yes, it was just as disgusting as it sounds, but it was also a great experience. Even though I didn't like it, what better place is there than New Orleans to try an oyster for the first time! I had a blast and my stomach was able to recover quickly, no harm done! The best part of this trip was having the chance to be adventurous and try new things! 

Even the awful train ride somehow was a good thing. Most people know by now that the train ride was not fun for me, at all. However, the trip just would not have been the same without the train ride. I had never been on a train before, and even though I absolutely hated it, I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to experience it. 

My best suggestion for going on a trip like this would be to embrace all of it, even the bad. When you're able to take a negative and turn it into a positive, you can really have the trip of a lifetime! 

Favorite Restaurants

One of my absolute favorite parts of any trip is food! Obviously, if you've been following my blog you know that our class went on a cuisine tour that allowed us to try out different New Orleans dishes. However, if you're like me you're probably wanting to know more about places to get some traditional American food. Pizza, chicken, burgers, and fries are some of my favorites that I simply can't go a whole week without having! 

First, let me tell you about my absolute most favorite restaurant I visited while in New Orleans, Mona Lisa. Yes, you read that right, the name of the restaurant is indeed Mona Lisa, like the infamous painting. I chose this restaurant mainly because it had pizza and was fairly cheap. I visited this place on one of the last days we were in the city and was running short on money, as is to be expected from any college student. Not only did this place exceed my expectations, it ended up being one of the best restaurants I've ever been to in my life! The pizza was absolutely amazing and probably better than anything I've ever even had in Chicago! The garlic bread was to die for and the restaurant itself was so unique and perfect! Like its name, everything inside was Mona Lisa inspired. The tables even had paper cloths and crayons to draw your own masterpiece right on the table! The walls were filled with different variations of Mona Lisa inspired drawings. If you ever visit New Orleans, I highly recommend this place! 

As for other restaurants I really enjoyed, Bunba Gump Shrimp is a must if you've never been to one! They have a wide variety of food from seafood, to steak, and even salads. If you're wanting to try a more New Orleans original restaurant, I would recommend visiting The Napoleon House. This restaurant has decent prices and also a good variety of New Orleans style food as well as American. For food lovers of all kind, New Orleans is certainly a place to visit as the variety of food and culture will not disappoint! 

Local Artists

A person could walk the city of New Orleans for days looking at art. Of all the cultures in New Orleans, art is one of the most well known. From famous artists around the world to local artists, if you're looking for a good piece of art this is the city to go to. 

Our assignment for the day was to walk Royal Street, well known for its art galleries, and find our absolute favorite piece of art. This was a little overwhelming at first, I mean how does one chose just one art piece? They are all beautiful and have some kind of a history. After walking up and down the street and visiting several galleries I finally found the one. You know when you are looking for something and you see the most perfect thing and you just know it's the one? That's exactly how I felt when I found this particular piece of art. Galleria Rue Royal was the home of this art piece. It was the most beautiful picture of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffanys. One of my all time favorite ladies is Audrey Hepburn, her style is perfectly classic. I'm not much of an art person, but when I saw this art piece I immediately fell in love and even dreamed of buying it. At a cost upwards of $20,000 obviously I could never purchase it, but if I could I absolutely would! The artist wasn't local but has a long family history in the art and show business, his name was DeVon. This artist specializes in pop art and has art all over the world. I was so glad we had the opportunity to explore the art of New Orleans, because it ended up being such a memorable time and I fell in love with something I would have never guessed. 

Do's and Don't of New Orleans

New Orleans is a city unlike any other and as a new visitor it can be a little overwhelming. You don't know what it's going to be like, you don't know what to expect, you can only hope you have a great time. 

First of all, do prepare yourself for a very long train ride. I have been on many car rides to and from Florida, which is about an 18 hour car ride. Since I have made this long journey many times before, I wasn't too worried about the long train ride. Well let me tell you, a long train ride is nothing like a long car ride. In the car you can stop as much as you want and get out as much as you want, you are in complete control. This is not the case on the train, there are only so many stops that allow for the opportunity to get out and stretch outside the train. The bathroom on the train is less than ideal, so bring plenty of sanitizer if you are a germ freak like myself. Do bring your own snacks and drinks because the train food is not good at all and is expensive. Lastly, so bring a pillow and blanket those are an absolute must. 

The New Orleans trip is filled with many wonderful and educational tours, however these tours involve a lot of walking. So my suggestion would be to bring the most comfortable walking shoes you own as you will most likely wear them the majority of the trip. The tours are also inside and outside so bring clothing that is weather appropriate. The weather in December in New Orleans was unpredictable so do being a coat and rain gear, trust me you will be glad you did. 

Lastly, do try and make the most of your time. Yes, it is fun to go out on a Friday night on Bourbon Street, but don't drink so much that you will spend your entire free day laying in bed. The city has so much more to offer than just Bourbon Street so don't be afraid to explore, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Presbytere and Cabildo

The Presbytere building is the home of the Hurricane Katrina museum. August of 2005 was a big month for me. I moved to a new town and started high school. August 2005 was also the month that the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans. I remember my Health Education teacher telling our class that a big hurricane was coming towards the US and was headed for New Orleans. At the time, being a young high schooler, I had no idea the significance of the storm that was about to forever change our country. For what felt like months afterwards all I saw on the news was more stories of Katrina and the aftermath. At the time I thought our government and other agencies had rushed to the rescue and helped the city to recover. After visiting the Katrina museum at the Presbytere, I shockingly learned the tragic truth. 

The people of New Orleans were left for days without electricity, water, food, and any sense of hope. Our government did not work together to get these people out and media stories lied saying people had gotten out when in reality they were very much still trapped. New Orleans survived thanks to many of their own citizens. Brave men and women of the city worked together doing whatever they could to help each other in each and every way you could think of. From saving people from drowning to cooking meals for those without food, a city was able to come together in the worst situation imaginable. After visiting this museum I have an extraordinary amount of respect for this city and the people in it. 

Excursion

For anyone who has been following my blogs, you would know that our trip to the Whitney Plantation was the thing that I was most excited to do on the trip. One might think that being a nursing student and being around healthcare I would have been excited for the Hansen's disease museum, but I really wasn't all that excited. I couldn't tell you why I wasn't excited, it just didn't interest me as much. However, after visiting the Hansen's disease museum I was really glad this was part of the trip. I learned a lot about the disease itself that I didn't know before. I honestly never really knew what the disease was at all until we went to the museum. I think it's incredible that this facility was a place for people from all over the country to go to and they could stay as long as they wished. The museum itself wasn't all that interesting, but the grounds were really spectacular. The property is huge. I was so glad the tour guide was able to drive us around the property and explain in detail what each building was because this really gave a more clear picture as to what it was like to be a patient there or a staff member. I would recommend this tour to anybody, even though I didn't like the museum as much as I did the actual tour of the grounds.
Now, the Whitney Plantation was next on our agenda. I had been excited for this since before we left Illinois. When I saw that this was on our itinerary I immediately looked it up online and read some background information. I knew ahead of time that this particular plantation was directed more towards depicting the life of the slaves than it was a tour of the plantation and owners. I've never been on a tour of any plantation, but was glad this particular tour was going to show us a side most people don't get to see. The plantation tour far exceeded any expectation that I had. I felt that I really got to better understand the types of slaves that had been there and their daily lives. We all know about slave owners and the lavish lives they typically lived, but we don't always hear the other side. We don't hear the cold, hard truth about what it was like to be a slave every single day. In school I was fortunate enough to learn a lot of history so I wasn't necessarily shocked at the things we learned at the plantation. All I can think is that I am thankful that we live in a free world today, but going on this tour made me even more thankful. I can't imagine what that life truly would have been like, but I'm glad our world has changed since those times. I would highly recommend this tour to anybody, even if you're not on a class trip.

Missing Home

Taking a week long trip to New Orleans sounds like a great idea, until you realize how much you actually miss your home and family. This past week has been one of the most adventurous and exciting weeks ever, but as we near the end of the trip I really am starting to miss my family and my home. For those who don't know, I have one six year old daughter and her name is Jayda. Of course, I knew leaving her for an entire week would not be easy but I did have a plan. I planned to talk to her on the phone at least once a day and FaceTime once every night. Being able to hear her voice and see her face made the distance not seem so far. However, due to unfortunate circumstances the electronic device my daughter and her dad were using to FaceTime died on the fourth night I was here and they did not have access to a charger the rest of the time I was here. So I was left with only talking to her on the phone and sending pictures. I was doing okay until today. For some reason, I broke down today and got extremely upset and homesick. I am beyond excited to get back home and see her smiling face.
If I could give any advice to a student who has a family like me who might be interested in going on a travel course it would be have a plan. Having a solid plan to communicate with your family back home is going to be really important in making sure you don't start to get homesick too early. Making time is also really important. The schedule has been very busy during this trip so it was really important to still set aside time to talk to my family. Lastly, I would suggest being patient. I have missed my family from the moment I left them, but by staying patient and knowing the week would go by fast I have been able to stay positive. Going on this trip has been a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone, but definitely have a plan!