Day 33 - July 2, 2011

Day 33

July 2, 2011

Orange Beach, AL – Cumming, GA

393 miles/7hours

33 Days

19 Cities

5303 Miles

10 States

17 Hotels

Day 32 - July 1, 2011

Day 32

July 1, 2011

We all had a very good night's sleep - surprisingly.  I made the kids breakfast and did some laundry, before heading out on a coffee quest.  Then - the car wouldn't start.  Things were seriously going downhill...why?  I called triple AAA and Onstar - and it was very confusing because of the guarded gate - and my diminishing patience - and the increasing temperatures.  Finally, another condo guest jumped me.  Then I drove around for 20 minutes, to keep the engine running, all the while draining a gas tank that was already blinking "Low Fuel" at me.  It was a very close call.

Back at the condo, we applied sun block and hit the beach.  That's when I discovered my phone was missing.  I'm dead serious...just a calamity of misfortune.  I spent two hours retracing my steps and returning to the surf shop, gas station and coffee shop (twice).  What a mess.  It was gone.  I gave up and took the kids to the beach. 

I emailed Rich with my predicament...and he told me to call him with Onstar.  The closest Verizon was 90 miles away.  A mess.

For dinner, I walked across the street with the kids, to a "rustic" seafood restaurant.  When we got back...I started packing to leave the next day - it was time to head home.

Day 31 - June 30, 2011

Day 31

June 30, 2011

We had some housekeeping (and discipline) maintenance to attend to in the morning.  The kids had piled up all the pillow and comforters and been jumping on them - sending feathers flying everywhere (only my room was feather free).  Total mess.  I had to help them clean (which led to a feather headache) and then I had to find the maid, so they could apologize.  Then, at the valet, my car was dead and they had to jump it.  Not a good start.

Drive wasn't too bad and once we crossed the bridge to the island, I stopped at Publix, before heading to the condo.

As soon as we pulled up, I knew we were going to have a problem.  The place was old and very rundown.  It looked like*****.  Our trip up stairs (via an old, rickety & smelly elevator) confirmed my worst fear.  Old and not cared for and not even close to being clean.  I was so not happy.

Oh, and btw, Orange Beach is on fire...literally.  There's a HUGE fire right accross the street...all you can smell is smoke.

My plan at this point, given it was already 3p.m., was to stay one night.

The kids and I went to the beach, only to discover, I wasn't too thrilled with my fellow beach-goers, either.  What a bummer.  I was so distraught, I just made chicken nuggets for the kids and went to bed early.

New Orleans – Orange beach, AL

194 miles/3 hours

Condo on the beach

Day 30 - June 29, 2011

Day 30

June 29, 2011

Still in New Orleans and we had a full day.  We got up early and headed to the Zoo (drove this time).  We stayed for 3 hours (until the heat became unbearable).  It was awesome.  The kids were so excited, especially when we saw the elephants.  I stand by my opinion, New Orleans has a great zoo!  We saw everything, but the primates rocked.  Especially the gorillas (who also rocked 14 years ago when Rich and I visited).  We saw then at feeding time and it was so cute.

We ate lunch there - expensive and gross.  Then I took the kids on a short tour of uptown - the Carrolton Ave area.  I showed them where Cookie Time used to be, and then we got ice-cream.

We drove back to the hotel and left the car.  We walked the Quarter, where I showed them Jackson Square, the French Market (did some shopping), Café Du Monde, Pat O's and Bourbon Street. 

We were sooooo tired when we got back to the hotel, but also hungry.  We got ready and went out again.  I gave up looking for a good restaurant and settled on the Parrot Restaurant.  It was perfect for the kids, for me...not so much.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the "Hippie Gypsy", a head shop masquerading as a dress shop.  Aud & I each got a dress and then we went to the hotel & early to bed.

Day 29 - June 28, 2011

Day 29

June 28, 2011  

We were a little slow this morning after our late night.  We had a late buffet breakfast and then hit the road to the Big Easy.   It was a nice, easy drive and we arrived at the hotel in an hour.  We lucked out - they had our rooms ready - both of them, connecting & feather free.

After check-in, we hit Canal Street and jumped on the street car for Uptown.  It was about 30 minutes to the Loyola Campus.  The ride was very surreal for me.  I took the kids to the College of Communications and we went inside to the Deans Office, where I worked.  It looked the same!  Loyola's Campus is small, so I was able to show the kids EVERYTHING (lucky them).

We went in the Dana Center and tried to eat lunch in the cafeteria, but it was closed.  We got sandwiches and snacks in the "Loyola Market" (new).  I also dropped some coin in the bookstore.  Final stop was the dorm - Buddig Hall.  The girls at the desk buzzed us in, which was nice.  They asked me if the dorm had been haunted when I lived there.  I don't remember that.

We walked over to Tulane and Broadway Street where all the Frat houses are - they looked better than in the '80s.  I took the kids to Audubon Park (walked - they whined).    It was SO HOT!  We walked the whole park, to get to the Zoo...long & hot, but the zoo was closing at 5 (we got there at 3:30) so we had to skip it.  Then, we had to walk all the way across the park, back to St. Charles, to get the street car.  The kids were so mad at me.

Aud & Cammy fell asleep on the way home.  We cleaned up at the hotel and then had dinner in the French Quarter.  I was going to take the kids to café Du Monde for beniets, but it started to pour.  We got caught in a major downpour.  We ran all the way back to the hotel, laughing & screaming.  Good times!

Baton Rouge - New Orleans

73 Miles/1 hour

New Orleans Marriott

Day 28 - June 27, 2011

Day 28

June 27, 2011    

It was an ugly drive out of Houston, rural and lots of oil fields.  Once we got to Baton Rouge, I decided to see downtown, before checking in.  It was so hot, though...hot, hot, hot.  A couple of the sights we just did a drive by, because we couldn't muster the energy or the enthusiasm.  We did stop at the State Capitol, though.  It was a skyscraper, which I thought was unusual.  Once inside, it was gorgeous!  The prettiest state capitol, yet.  One of the women at the security desk took a liking to us and coached us on what to see - we went up to the observation deck on the 27th floor.  It was an amazing view of Baton Rouge and the Mississippi River.  Spectacular.

                When we returned, our friend gave us a personal tour of the main floor.  She showed us where Huey Long was assassinated and the actual bullet hole, which is still in the marble wall.  There were also pencils stuck in the ceiling of the Senate, from when a bomb went off, decades earlier!

                We checked in at our hotel, which was very nice, except I couldn't find any luggage carts.  Talk about slave labor!  Hauling all our stuff into the hotel, by hand, in the suffocating heat.  Our room was on the third floor - and 90 steps away from the elevator.  It took Hunter and me five trips!

                We had dinner at the Crab Shack, with Kelli McCarthy.  I hadn't seen her in 22 years!  We had so much fun.  Too much, wine though.  Fortunately, the restaurant was across the parking lot from the hotel.

Houston - Baton Rouge

290 miles/4 hours

Baton Rouge Residence Inn, Room 334

Day 27 - June 26, 2011

Day 27

June 26, 2011

We spent the day at the Johnson Space Center and it was awesome.  It's about 30 miles south of the city, but an easy drive.  We saw a movie about being in the cockpit, "Blast Off", and a presentation on the Space Shuttle Program and Space Center.  We also got to tour the astronaut training facility and the Saturn V.  Saturn V was so HUGE - unbelievable. 

                There was a cool play area for the kids, as well.  They all climbed this huge apparatus/climbing wall and Hunter got to play "human phoozball".  We spent the whole day there and it went by so fast.

                We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory again.