When the Saints go marching in...for Halloween

So this past weekend was Halloween - No I did not dress up as a Sexy French Maid...the costume store was out of it for men over six feet - and I took a MEvBLOG road trip to New Orleans to celebrate Cajun style with friends.

SIDENOTE: "Cajun style" of course means "deep fried," one of two ways all our food was prepared. The other way was via a plastic, sippy cup you can legally carry wherever you go which, upon realization, promptly causes the realizer to do his/her version of the Dance of Joy.

I'd never been to the Crescent City before - the given name some say is because of the city's shape, though I believe it's totally a caloric reference - and I have to say I fell in love with it. You can see from this photo that the weather was non-swampy, so that was a major factor, but still...the people were friendly, the food amazing, and its personality one-of-a-kind. My favorite part was walking around with my Chicory-roasted coffee, browsing the art galleries and quirky French Quarter shops.

A few people told me NOLA still hasn't bounced back from Hurricane Katrina, which might be true. We didn't venture into the Ninth Ward, or that far out of the downtown/French Quarter/Garden District area much. However, having covered a hurricane before, I know that bouncing back from it takes a long time and, from what I could tell, the city looks like a million bucks...a blackened, battered million bucks served with a side of heavy cream and washed down with a 24 oz. Hurricane from Pat O'Briens.

One of my friends lost his phone on Halloween night on Bourbon Street and later found out his girlfriend got a call from the nice woman who found it. She asked if she could mail it back to her so he wouldn't have to buy a new one. Talk about Southern hospitality!

I'm not saying New Orleans is Shangri La - there is the fact that it's constantly featured on either COPS or America's Most Wanted - but I am saying that you definitely should go visit. Be a smart traveler when you're out and about, but travel there all the same. And good luck if you're a Vegan.

Laissez les bon temps roulez...Cajun style!