Feb 22, 2017 Morning
Mardi Gras is approaching and 2 New Orleans natives that we know through our Ballroom Dance Studio in Cary, NC arranged for a trip to Mardi Gras. A big thanks to Sharon and Darryl for finding things for us that we never would have been able to discover on our own.We were staying in Sarasota, Florida for the Winter thus we chose to fly from Tampa instead of driving home to Raleigh to fly with the rest of the group. As luck would have it, Southwest Florida has been experiencing a drought. The only rain in several weeks happened the morning of our flight. It did not impact us much other than a bumpy flight and our decision to choose to park at the Tampa Terminal instead of dealing with suitcases and a shuttle bus in the rain. Tampa is one of those airports where you can park in a parking garage directly above the ticketing and check-in. A simple elevator ride down puts you into the Airlines check in area. Since it was an early morning drive to the airport we did not have breakfast yet so we unfortunately chose to have breakfast in the Southwest Air gate area. At Quiznos we had one of the worst breakfast sandwiches ever. Reheated egg product on a soggy and chewy biscuit that was microwaved and served with instant coffee. I have never had a worse breakfast experience.
After the short on-time (thank you Southwest Airlines) flight to Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans we tried Uber for the first time. This was a very positive experience. After entering our destination, the Blake Hotel on St Charles, the Uber app calculated our fare at $33 and debited our credit card when I pressed the "request" button. The on screen app gave us our driver's name, Jamie, a car description and license number. From the Uber app a map showed where our driver was located as she made her way to our pickup point.
Blake Hotel, St Charles, New Orleans
We had a hotel in a great location on St Charles where all the parades travel and also convenient to the French Quarter for our entertainment and dining needs. Because we arrived mid morning I wasn't sure if we could check in yet but they accommodated us and gave us a room. Our first order of business was a walk into the French Quarter on Royal St for Beignets and Coffee. We couldn't wait to get covered with powdered sugar. We went to a small cafe, the Cafe Beignet, with outdoor seating in an enclosed courtyard. Outside on the sidewalk, which was on the other side of the iron fence surrounding the courtyard a gentleman was singing and playing near our table. Welcome to New Orleans! There is music everywhere.
Beignets and Coffee!!!
