Florida Border

The distance across Alabama is about the same as the distance across Mississippi. It took a lot longer to cross Alabama than Mississippi due to all the distractions. Florida is home. The weather is finally starting to get warm again. Welcome to Florida!

Battleship Parkway

I was leaving Mobile, Alabama and saw a sign for the “Battleship Parkway” exit. This caught my interest. A few minutes later, I understood what the name was for. The USS Alabama battleship is docked there for a memorial. There is a huge memorial area with airplanes, helicopters, tanks, a submarine, and the USS Alabama. You can actually go on and into the USS Alabama and the submarine. It was a really cool experience. (www.ussalabama.com)

Alabama Border

Mississippi was just a 60 minute blur. Before you even realize it, you are in Alabama. It was nice to be back in Alabama. This is one of my favorite states in the USA. I took a break here for lunch and enjoyed hearing the deep southern accents of everyone working at the restaurant. While the accents of people may change across the country, most of the same restaurant chains are everywhere. Lunch was at Hooters. Welcome to Alabama.

Mississippi Border

The farther east you go, the smaller the states are. I crossed a bridge in Louisiana and found myself in Mississippi. I had to stop quickly. Welcome to Mississippi.

Commentary: New Orleans

I used to go to New Orleans several times per year. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, I discovered Las Vegas had have not been back since. That was a mistake. New Orleans is back and just as wonderful as ever. The service everywhere was wonderful. The people and the police all were there to make sure that any tourists had a great time.

To compare and contrast New Orleans and Las Vegas is very easy. The two cities are very different.

The primary emphasis in Las Vegas is gambling. Las Vegas also has great food, shows, shopping, and a wide range of events. The resorts are new and going from one place to another is either a very long walk or a cab ride. The overall feeling is a very polished experience designed by a company to maximize the extraction of cash from visitors. Please do not misunderstand my comments; Las Vegas is a lot of fun.

The primary emphasis in New Orleans is service. Regardless of what you do, the people in New Orleans are there to make sure you have a great time. New Orleans has great food, music, and culture. New Orleans does have gambling but it is only at certain locations and not the primary emphasis. The hotels can be very old and nice. It is easy to walk past several restaurants and music clubs in a few minutes. The overall feeling is much more intimate, personal, and adventurous.

Harrahs New Orleans Hotel

Always ask for upgrades or extra benefits when checking into a hotel. After the two hour traffic delay, I was tired and frustrated. At the hotel desk, I explained that the reservations department did not let me know it was Mardi Gras and that access to the hotel would not be possible for a long time during the day. I asked the check in agent if there were any upgrades available or anything she could do to help. The result was an upgrade to a magnificent 24^th floor room overlooking the Mississippi River. This was easily the best hotel room of the trip. The fact that I gambled at Harrahs Las Vegas got me a greatly discounted rate to begin with. There were no extra charges for the room. I am definitely staying here next time I visit New Orleans.

Mardi Gras

One of the most fun parts of this trip is the random adventures that happen. It is Mardi Gras in New Orleans! This was a total surprise. I truly did not know this was going on. If I did know, I would have made it to town in time to see one of the parades. As it turns out, the traffic in town was horrible, the hotel was completely blocked off from any car traffic, and it took two hours to make the one minute drive the GPS suggested on exiting the Interstate. However, once making it to the hotel and parking the car New Orleans was wonderful. The adventure eventually brought me to Bourbon Street and the Mardi Gras parties. There were lots of people, bands, balconies, and women asking for beads. It was a blast!