Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Traveling to New Orleans

When it comes to traveling, visibly pregnant women are treated like princesses.

I was able to pre-board my plane.  Then when I mentioned that I was pregnant to the stewardess she: 1) moved us to a comfy exit row 2) gave me extra cookies & peanuts 3) didn't bat an eye when I asked to walk around and use the restroom when the fasten seat belt light was on.  When we got to the hotel they tried to get us a room right away, but couldn't.  So they held bags for us for free, gave us a map of the French Quarter and pointed us in the direction of Cafe duMonde, then offered to phone us as soon as our room was prepared.  When it came time to check in, the desk staff remembered us by name then gave us home-made cookies and free wifi. Once we got settled in, the concierge stopped by with an abundance of pillows, coffee, camomile tea, and creamer.  Everyone has put a smile on our faces today.

In other news, we saw a woman playing a steam calliope on a steamboat.  Also of note: some of the street performers here are incredibly talented, while others are terrible.  New Orleans is a beautiful, wacky place.  Culture seeps out of every nook and cranny - along with ferns and moss.  Between the announcements in French at the airport, to the wide range of wacky accents and the cash-only culture, it feels like we have stepped into another world.  If you want to stay in the US, yet visit someplace quite foreign, New Orleans is the place to be. 

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