They say that the heart and soul of a city is its people and in New Orleans this could not be more true.
I found my self on a spur of the moment road trip to New Orleans with my fellow Ross Responders who like me had all the good intentions of helping out a city that had faced calamities one after another.
Team Ross Responders
We arrived in New Orleans after driving 1250 miles North to South across the U.S participating in a scavenger hunt through Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky , Mississippi and Louisiana. Let’s just say I learned more about the U.S in those two days than I did during my history class.
Well back to New Orleans…..first you hear the music and then you see the city is all I can say. Our radio was shuffling to the sounds of some smooth jazz while an orange beam of sunlight brought the calm dark bayou into view. The houses sat on stilts with a lonely boat sitting outside every other house. Clearly your four wheeler is redundant in this part of town.
Daiquiri
As we headed further into the city, we were greeted with our strong-hearted leader whose idea of a warm welcome included a cool daiquiri. There is something to be said about a strawberry daiquiri on tap after a two day journey of gas station coffee and watching picturesque snapshots of tree lined highways pass you by.
What I absolutely loved about this city was its heavy European influence that is clear from the narrow streets and closely aligned houses around the French Quarter.
While I did benefit from working with ‘ the building block’(www.thebuildingblock.com in helping them define their marketing strategy, this blog is dedicated to the more personal experiences I shared while in this city.
I was fortunate to have attended the Satchmo Festival in the French Quarter where I was shakin my head and clappin my hands to the sounds of Glen David Andrews, one of the best concerts I have ever been to.
Glen David Andrews Band playing at the Satchmo Festival
Now if you want good food, and I mean the kind that makes you wanna propose marriage to the chef then I suggest you try Coops(no hyphen), Napoleans and Dooky Chase. These places have the best Jambalaya and Gumbo anywhere.
Coops
And while we are on the topic of food, I reserve a special place in this blog for the folks at Liberty’s Kitchen (www.libertyskitchen.org). This non-profit gives kids a chance to be more than what society has deemed their place in this world should be. Liberty’s Kitchen ‘Transforms the lives of at-risk youth’ by providing them with socially employable skills in a culinary setting. I came to truly appreciate the work done by Omar and his team and also the amazing food prepared by the students at Liberty’s Kitchen.
Liberty's KitchenBread Pudding
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