World Tour: Beat Street

New Orleans is a place for all of the senses.  Of course, my taste buds were pleased but it was the rest of my senses that were most aroused.  The sight:  Seeing Bourbon Street change from day to night is like watching a restaurant transform from a prim and proper dining area to a nightclub.  The smell:  Can’t say I felt away from home on this part of the journey.  Some parts of the city had the “distinct” smell that you would get from the subway terminals in New York City.  Touch:  It is a city for romance.  To casually take a walk around the French Quarter holding hands after a filling meal is just the way to end a perfect night.

The best play on my senses, however, was the sound.  Maybe because I have not been to Memphis and I’m over the sounds of NYC, I think New Orleans has some of the best street music.  Hearing the people chatter over Hurricane’s and Hand Grenades, listening to the random musicians with trombones and the music blaring out of the various bars all made me leave the iPod in the hotel the entire trip.  I did not want to miss a beat, literally.  This is what I wish the District had more of…a strip of simple, cozy live jazz and blues joints.  It makes a glass of wine and a side of fried oysters taste that much better alongside good company.

Now that I’m back, I’m actively searching for cheap flight to get back to those natural street sounds.  Until United Airlines is generous with their sales, however, I will have to simply take in the sounds that take over the District streets…

Category: Travels, World Tour