New Orleans, Day 4

I was up early today.  Not because I wanted to be, but because I didn’t sleep well again.  I even took a Tylenol PM around 10:00.  Oh well—maybe I’ll sleep on the plane.  Or all day tomorrow.

Check-out time was 12:00, so I headed to the lobby around 10:00 to get myself checked out and to stash my luggage at the Bell Station until the game was over.  I began to walk toward the stadium.  At this point, I got onto myself for making the walk yesterday.  Seriously, how could I get lost in a sea of Saints’ jerseys??  The closer I got, the more people there were.  I saw a Saints Party Bus, a band playing in a parking lot, and a LOT of tailgating.  Outside the stadium is an area called Champions Square.  There was a big screen tv with all kinds of action going on, food & beverage booths, and lots of Saints and Browns fans.  My favorite part of Champions Square was the drumline.  They played for a little bit, and when they were done I headed into the stadium.

The stadium itself was a little disappointing (uh oh, my first disappointing event for the day).  I think I was expecting it to be like the Lucas Oil Stadium.  It wasn’t as new or updated.  I found my seat and settled in to enjoy the sights.  The game started at 12:00 local time and I was really really excited for it to begin.  This was the whole reason I went to New Orleans, remember?  As each quarter went by, I became more disappointed.  The Saints weren’t playing like they usually did, and the Browns were playing much BETTER than they usually did.  It was a tense game for the Saints fans.  Several of them left early.  I would’ve loved to get an earlier start to the airport, but I stayed until the very end.  Browns: 30, Saints 17.  Definitely not the best football game I’d ever watched!

As I started to walk back to the hotel, I noticed the clouds had rolled in.  There was a 50% chance of rain in the afternoon.  I was hoping it wouldn’t interfere with my flight.  I got a couple of blocks away from the stadium and it began to rain.  It was around this time I noticed I had a blister on my right foot.  Great.  This day kept getting better and better!  I made it to the hotel just as it stopped raining.  I collected my luggage and headed for the bathroom to change out of my Saints jersey (I was a little ashamed to be a Saints fan at that moment, plus I didn’t want any Browns fans to harass me between there and home.  I just wanted to get out of Dodge!) and got into a cab.

My cab adventure to the airport was less than fun.  Luckily, the cabs charge a standard rate to/from the airport to anywhere in New Orleans.  A 20-minute ride turned into an hour very quickly.  I had time to gather my flight info for the airport and take a few last minute pictures as we inched our way toward Louis Armstrong International Airport.  The cab dropped me off and I got checked in.  When I printed my tickets, I had no seat assignment to Atlanta and no ticket for my flight to Evansville.  Great.  The lady who checked my suitcase said they’d give me a seat assignment and a ticket at the gate.  Ok.  I get through security and head to the gate.  I get a seat assignment, but no ticket for Evansville.  Fantastic.  All I could do was check in at the counter in Atlanta.  I ate an Uno Chicago’s pizza for supper (I was starved) and drank a LARGE Pepsi.  I don’t drink soft drinks, but after my stressful afternoon, I figured, “Why not?”  Big mistake.  The flight to Atlanta was one of the most turbulent I’ve been on.  During takeoff (my favorite part of the flight), I almost got sick.  I felt sick most of the way and I kept my eyes closed.  That gave me a LOT of time to pray.  J  When the flight finally landed, we were all ready to race off that plane.  I had 49 minutes to catch my connecting flight.  In Atlanta.  I had horrible visions of me running through the airport and getting sick all over the place.  Thankfully, I found my gate with time to spare.  The flight to Evansville was one of the most pleasant flights I’ve ever had.  It was the only flight on this trip that I sat by a window seat.  My stomach had settled by this point, so I passed the time by looking at all the lights on the ground.

My flight landed in Evansville ahead of schedule.  I collected my suitcase, found my car (and took a picture of it—I was THAT glad to be home), paid for my parking (much cheaper than I expected), and headed home.  My cats were VERY glad to see me (and I was VERY glad to see them).  I was thankful for my comfy bed and my satellite channels (all I watched in the hotel were HLN and HGTV).  I slept well & late.  A pile of laundry and dishes waited for me when I got up, so why not??

Final Thoughts

I am very glad I took this trip.  I proved to myself that I can do it.  I wasn’t scared once, although some situations made me more nervous than others.  I know I don’t do nights that well (either being out at night or sleeping at night) on vacation.  Although it would’ve been great to share this trip with someone, it was so nice to get in everything I wanted at my own pace.  I spent more time in some places than I did in others.  I took tons of pictures.  I journaled my experience so I can look back on it and remember.  Would I do it again?  In a heartbeat.  Next trip:  somewhere with a beach….possibly Florida and Disney World (I’ve been there tons of times & would love to go back!).

Drumline in Champion's Square

At the game with my $6 souvenir cup.  I was drinking Sprite!

A little Drew Brees action.

One disappointed and wet girl.

Max was sure glad I was home!