New Orleans...

Preservation Hall before the show

Okay, I got to take a little trip last weekend and had the time of my life...

Remember when I told ya'll about one of the biggest benefits of living here in Houston is that there are lots of places to visit within a short drive.  Well, I discovered New Orleans... and boy, did I ever discover it.  It was my first visit and I walked through Bourbon Street for drinks and oysters, Frenchman's Street for some great jazz, Magazine Street for the shops and dining...

Dining in New Orleans is an event onto itself.  I went there with oysters and gumbo on my mind and it did not disappoint.  I could go on and on describing the eats.

More importantly (to me) is the fact that NOLA is a music city.  Much like Nashville (which attracts anyone who wants to be a country/western star), NOLA attracts blues and jazz musicians.  I have to admit that it was a thrill to hear the music coming from everywhere.

Gonna go back...

A familiar itch...

Wanted.  One traveling companion to visit San Antonio for a day (or weekend)... or it could be Austin... or the wine country... maybe even Dallas... Nah, never mind... not Dallas.

The point is, I have that ever-so-familiar itch to hit the road and do a little exploring.  Which brings us to another wonderful point about living in Houston.  There are some wonderful places to travel to that are not that far out of reach.  San Antonio and Austin are about three hours away.  Add an hour from Austin to be in the "Hill Country" (although that is really a misnomer - the land is "wavy" not "hilly").  There are so many places to gravitate to that it can be wonderful.  For that matter New Orleans is only six hours.

So I have the itch.  Not sure if it will be this weekend or the next, but the road calls out to me.  It would really be nice to have someone tag along.

But hey, you have to buy your own drinks...