All over the map with JazzFest, Disneyland, and gay marriage

You guessed right--we were in New Orleans for JazzFest.  If you've never been, you must.  You must!  Why?  Check out my post from 2009, "10 Reasons to Go to JazzFest Next Year."  In the two days we took in (there are seven days total over two weekends), we caught The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, The Neville Brothers, Galactic, Steve Earle, My Morning Jacket, Foo Fighters, Asleep at the Wheel, and many local and regional zydeco, blues, jazz, and gospel artists.  Unbelievable.

This was Mike's first JazzFest, and it was cool to share the experience with him.

I've been to New Orleans about 16 times--14 JazzFests and two other visits.  I love the music, the food, the people, and the energy.  On the downside, it's filthy and smelly and I wouldn't walk around there alone at night, even in the tourist-packed French Quarter.  There are too many dark alleys and crevices and, surprisingly, almost no police presence.  In my opinion, they could use a lot more cops on the beat.  But the good certainly outweighs the bad, so if you've never been, you're in for a treat.

During JazzFest, the hotel prices in town are out of sight, so we stay in the suburbs in Metairie.  The airport is crazy on the Monday after the Fest, so we always leave on Tuesday and spend Monday night in the Quarter, when the hotel rates are lower.

Here's something to consider when you're traveling, especially when there's a bunch of you:  Instead of packing everybody into a regular old hotel room, look for timeshares in the area.  Don't worry, you don't have to commit to a full week; most timeshares rent out units on a nightly basis just as hotels do.  The accommodations are generally much better--we got a two bedroom unit with a living room and kitchenette across the street from the French Market for only $190.  There was plenty of room for the five of us, and split five ways, it was a good, cheap deal. 

I have to show you the picture hanging on the wall in the bedroom Mike and I stayed in.

I thought that was funny.  Not a photo portraying the charm of New Orleans, but a motivational poster for enthusiasm!?  (You're probably wondering how I could sleep with a picture of a bird in the room.) 

Oh, how I love to travel!  I have two more trips on the horizon--one back to Albany, which I'm really looking forward to, and the other to... FML... Disneyland.  So NOT looking forward to that one, but it's part of my wifey/stepmother duties.  I really, really, really do not want to go--I could barely get through LEGOLAND last year (see this post), and I know this will be a hundred times worse.  I'm not a kid person and I hear Disneyland is full of birds.  Plus I can't stand all that Disney shit.  So if I fall off the bloggy grid in the next couple of months, you'll know I faked my own death. 

Or...  Oh, this is a great idea.  OMG, I am so brilliant.   Shhhh.... keep this quiet.  I'll suggest we wait to visit Disneyland in the fall when it's much cooler.  In fact, let's go October 5-7.  Yes, that would be the perfect celebration for the weekend after my birthday.  Oh, and honey, be sure to wear that nice red shirt I bought for you...  Perfect!  (Click this link to get the joke.)  Now, that's something I could handle!

On a related note, I hope I never have to set foot in North Carolina again.

Shameful.  Thank you, President Obama, for being the first president to support gay marriage.  It's about freakin' time.