Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

Great shots. Almost like being there. I believe you could have a promising career in photography. Fabulas journey, been following you from the beginning on here. Safe travels to you brutha.....

Beignets and chicory coffee for breakfast--jes sayin'.

If you get a chance, Mr. B's on Royal street is awesome. If you like expensive antiques, duck into MS Rau's at the other end of Royal street. Don't get too far north of French Quarter, there are some scary areas that will give Detroit a run for the money.

I'm really enjoying this RR. I tune in every morning to see where you've been and what philosophical take-aways you've put together. Something about being on a bike on a long trip just de-focuses the mind and gets you closer to your true nature.

I'm surprised you missed the North Georgia mountains with 60, 129 and a bunch of great twisty roads. They are not as much of a workout as the Dragon, but they are a little tighter than the Blue Ridge. One of these days you should explore them when you have more time and there isn't a 400mile diameter superstorm chasing everyone away.

Cheers!
Mark
'92 Ducati SuperLight 900 with 944 Ferracci kit

Yep...in software, if you fix one thing, you're guaranteed to break two more. Not that that's a bad thing, it just keeps you on your toes and makes you more aware of how your code works. It also encourages regular, full code reviews.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot that I've been to NO before. Jax Cafe was excellent, as was the little place that started with an M just off Jackson Square. Not sure if either of those are open any more. I was there nearly 20 years ago. Dixie beer is not great, but with good Cajun food it really shines.

And if you have the chance, visit the Aquarium of the Americas for an unabashedly oil-promoting view of the Gulf of Mexico.

What time of night did you take the pics in your last two posts? It looks pretty quiet.

Hey man - the pics from New Orleans are fantastic! I meant to ask you when you were here, are you using that point and shoot for all your pics? What is it? I recently sold all my DSLR stuff and am looking for a small camera that packs a punch.

I've never been to that city so the pics are very interesting to me.

Thanks for all the recommendations, guys. I'll be staying a little longer than I originally planned just to try and take more of New Orleans in. Pics were shot at 12:30 (which reminds me, I need to change the time on the camera now that I'm not in +3 timezone!).

Camera is a Sony DSC RX100 (which replaced my Canon that malfunctioned in Boston). Settings for these pics were all at/around f/4.5, 0.8" w/an ISO speed of 125. Other than cropping and a few burns none of these pics were Photoshopped. Not shooting with a tripod is what gives the pics the smudgy, impressionistic quality. Outside of Lafitte's I did rest the camera for one shot on a woman's bike seat. Some dude came hauling ass out of the bar to threaten me to stop messing with his bike. (Not a girls bike after all I guess!) Now, I'll have to be honest--I do not go looking for fights. But when they come to me I relish the opportunity. Now, cheerful enthusiasm has to rank as a benign and un-threatening emotional state. But in the face of danger, delight may tend to come across as psychopathic. Apologies, a retreat, or both are typically the result. This guy chose curtain number two and disappeared back into the bar....

On the topic of violence, I have to say that New Orleans has gone downhill in the past few years. I'd been here both pre and post-Katrina and there are more threatening and aggressive dudes than ever. They typically hang out on the fringes of the French Quarter (wanting to make a quick hit before disappearing across Canal St.), but they're here in greater numbers than I've seen in the past (even had a guy follow me after I used the ATM around noon). I still highly recommend visiting if you've never been, but a far greater amount of vigilance is needed here than most big cities (leave the fanny packs at home unless that's where you keep your HK).

New Orlean's pics are spectacular!!!!!!!!!

Makes me miss my short trip to NOLA back in 99 or 00, I forget when but it was a blast.

Quote: "I was first turned onto it by one cool dude and Hendricks' audacious slogan, "One in 100 people prefer Hendrick's." Since then it's grown in popularity, but I rarely hear anyone ask for it. Then Chachi shows up and orders Hendrick's and Tonic with bitters. And hit me in the back of the head with a broken shelf--the bitters instead of lime increase my love of this drink twofold. (Or, if you judge me by the number of them I consumed over a 24 hour period, perhaps 12 fold.) "


I, after many hours, have only made it vicariously through Toronto, but I could not resist quoting this and adding a big kudos for the bitters, I have long enjoyed gin and Campari or a Hendrick's and tonic, but bitters with a Hendrick's and tonic, genius! I am enjoying your journey, it certainly is reaching the epic status of an Edda. I too, as many seem to have echoed, am ever closer to following your fine example and taking to the road, damn what ever has previously held us constrained. I look forward to traveling with you even if only in spirit.

+1
Great report by the way. Back a ways one reply mentioned Rogue1. You my friend are in great, no make that epic company.
Thanks for taking us along. I'm stuck in the the valley of the sun, working one state away from my home. I have not been on my bike in four months. Underpowered rental cars, cheap airplane rides and stinking hotels.
This thread is getting me through a particularly rough section of my sad adventure. Keep it coming. Some of us need this.

Thanks!

Excellent report, took me all day to read it. Subscribed.

What part of Florida does your dad live in? I might of missed that.
On my trip next year I was planning of spending a night in New Orleans, but after reading and seeing the pics, I might just have to stay longer.
Didn't know they had a WWII museum either.

"La Casa De Felicidad"......The house of Happiness?
So....what kind of business is run there? lol
Do the blue window shades mean something?

Keep up the great RR

having never been to New Orleans, i admit i had "preconceived notions" about what i thought the area would be like. thank you for changing them.

the pics show a beauty that i would not have guessed was there.

You might like this.

Stay at least 2-3 nights in New Orleans and stay IN the French Quarter.

bk brkr baker: I can taste the wormwood.

cool
we
just
left
Tues
on
Amtrak.......
stayed
right
by
one
of
those
photos....

Great pixs great story

AntiHero, really enjoy reading your RR and the pictures
I ride a Ducati Monster (it's my commuter) and reading you RR makes me want to do a motorcycle trip around the island of Java (where I live) on my Monster.

*EDIT*

Ha! Nevermind, that's what I get for being impatient. I've now read on and discovered: Photoshop, lol


OK I've skipped ahead, I'm still about 22 pages behind the last post in this thread. Apologies if it has already been asked about and answered.

But I'm curious as all heck. I've stared at this picture until I'm crosseyed, but still cannot see the licence plate or turnsignals, or hardware that holds the aforementioned bits to the bike. They are there in one picture but gone the next, and reappear again later.