Today’s the day – our flight departs from RDU at 7:05. Everyone on our bridge team is excited (i have gotten chat messages every day from one in particular – “three more days!” “tomorrow’s the big day!” “today is IT!”) about competing, plus we’re just excited to visit New Orleans.
It seems the hip thing to call it NOLA, because that’s all anyone is calling it, but i prefer to say “New Orleans” thank you very much. I am too old to be hip i think.
I packed last night and this morning. This was necessary because there will be no time to go home after work today. Lance will pick me up and chauffeur us to the airport. I think i remembered everything this time. I even remembered Q-tips, which i often forget when traveling. Gotta have Q-tips, or my ears end up feeling funny.
We don’t have a whole lot of things scheduled. The bridge events will take up a lot of time. I do have a brunch scheduled at Commander’s Palace. I remember it fondly from my first visit to New Orleans, and apparently everyone else likes it too, because people keep telling us we have to eat there if we can. Done. Other than that, we’ll be playing it by ear. We have some recommendations for a few jazz clubs. I think it might be fun to go out in the swamp and meet some alligators. I hear there’s a nice aquarium there as well. And then of course there’s the beach. I find myself morbidly drawn to see for myself what an oil spill does to a place.
This is one of my favorite parts of a big trip – anticipation!