Eastward into Big Easy or (Never Pass Up an Opportunity to Get Gas or Use the Restroom) or (How to look like you did the nasty when you didn't) Part 1

The story really starts just a little north in Vicksburg Mississippi. At a well known road side destination for octagenarians driving vehicles way too long for them to drive, flaunting their inflated retirement accounts in mobile houses. One could park 3 cars in the same space these establishments dedicate to the RVs. Anyway...

We stopped to eat lunch in preparation for our final descent to the bottom of America and our vacation in New Orleans.

Having lived in New Orleans for a couple of years in the late 90s we were familiar with the city's layout and reasonably confident of our ability to find our way around. But we made a mistake. We approached from the west having driven down I55 to the west end of Lake Ponchartrain and entered the city on I10 through the swamps. We had always approached from the East in the past.

Just about an hour from New Orleans, the lunch I had eaten; please excuse the graphic details; was trying to climb its way out of my butt. Patt could hear the rumbling in my belly and she surely could see the odd way I shifted from cheek to cheek every other mile or so.

Did I mention that we were almost out of gas?

Did I mention that there are no gas stations in the swamp, except of course, as Patt reminded me, the 3 or 4 I had passed back there some ways?

We took the correct exit off of the interstate that should have taken us East to Canal Street then a right on St. Charles and oila! the Lafayette Hotel, just a 15 minute walk to the Cafe Du Monde.

Did I mention that we were out of gas?
Did I mention that it we drove directly into the Halloween Parade?
Did I mention that there are at least 3 Canal Streets in New Orleans?
Did I mention that East, West, South, and North get all jumbled up when one is navigating the bowl of spaghetti that is the downtown New Orleans road system?
Did I mention that many of the streets no longer have road signs to let you know which road one is on or which road one is turning onto?

Grumble, Rumble, shift a cheek, let out a sigh. Something bad was going to happen -- and soon!

(to be continued)