Excited Beyond Belief

About two years ago, my Mom and I decided that we should go someplace warm together.  Normal people would make this decision, spend some time looking at resorts online, and then book a tropical getaway, usually within a few weeks of their first discussion about going someplace warm.  Clearly, my Mom and I aren't normal.  Over the past two years, we've had countless discussions about where we should go, all of which have ended with one or both of us rejecting the location under discussion because it was too expensive (Europe), too dangerous (Mexico), too likely to give us food poisoning (Dominican Republic), too boring (almost any resort), etc. etc.

The frequency and intensity of our discussions have escalated recently, as we decided to go away during my vacation that is just three weeks away (woo-hoo!), and until today we had nothing booked.  In desperation to just DECIDE ON SOMETHING DAMMIT, I almost agreed to spend a week at an isolated all-inclusive resort, which was precisely the type of trip that I didn't want to do.  (I hate lying on the beach.  And I don't particularly like drinking.  So I am clearly not a good resort person.)  Fortunately, in a moment of inspiration, I came up with a solution that would combine my Mom's dream trip (go on a cruise) and my dream trip (being unleashed with my camera in New Orleans) all in one:  go on a cruise that leaves from New Orleans.

(In retrospect, a smarter person would have figured this solution out a lot earlier.)

Thanks to this moment of inspiration, and three painful days spent searching online for cruises and flights and hotels that are both cheap and fabulous*, we now have our vacation planned.  Four nights in New Orleans and seven nights on a cruise.  I'm so excited about going to New Orleans I can hardly contain myself.

I want to go here:

 

This photo of the Garden District is courtesy of TripAdvisor

and here:

 

This photo of the St. Charles Streetcar is courtesy of TripAdvisor

and here:

This photo of New Orleans is courtesy of TripAdvisor

and here:

This photo of the New Orleans School of Cooking is courtesy of TripAdvisor

and here:

This photo of American Photo Safari is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Essentially just about everywhere in New Orleans.  In four days.  Totally doable, right?

*  Anyone who has ever traveled to New Orleans will know that "cheap" and "fabulous" is really not a realistic combination in a New Orleans hotel room, particularly when one is booking only three weeks in advance of their travel date.  Fortunately, I managed to find "not horrendously expensive" and "tolerably shabby" all in one.  An acceptable compromise if it means that I can eat beignets and listen to jazz music and fill up my entire 16 GB memory card with photos.  I am so, so, so excited.