I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1) I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2) This trip didn't include much of the normal topics: good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days. We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port. My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music. Rememberi...
Last week, I traveled with my son to New Orleans for the high
school’s band and chorus trip which takes place every two years. While
the rest of the students traveled in coach tour buses, we made the trip
in the wheelchair van. A bus with a
wheelchair lift was a possible option, but taking one of those buses
would have increased the trip’s cost for each student (fewer seats due
to the lift). In the end, I’m not sure that it ended up any less
expensive for the school district, given that our mileage expenses are
to be reimbursed, but perhaps it was a way to shift costs from the
students to the district. I actually didn’t mind that much. I like to
drive, and I prefer the van to a large noisy bus.
Day 1:
We got up early on Monday morning and drove
to St Louis, where we toured the City Museum during the early
afternoon. Unfortunately, while the museum was accessible, many of the
activities were not. The primary city architect exhibit was closed, so
the main attraction were different slides and tunnels that are not meant
for power wheelchair users. The next scheduled stop was a shopping
mall with a huge food court. Justin and I elected to skip that stop and
get a head start towards New Orleans.
We made it past Jackson, Mississippi to a rest area around midnight.
While I’ve camped in many different places around our country, this was
my first “overnight” at a rest area. It’s not something that I would
probably repeat in a car, unless necessary.
Day 2
At 4:30 a.m., Justin woke me up, saying it
was time to get back on the road. Within five minutes after I started
driving, Justin fell back to sleep again. We drove until about 6 a.m.
and then stopped at a Waffle House for eggs,bacon, potatoes, and grits.
After filling up with food, we felt much better and made it to New
Orleans by 9 a,m. We joined up with the students on the buses at around
9:30 a.m.
The first stop was St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 and was actually one of
the highlights of the trip for Justin. Our tour guide was an older
African-American woman who took a quick liking to Justin and tucked him
under her wing for the entire tour. The most interesting thing I
learned on the tour related to the year and a day rule for New Orleans
cemeteries.
Bodies are buried above ground in New Orleans due to the high water
table. For the first year and a day, bodies are placed in wooden
coffins and then are stored in drawers intended for that purpose. This
is essentially a composting system. Exposed to high temperatures and
humidity, the bodies break down over that period and become much
smaller. After the year and a day, the remains are removed from the
coffins and placed in the final resting place. In this way, many bodies
can be placed in a tomb. The coffin drawers are then reused. Very
green, and they’ve been doing it this way for many years.
The
tour concluded with Justin (now nicknamed “Speedy”) giving the tour
guide a big hug. Justin might protest a bit, but he is a kid that likes
being in the limelight.
We then walked down to the French Quarter, passing Bourbon Street and
ending up at Jackson Square. The Fried Oyster Po’ Boy sandwich at
Stanley’s was terrific.
By 3 p.m., we were finally able to check into the hotel in nearby
Metairie, LA. It was a good thing. Justin’s wheelchair did not receive
its normal overnight charge, so he was literally running on electric
fumes. We rested up for a few hours, recharged, and then enjoyed a
nondescript meal at Hard Rock Cafe with the rest of the group before
going back to the hotel for much needed sleep.
Day 3:
On Wednesday, Justin sang with his choir at a residential facility for assisted living and memory care.
During the afternoon, the choir sang at a local episcopal church and school.
For dinner, we enjoyed more fried seafood at Mulate’s Original Cajun
Restaurant. A Cajun band entertained afterwards, and many of the kids
danced in front of the stage. Accessibility here required some
ingenuity. Justin was able to access the bathroom by rolling through
the restaurant’s kitchen as workers pressed up against the wall to let
him through.
Day 4:
The high school band was supposed to perform
on Thursday morning near Jackson Square, but we were rained out about
the time the buses arrived. Then it was back to the hotel for awhile
until it was time for the swamp tour given by Cajun Pride Swamp Tours in
Laplace, LA. Because it was still raining, we swapped the electric
wheelchair for a folding manual chair bungee corded to the inside wall
of the van. Fortunately, one of the boats was accessible via ramp. It
was tight, but we rolled to a spot right next to the captain.
On the tour we saw several large alligators that the captain drew
right up next to the boat by generous baiting with marshmallows. He
basically fed them right out of his hand when they got close enough.
The captain showed us the nicks on his hand, which occurred when he
wasn’t quite quick enough. It was very entertaining. Justin was able to
hold a baby alligator that was passed around inside the boat.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos, leaving my camera behind in the
car due to the heavy rain.
In the afternoon, the rain stopped in time for us to tour the Oak
Alley Plantation. Only the first floor was accessible. Justin and I
were able to cruise around the grounds and view the slave quarters.
That night, we enjoyed dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
restaurant back in New Orleans. My food wasn’t that great, but the kids
had a good time.
Day 5:
This was our last day, so we checked out of the hotel in the morning. We then toured the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA).
There were some interesting pieces, but Justin and I were done with
it after 45 minutes. We then spent a couple of hours enjoying the sunny
weather at the adjacent Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden.
After eating lunch at the nearby Courtyard Cafe (Justin had alligator
sausage, and I had crawfish etoufee), we toured Mardis Gras World where
artists design and build floats for the next Mardi Gras. We were asked
not to put photos online so as not to spoil next year’s parade.
The trip wrapped up with the Nachez Steamboat Dinner Jazz Cruise. We
weren’t sure if the boat was going to leave without us due to a freight
train stopping on the tracks, blocking access to the boat. After a 45
minute wait, the train finally started up again, allowing us to board.
The food was good, and the views were fantastic. It was a great way to
end the trip.
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