January 8, 2018

Outer Journey

On our last day in New Orleans, we are spending the morning in the French Quarter. Your assignment is to go to your favorite place in the Quarter and take a picture of it. Post the picture on your blog and explain why it was your favorite place. Will you miss it? Will you come back? Would you tell other to visit it? How would you describe it and your experiences there to someone wishing to visit New Orleans?

It was hard to decide what my favorite place in New Orleans was. I enjoyed almost everything that I did. I enjoyed looking at all of the street artists in Jackson Square. I also liked watching the street performers. Walking around the French Quarter and looking at the architecture was nice and enjoyable. I enjoyed going to the 801 Royal restaurant in the French Quarter. Walking in this restaurant was very quiet and did not have very many patrons. The longer we sat and the closer that it got to lunch time the bar area started filling up. There was a very bright light. It looked like a piece of art. The texture of the light was red and curled. I ate a roast beef Po’ Boy and I think that it was the best Po’ Boy that I had while in New Orleans. The roast beef layed on french bread and had cheddar cheese on the top of the beef. This meal also came with potato salad. All of the potato salad that I ate while I was in New Orleans had mashed potatoes rather than diced potatoes. I will miss the French Quarter, but I do not think that I will miss this restaurant or any other store. I personally don’t like getting attached to a particular store or place. In general, I like the experiences of a place. When I bring my husband and kids back to New Orleans I plan on bringing them to this restaurant to enjoy some good Po’ Boys.

I still want to travel here again because there is still so much more of this town that I want to see and experience. I want to visit some of the plantations and the garden district. Next time that I visit I want warmer weather. If I am going that far south the weather must be warm for me.

Explaining New Orleans to someone would be easy. There is a wealth of history in that town. There are so many examples of hospitality in this town. This town is founded on acceptance and it is still visible when speaking to the locals of New Orleans. The architecture is beautiful. There is so much art to enjoy and purchase. I would recommend to anyone that I speak with to visit New Orleans for the history and culture of our country.

Inner Journey

My favorite part of the class was the history that was learned while in New Orleans. I had no idea how deep the history of this country was started in New Orleans. I like to tour museums and learn history. This love of learning about history did not start until I was an adult. I actually still do not like taking history classes because I think that it is extremely boring to sit somewhere and have someone spit facts at me. Something else that was positive about this class is that I got a semester completed in one week and was able to take a trip for a very small sum of money.

My favorite part of New Orleans was Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral and the French Quarter that surrounded it. I believe that this is the origination of everything about New Orleans. There was so much history that was learned about in this area. It was not only about the early settlers, but also about early musicians, and still musicians that are coming out of this area. The architecture in the French Quarter was beautiful and so nice to see. It is amazing how long these buildings have been standing in New Orleans and how wonderful they still look. This is quite the preservation of buildings with stories to tell. I can’t wait to bring my children and husband back to this area to share all of these treasures with them also.

Kindness. Everyone that I met was so kind. It didn’t matter if they were an Uber driver, worked in a restaurant, or someone that I met out in the public. They were all kind, willing to talk, and willing to help with anything that was needed. Acceptance is the key to progression. No one is better than another. The residents or people of New Orleans are proud that they are from New Orleans (I can’t say that of Illinois). They want share their city. They want to share their culture. They want to share their history. They want to share their differences that have been resolved. They want you to know how they got where they are as a whole.

I learned that acceptance should be shown all around and from everyone. We all have trials and tribulations in our lives, but those trials and tribulations are not what someone should be judged on. Be the person that doesn’t show judgement. Be kind to everyone. Lend a hand. I need to help in making other parts of the United States progressive in their practices. Though slavery and segregation no longer exist there is still oppression in certain communities within our country. I need to be a leader in these movements. I need to get into the community, and I want to make a difference. I need to be the difference. I also need to be a leader at work and start making a difference for my fellow co-workers. I need to join the committees.