Life Rocks when your living room rolls
 When we left in September we had reservations up until Louisiana. I can’t believe we are already at the end of November and going to be celebrating our first holiday away from our family. While pulling into the French Quarter RV park thankfully Chris had read a review on RV One that the route tries to bring you down a few closed roads and directed us the correct way. We went a few blocks further than needed but finally found our way to the park. There is a brick wall that surrounds the campground and gated entrance. When we pull in they open the gate and meet us there. We get all checked in, and they give us the gate codes and park pamphlet, then direct us to site 1 which is just to the right. This makes it so that in no time we get parked and in place. This is our longest stay in one place since starting out on the road. We will be here for 10 days.  Usually the days that we drive we stay at the site and chill but I had an awful cough and wanted to get some medicine to help it stop. We walked to the Walgreens on Canal Street to get medicine, Chris some mixers and liquor, then headed back to the RV. That still ended up being over a mile walk so we made an easy dinner and chilled inside for the evening. It is Thursday morning and we are spending our first holiday in the RV, our first Thanksgiving without family and having an amazing meal with them. We lay around in bed for a bit then get up and start to get ready. Chris puts the parade on and pours himself a mimosa. Once I am finished getting ready I make a coffee and take a minute outside. A tradition for Chris is to make German Pancakes so he whips us up a half batch which we enjoy along with a cheers for all we are thankful for. Watching the parade, enjoying the traditional breakfast, and appreciating how I am spending it made me feel better about how this year looks different but it is okay.  We are going to the fairgrounds to watch the horse races. They have this event every year. People dress up in wonderful outfits and make extravagant hats. I pulled out my hat box picked the best hat I could find for my outfit and pulled Chris’s only hat he owns that not a baseball cap. I look around to see how I can dress up our hats. I added a string of sunflowers I had used for EDC but it fit it perfectly. Then I tried a black bandana around Chris’s hat and added a flower clip we were gifted at EDC which made his hat just right. Our outfits and our hats were done so it was time to head there. We were able to find a decent place to park. When we started walking towards the grounds I regretted changing my coat to my raincoat and not going with my long dress coat. Based on the outfits it would have gone better but that’s why I have to learn to stay with my first choice. It's something I am working on. Once inside I am loving looking at all the wonderful outfits and hat designs. Most seem to be right out of the 60’s and the hats are pieces of art. We are walking inside to see what’s around. A race is just starting so all the horses are walking by us out to the starting line. We decided to wait in line to get a drink. After about a 20-minute wait we order 2 for each of us and start to head out but the race is now over and the next set of horses are being shown for the next race. We go to check them out. Come up with who we think will win and head out to watch them race from the stands. We watched the race then we headed inside to get the Thanksgiving hot meal they were serving. We shouldn’t have waited because they were all picked up and no longer serving. There is a grill set up serving steak sandwiches so we get one of those to share and I get a beer. We sit inside at a table to eat then once done we go to the other side of the building to check it out. We wait in line again for drinks then we make our way back to the fence to watch the next race about to happen. We chat with a few people and one takes a photo while a horse runs behind us. When the race is done we walk around a bit more talking to a few more people then we decide to make our way out of the fairgrounds. There is a bar across the street so we stop in to grab one more drink before making our way back to the RV park. The drinks are a very heavy pour but good. I am in love with the hat and dress of a woman at the bar so I grab a selfie with her back. As we are standing outside taking a photo she is just leaving. I ask if I can have a photo with her which she nicely accepts. Once hanging out for a little we start to walk back to the truck. When back at the RV we sit for a few then we start our walk to Creole House. They are offering a Thanksgiving meal special which is all I have wanted all day. There is a line but we chat with a family that is also visiting. After about 30 minutes they call us and bring us to our table. It is on the 2nd floor at a window so we can see Canal Street from our seats. When our meal comes out it looks so good. I have only had the regular meal but the Louisiana-style Cajun Fried Turkey with a crawfish cornbread dressing that was topped with gravy and cranberry sauce. This was served with sweet potato pecan crumble, green bean casserole, and cornbread. It was everything! Once we were done we headed back towards the RV park but not without walking down Bourbon Street. I was surprised how busy it was for a being a holiday. We didn’t make any additional stops and when back at the camper we began to get ready for bed. Once lying there I thanked Chris for everything he does for me. Even though we didn’t get to see our family we still made amazing memories of our Thanksgiving living in the RV. Friday we chilled for most of the day around the camper watching movies, walking around the park, and just taking it easy knowing we were going out that night on Bourbon Street. A rule of thumb we found is anywhere you are walking it is about a mile to get there. Each day we put an average of 15,000 steps in. Friday evening we made our way down St. Louis, which we got very familiar with by the end of our stay, to Bourbon Street. We walked around a bit looking at shops and found our way to Marie Laveau House of Voodoo. We looked around in there for a good half hour or more. We already have one for Black Betty so we knew Alice needed her own charm. We found a flying frog that drives away evil spirits and protects your home from harm. We also found the perfect spot to hang it.     After checking out we make our way to Lafitte’s. This place is the oldest bar in the USA. We find a table outside on the corner of the building. We enjoy our drink people-watching. We chat with a few fellows walking down the road for a bit then they carry on. Once we have finished our drinks we make our way back up Bourbon. We hadn’t eaten dinner so we decided on a classy slice of pizza from one of the many daiquiris and pizza joints.    While walking we find ourselves at Famous Door. We grabbed a drink and found a place to stand to listen to the band. We were up getting another drink when the shot lady came up to us. She barely gives you a chance to respond and she has the cylinders between her breasts with Chris’s face between them to take his shots. Once he is done she grabs 2 more and puts them down in Chris’s pant waist so I bend down to take my shots. While standing watching the band the couple next to us began a conversation with us. We talk with them for a bit then decide to go down closer to the stage so we can dance. We get another drink, grab the stools we were sitting on, head down, and put them at a table. We dance a few songs then the band ends up taking a break. While away a guy comes on to sing. He has the whole crowd singing along with the most original bar songs. Once the. band was back on we danced for a few more songs then we decided to say goodbye to the couple we were hanging with and went to a different spot. We stopped at a place where the music was good and felt like a good place. We go out back grab a drink and find a seat in the backyard area. We aren’t feeling the vibe so we decide to keep moving. The best part is you can just take your drinks with you. By the end of the night, we had a collection of plastic bar cups. Not that I have the room for these in the RV. While walking we stop to listen to a street performer. Some of the best music I have heard is from the street performers. We finished the drinks we had so we kept walking to find another bar. The crowd of people in the streets is insane. You can barely move - it is just a sea of people. We hop into a bar that also has a band playing. They seem to be younger with a more alternative style. They end up being pretty good. We stood watching them for a bit then realized it was almost midnight so we should probably think about getting home soon. We make our way back onto the street and start to head toward St. Louis Street. I am feeling hungry so I grab another slice of pizza that I devour before we finish our walk home. When we checked into the RV park they recommended we not walk at night but we felt the walk back was pretty lit up so we decided it would be fine. We make our way home safely and immediately we get ourselves ready for bed. In the morning we talked about going to explore Frenchman Street. We take it easy getting up and ready. Around 11 we start our walk to make our way there. As we are walking down St. Louis crossing the street a couple is just getting off a tour and begins to walk behind us. They are behind us for a while and at some point we hear him talk about looking for Lafitte's. We ended up chatting for the whole walk until we got to Bourbon Street where they said that was their turn. We explained we were heading to Frenchman Street and needed to get something to eat. We are saying goodbye when he asks if we would like to join them for a drink and grab a bite to eat. It was nice to have others to hang out with and they were fun to talk with so we said sure. At Lafitte's we all got the famous purple drink. This is a berry-flavored frozen drink with multiple liquors. It was not bad. We sat talking and getting to know each other. We learned that both the guys had stomach surgery which was a cool experience for Chris to have someone to relate to who has also had it done. It was getting late and Chris and I were getting hungry. We leave and start to walk towards the water to get closer to Frenchman Street. We stopped at a restaurant in the French market. It was funny when they sat us we were pulling our chairs out to sit and they weren’t moving well. The chairs were all still locked together. We moved to the next table as it had a little bit more room to fit into the seats. We were told the person who had the key left for the day and didn’t finish unlocking all the tables and chairs. We had good laughs watching people being sat at the table next to us and trying to fit into the small space. We had a nice meal laughing and enjoying our time with Heather and Damon. When we finished our meal they had leftovers so we walked with them to drop them off at their hotel room which was just up from the restaurant. Once they dropped it off we walked through the mall checked out the stores and walked outside listening to street performers and seeing all there was to see. Chris and I had plans to go to a nightclub that evening so we had said we needed to start to head back to our place so we could get ready. We asked if they would want to go to the club also which they were down for. It had started to rain so they offered us to take their car so we didn’t have to walk to our RV and then pretty much back to where we were. We accepted and went down to the valet to have them bring the car up. Chris put the GPS on and we were on our way. The fun part about the French Quarter we learned is they close streets down so where you are being told to go you can’t make it. Finally, about 20 minutes later we are pulling into the RV Park. We change and get ourselves all ready for the night. The club is a BYOB so we pack a cooler and once ready we jump into the car and put the GPS to navigate us back to the hotel. From the drive there Chris knew the street it was taking us on was closed so he went down to the street we ended up coming up. It must have been the only street open because a walk that would have only taken 20 minutes took us 45 minutes to drive. We drop the car with the valet and head up to meet them at their room. They are just finishing putting their drinks together then we head out. We have about a 5-minute walk and while crossing the street, Heather trips on some uneven pavement and falls hard down on her front. She was inches away from her face on the curb. We help her up and make sure she is okay. She seems to be okay so we keep walking. We find the club and make our way in. Once all in we bring our backpack cooler to the bartender and grab a drink. We look around some then sit on a couch to see how this all goes. Heather is now feeling the fall so they end up leaving. We end up meeting many fantastic people, have an amazing evening, and around 4 am we order an Uber to head back to the RV. That was a crazy fun time!  Walking the green back towards RV Park Sunday we sleep in as late as we want. I ended up stirring while Chris was still sleeping so I put some sweatpants and a hoody on, made a coffee, and walked the green to a bagel shop about a half mile up. There is a drizzle but I have my earbuds and the walking path makes it an easy walk to the shop. I ordered Chris and me a bagel to go then walked back. Chris is lying in bed chilling with his phone. I give him his bagel and ask if he would like anything to drink. He is all set so we eat in bed and talk about the great night we had before. We stayed in bed watching movies until about 3:30 that afternoon. Once up we get showered and dressed but we don’t do anything but walk around the park just to move some. We made an easy dinner and hung out watching TV until it was time to go to bed.  Under Interstate 10 Monday Chris worked for some before going to the gym when it opened at 8 am. I ran the green. I love having a safe running path as much as Chris loves having a treadmill to run on. We both get 4 miles done then get showered and dressed. We decide after the long weekend we have we are going to just work and hang out at the camper. While sitting at the table working Chris sees a camper pull in that has a brand for RV living. Later on, while we were hanging outside he looked them up on social media. He ended up sending them a message saying he saw them pull in we are also full-time RV living if they would like to get together to exchange stories. He responds with his phone number and says to give them a call tomorrow. The next day we get a workout done and hang low working. After lunch, we take a break and walk in the park to stretch our legs. While walking we meet Cesar and Dina (@beehippy_lifestyle) who happened to be sitting outside. They are super people who have been RV living for over a year and a half. We talk about hanging out once we are done work. Chris and I decided to go get dinner at Mambo’s. Chris sent Cesar a text to let him know our plans and asked if they would want to join us. They were also going to go grab dinner so they accepted and met us at the gate of the park. We all walked to the restaurant talking and getting to know each other. Once at the door, we are greeted by the hostess with such enthusiasm. He brings us to our table and our server is there in no time asking taking a drink order. We review the menu more and order a dozen oysters to start. We share them as a table. I sure do love Oysters! Chris and I already had our order picked so we put that in and they put their entree order in also. We have a delicious meal talking about this lifestyle and all the fun and sometimes challenges that come with it. The waitress comes to ask if we need anything else or dessert. We say no we are stuffed. She says if you take the survey you get a free dessert so instantly Dina and Chris get us each a free dessert. They are brought to the table and even being as full as we are Chris and I eat that piece of Bourbon Pecan Pie right up. We pay the bill and all walk back to the park. Our RV is in spot one so we stop in front and talk about going to the hot tub. We all agree so we go separate ways to get our suits on then will meet at the pool. Chris makes a drink and we change. When we are walking into the pool area we see a couple sitting in the hot tub already. We make our way in and take in the warmth of the water. It feels so good, especially after all the walking we have been doing. We talk with the other couple for a while until more people begin to start showing up and getting into the tub. There are 4 couples and one of them has a child with them. We are all hanging out talking when Cesar and Dina show up. They already know 2 of the other couples they say hello and make their way in. The first couple who was there when we got there ended up leaving. The ironic part was all 4 couples were full-time RV traveling. We sat in that hot tub for about 3 hours talking about so many stories from our adventures on the road until at 10:15 staff showed up to say the hot tub was closed and we had to leave. It was so much fun hanging out with others who are living the same life as we are comparing stories and learning new things. We really can’t beat this life. Wednesday starts with a workout then once showered and dressed Chris works for the morning then we head out with the camera to finally check out Frenchman Street. We walk down to the River Walk to take some photos. We stop along the way at El Gato Negro and had an authentic Mexican meal with amazing margaritas. Once done we continue walking bringing us to Flea Market - French Market where Chris finds a bracelet to buy. We finally make it to Frenchman Street. We hear a jazz band playing at Bamboulas so we go in order a drink and sit on a bar stool to listen. They were the first true Jazz band we have seen since being in town. Once they take a break we carry on up Frenchman Street capturing a few more photos, and then we make our way back to the RV so Chris can work some more.  Once Chris is done with his day we sit outside in the gazebo talking. It is later than normal so I ask Chris what he wants to do for dinner. I go over the things we have that I can cook. He looks at his phone and finds a BBQ place about a quarter mile up the road. It is close and the food looks good so I say sure. The place isn’t towards the French Quarter it is the other way under the 10 and just up the road. It is just getting dark when we start to walk there. This way is a bit more run down and not as lit up but it wasn’t far so we keep going. As we are just about to where the restaurant should be a few cars are parking just out front on the side of the road and a handful of people are getting out. We are looking at Chris’s phone because it shows it should be right there but we can’t find it. We walk a few feet forward then decide to turn around to see if we miss it. We still can’t find it but we do notice the people we passed aren't ones we want to mess with. I honestly didn’t feel any fear from it though. We just kept on walking and decided it was probably best just to head back to the RV and make dinner. We started Thursday with a workout then after showering and getting dressed we walked to Cafe Du Monde for the mouth-watering café au laits (chicory coffee with hot milk) and beignets. Across the street was a local artist’s work that Chris was very interested in. He wasn’t around but a man across the street selling umbrellas came over to say he would be back soon if we wanted anything. I explained we needed to be sure we find a piece that will fit on the wall in the camper before we can choose so we will be back a different day this week. We walked back to the RV and worked the rest of the day. Around 10 am Chris texted Cesar to see when they would be heading out as they were heading on with their travels. He told him around 11 but would stop by our camper to say farewell. Right at 11 am they were leaving so we went out to say goodbye and let them know how great it was to meet them. We wished them well on their travels as they did us and they were on their way. One last honk as they drove down the road.  That evening we walked to Bourbon Street to get some pizza. I just love the entrances to peoples places. They are behind gates but then they are long walkways to get to their doors. I loved how most even had them decorated. We found a joint that had a BBQ pulled pork cinnamon apple slice, which I got and Chris had a buffalo chicken slice. We ate it there then walked around the stores looking for a sticker and Chris looked for a shirt. I found the one I wanted but we hit a couple more stores looking at shirts then we headed back to the RV Park. We watched a little TV before getting ready and heading to bed.  It was our last day to get a workout in and Chris’s last day to run on a treadmill. Since it was raining while he ran I did a HIIT in the gym and ended with some strength training. Once we showered and got dressed Chris worked for a bit until the rain stopped. We made plans to go to brunch and had the place already picked out. We walked our mile walk and waited in line. There was a couple in front of us but they said they needed a table for 6 so they had us go ahead. When we got to the door we told them they needed a table for 6. We sat at a table that sat 4 but quickly they came over and asked if we would mind moving to a table that was just for 2. They ended up putting that 4-seat table with another for that party of 6. I was not disappointed about the move as we were given a seat right by the door so we could see more and it had a cool breeze coming in. We ordered a pitcher of tropical mimosa, Chris got crawfish tail eggs benedict and I got fruity pebbles french toast drizzled with cream cheese glaze and bacon. I should not have but I ate every last piece of food on my plate. Once we were done we settled up on the check and headed out. After breakfast, we went back to the local artist to see if he was there. He wasn’t nor was his artwork so Chris sent him a message to him on Instagram and we walked around Jackson Square while we waited to see if he would respond. I ended up getting a pair of gloves from this awesome boutique that I love. We see the guy across the road who sells the umbrellas so we go over to ask if he knows when he might be back. He ends up giving the artists a call to see. He won’t be back for a little bit so he goes to another artist on the block to get the key to where they store their carts. We are brought out in this alleyway that is locked and we go through all the paintings. Chris shows him the one we want. He offers a deal for 2 but we just don’t have the room. We give the helper the cash and Trevor the artist says he is about 10 minutes away if we wanted to wait around to have him sign the painting. We went to a bar on the corner and sat to enjoy a drink while we waited. We see him pull up. We head out to introduce ourselves. He tells us that these are the last pieces he is selling. He is focusing his time on making a video game to help with mental illness in NOLA. This just made us appreciate everything about this whole experience even more and made buying his artwork so much more special.  We head back to the RV to drop off our purchases and have Chris work for the afternoon. He finishes around 4 and we get ready to head to dinner at Oceana. This was a must go-to recommendation from Cesar so we knew it must be good. There is a bit of a line to get in but behind us is a couple from Spain that we chat with that make the time go by quickly. We are called and they bring us to our table. When our server comes over we get his recommendation for drinks which we do and put in an order of oysters. Once those are brought to us we put our order in for our entree. Chris gets the Tail-on Gulf shrimp sautéed in New Orleans-style lemon and pepper sauce. We took the leftover sauce home. I had Redfish, which is the signature dish. It is sautéed redfish topped with their own crawfish mushroom cream sauce. served with roasted garlic potatoes and vegetables. We took the leftover redfish and crawfish home to use on Eggs Benedict. This restaurant is a must when you are in the French Quarter.     After leaving the restaurant we found our way to The Dungeon. This is a goth bar and once inside you are not allowed to take photos or video. It was a very interesting place, to say the least. We ended up meeting and chatting with a guy who we hung out with for the evening. When we noticed it was almost 11 pm we said goodbye and headed back to the RV. We get right to bed as we have an 8-hour dive the next day so we need to be on the road by 9 am the latest.
In the morning we wake early to get showered and dressed and heat a breakfast sandwich before we get started with our pack-up routine. It is just after 8:30 and we are connected and ready to get on the road. Chris put the navigation on RV One and off we went. It has been an amazing 10 days in New Orleans.
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