I turned 40 years old in New Orleans. If you’re keeping track, that was nearly four months ago. I’ve had these pictures uploaded for the better part of two months, but I never found the time to sit down and write my thoughts. The interesting thing about writing a trip summary this much later is things are probably boiled down to the stuff that’ll you remember for a long time.

So what do I remember? I’ll say this – I really do like New Orleans as a place to visit. The history, architecture, food, and music make for a city that is a great way to spend a week. People thought we were crazy when we said we were taking an 17 month old, but I submit there are plenty of family things to do there. We walked through the French Quarter a few times, include during a date night for just Melissa and me; there are so many great things that aren’t the New Orleans you hear about.

Our trip was most definitely not as restful as we wanted and a lot of that comes town to a pretty terrible airbnb situation. It was actually bad enough that I never wrote a review… and our host didn’t either. I think we just wanted to be done with each other after the week we had. Anyway, it was nice to get away for awhile and spend time with three generations of family as I ticked over another decade.

Through coincidence, we ended up there the week before Mardi Gras. It was a great time to be in the city, with many parades scheduled for the locals. We ended up at a Game of Thrones theme dog parade – Dom thought it was amazing. I’d been to New Orleans for a 40-hour bachelor party; this was a different experience… in a good way. I know we’ll be back to enjoy more of the food and music the city has to offer. We’ll just need to figure out if it’s a parents-only trip or we make it another family affair.

Oh, and we got a midnight flight time on the way home from the airport. It was one helluva day with an 11 am check out, 7 pm flight (Central Time), and a toddler that didn’t nap. The one thing I appear to do more easily in my 40s is roll with the situation. Having a kid probably helps with that. Anyway, go to New Orleans. It’s a beautiful place. Just make sure you have a/c. :grin: