Fairhope is a wonderful place to live, but sometimes I just need some Culture, with a capital C. (theater, music, architecture, etc.) A trip to New Orleans satisfies this craving every time, and it is so easy and fun. Broadway in New Orleans has always been my motivation, and in January I was lucky enough to attend two shows on tour, Hell’s Kitchen and, more recently, Hadestown.

My sidekick and theater-loving daughter, Julia, and I traveled on a Saturday with tickets for the  Hadestown matinée in hand, and got to the city in time to park the car at our hotel and walk to find lunch before the show. With no reservations, we asked the Bellman at the Marriott to recommend a place en route to the historic Saenger Theater. Around the corner was a neighborhood spot called Gallier’s, where we had a good lunch of Crab Cake Eggs Benedict and a delicious seafood pasta. The service was so fast, we had another hour to kill before the curtain rose, so we went to my favorite hotel, The Roosevelt, for an Irish Coffee in the beautiful and famous Sazerac bar.

At this point, we are jazzed up, literally and figuratively, and are ready for the transformative experience of live musical theater. With eighth row seats, we were treated to a work of art: the music, choreography, set design, and talent were superior, and as we left the theater, we were energized and felt really privileged to have seen this incredible performance.

Walking back to our hotel at dusk, humming Broadway show tunes and taking in the sights and sounds of Canal Street, my Culture fix was hungry, and I wanted more!  We had dinner reservations at Luke and enjoyed Baked Oysters, Trout Meunière, and Lamb Ragout. I chose Luke on Saint Charles Avenue because it was close to our hotel, and walking in New Orleans at night is sometimes scary. And then we threw caution to the wind…..

Daughter Julia tells me there is a Mardi Gras parade in the French Quarter (another cultural thing I have never experienced), so, with trepidation, I asked the hostess if she thought we would be safe walking 20 minutes to catch the ChewBacchus parade.

She said we would be fine if we stayed on the main thoroughfare, so off we went in our high-heeled boots that were made for walking! We staked out a spot by Cafe du Monde on Decatur Street, and after about 10 minutes of people watching, here comes the boom boom!  Primarily a walking parade, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is a science fiction–themed Mardi Gras krewe that also features fantasy and horror groups, among other fandoms. The costumes, the homemade floats, the throws, the bands, all were so creative and imaginative, and so different from Mardi Gras in Mobile. A true Lagniappe, this unexpected adventure was the icing on the cake of my Culture buffet.

Back at the hotel, tired but invigorated, we checked our fitness apps to see that we had walked over 10,000 steps in our high heels that day, and it was worth every blister!  Making memories and having new experiences is what life is all about, and this 24-hour trip to New Orleans was everything and more!