Speck Family Cruise 2011 (JOURNAL)

Awake at 5 am and started preparing for departure. Made some scrambled eggs and Speck showed up around 5:45, Erin and Jay called shortly after. By 6:30 everyone was present and we finished loading the car, pulling out at 6:35 am. Jay got the back seat, Pam and Erin began their DVD extravaganza,  Speck was in the front seat and Dad was at the wheel. We knocked off about 100 miles before stopping for gas ~$3.04/gal,  then on to Tennessee and Alabama. We stopped at the Huntsville welcome center and saw the rocket.

Erin and Pam slept from about 11 – 12:30 and Erin awoke ravenous. We stopped at a Subway and got 4 footlongs which we ate in the car, since the store and the outside seating area was disgusting. Speck drove through into Mississippi.

Got into New Orleans around 5 and made our way through traffic to Hampton Inn on Convention Blvd. There was a Bowl game starting in a few hours and traffic was heavy. We checked into our rooms and took a little rest. Around 7 we headed out toward Ralph and Kacoos for super. Speck and Dex had the crawfish festival, Pam and Erin shared a crab platter and Jay had a stuffed flounder. A good meal and we were stuffed.

Finished dinner ~ 9:00 and walked a little up to Bourbon Street for a few blocks and then back down by Jackson Square to Café du Monde. We had a couple orders for beignets. Pam, Erin and C went to the restroom and Erin came back talking about the dead body laying in one of the restrooms. The guy was at least comatose and one of the staff was standing by until the Paramedics could arrive. After beignets we took the trolley back to the hotel and everyone fell fast asleep (even Caleb who had planned to roam around the area a little more).