Reisinger Road Trip Day 9: Headin' south to "Nawlins"

We got a later start than we wanted to this morning. We were out of gas, so we filled up the tank, and then went through a Hardee's for breakfast. The food was good, but it took forever. So we didn't get on the road until 9:45. We stopped twice for bathroom breaks and for lunch. David let Gabriel "drive" for a few minutes during our second break. He has to be the cutest driver ever-- but he needs a serious set of pedal extenders.

God was on our side, we made it to "Nawlins" around 4PM (but it felt like 5PM because we'd switched from Eastern time to Central time when we crossed the border into Alabama).

Up until now, we'd been staying in 2 or 3 stars hotels, courtesy of Hotwire or Priceline. But David snagged a "4 star" room at the Hilton in downtown New Orleans, and let me tell you, it is nice. The kids were "oohing" and "aahing" from the minute we walked into the lobby, and then really let loose when we got to the room. For $59 a night, it's too bad we're only here until tomorrow. They begged to go explore the rest of the hotel (Joshua had been allowed to go up just one floor at our previous hotels). We had to explain to them this was a hotel that would not appreciate curious and noisy little children roaming the halls. Boy, were they disappointed. They cheered up when we told them there was an indoor pool, and we'd go swimming after dinner. I found this convenient photo on their website of the hotel, our room and the pool.

I'd asked the front desk about a good dinner place, and the staff recommended Acme Oyster House. We decided to walk, since it was supposed to be just a few blocks away. We accidentally turned down the wrong street, but then got our bearings and found the restaurant. The food was very good, and we were glad to get in and out before the dinner rush. The portions were not huge, they were just right, unlike seafood restaurants here in Houston that serve a generous platter of french fries, and some seafood on top, which was the opposite here (more seafood and less fries). Like my friend Susan who just visited New Orleans, I sure don't want to know how many points my fried oysters, shrimp, and red beans and rice were, but it was definitely worth it.

We took a very short ride street car ride back to the hotel (for the kids of course), and then hit the pool. There was a hot tub that Gabriel couldn't get enough of, but the water was just a tad on the warm side for a little baby boy. Nevertheless, he keep trying to climb in, and I finally took him and Christina back to the room and got them ready for bed. David, Joshua and Rebecca were not far behind, and we put all of them to bed. Right now, they are as quiet as can be-- I know the long car ride was tiring for them. It still amazes me how being in a car and not being terribly active can make kids (and adults) so tired by the end of the day.

I am sad our vacation officially ends tomorrow. I am not sad about the massive amount of laundry that awaits me and the washing machine that has undoubtedly been lonely for the past 2 weeks. But we had fun, got wet, dirty, and made great memories, and yes... I have the pictures to prove it!