New Orleans

Our night in New Orleans began by getting ripped off by (and then tipping $5) the Haitian cab lady who told us our trip was $40 since we had two people after we were told that the trip would be $30. So, she got herself a $15 tip. My mom told me that she probably needed that extra $10 to have a nice Christmas for her family, and I should just write it off as having given a poor woman $10 on Christmas.

We opted not to walk to Harrah's casino (the only place open for dinner on Christmas Eve with the exception of some fancy expensive restaurant) because it was late, foggy, and the streets were pretty empty. We had Chinese delivered to our room instead, after having built up our appetites for New Orleans cuisine -- which turned out okay because we were able to eat in New Orleans on the way back to Portland. The next morning, we got up early and walked to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee and did a mini tour of the French Quarter before hitting the road.