#ALAAnnual: New Orleans!

I arrived in the Crescent City late yesterday afternoon for the conference proper, which starts this afternoon. My flight actually landed in NOLA early but is was a long haul before I got to my hotel. This was partly due to traffic and mostly due to the fact that I opted for a shuttle instead of a cab. Anytime I've ever taken a shuttle, I'm invariably the last to be dropped off and the first to be picked up on the return trip. Then the line to check in was long. My very cheery hotel clerk tried to get me to upgrade my check-in explaining that I would be getting over a hundred dollars worth of perks for just sixty extra dollars per night. My travel-addled mind could not compute. I almost said yes until I realized that I rarely eat hotel breakfasts and I never use the health facilities. This tickled me though:

I adored Interrupting Chicken and enjoyed reading it to my classes back when I was a K - 8 librarian. I am looking forward to revisiting her. (It's my room key, btw)

After settling in to my room, I set out into the steamy, mostly cloudy evening to walk the neighborhood. I did a lazy loop that included part of the French Quarter and headed back via the riverwalk, which offered no breezes. I would've walked longer but realized that I was starving and hadn't eaten much. The very entertaining shuttle bus driver and my seat-mate spoke about barbecued oysters so that was on my mind. 

They were delicious. I also ordered fish and chips, which were tasty but I got full quickly and they went to waste. I did not ask for a doggy bag because I couldn't be sure that there was a fridge in my room. There was. Oh well. Fish is best eaten hot, I think.

I had a great night's sleep and am ready to set out to pick up my registration materials, grab a beignet and wait for a shuttle to pick me up. I'm joining some friends for a tour of the Whitney Plantation. It was suggested in the backmatter of a book I read a few months ago. A conference friend organized the shuttle and I was in! I will post about the experience later.