Day 4

Woke up and left Panama City by 9am (thank you coffee). Desi and Brian led us as far as Alys Beach and Seaside, FL. We got out and visited both places, but Alys Beach was unreal. It was almost scary how clean and perfect and beautiful it was. They were all white, white houses with perfectly manicured lawns, and even the median looked to be hand-cut. Nobody was driving, they all rode bikes or walked. (But I noticed that every house still had a two-car garage.) Seaside was next on the day's list, and we started by eating. Lunch was brilliant, even though we only ordered burgers. To be fair, they were called "Best Burgers." And they were. We took a walk through all of the small art galleries and shops, and on a small trip through a park, Desi exclaimed "Oh my goodness! Hello ridiculously cute little girl!" On the path was a two- maybe three-year old girl with her hair in pigtails, bright blue-rimmed glasses, a floral print dress, and a brilliant red flower taking over half of her head. Her name was Auburn and she very unwillingly posed for Desi's photography attack. She was the most adorable thing of the trip so far, though.

We left Desi and Brian and headed towards New Orleans. We jumped back and forth between Highway 98, 90, and I-10, due to some really ridiculous traffic that had no business being there, and it took us until 9:30 to reach our little red-doored inn just blocks from the French quarter. Gale (sp?) answered the door bell and gave us the run down. It's just a converted two story house with four small bedrooms and bathrooms on the top-floor, but our area (dubbed by the management "Memories") is very cozy. We walked the ten short blocks to the French Quarter to find a beer or two, and ended up just strolling down Frenchmen and then Decatur street, where we found a very small bar called the Abbey which was filled with quiet, darkly dressed patrons. I thought we might have stumbled upon a coven, but even if we did, they all laughed along with us at first the Colbert Report, and then Tosh.0. That might not sound like a very exciting event, but after 12 traveling hours, it was pretty much exactly what we needed. A Jack and Coke, two PBRs, and some laughs. Now we're cuddled in our very comfy bed typing this update. Pictures may have to wait a very long time, as neither of the two cameras we brought was packed along with its transfer cable.

Mike out!

Chrissie reporting-

Yup, I forgot the camera cables, so hopefully I'll be getting them mailed to me in a few days. Sad day :(

Our trip from Panama City to New Orleans took a ridiculous amount of time, as mentioned above, but finally seeing this great city was worth the drive!

So far, I really like it. It kind of reminds me of Key West except bigger, and better. Our room is wonderful, we've got a mini fridge, and a microwave downstairs, and our own private bathroom. Everything we could need. Tomorrow I really want to just walk around and explore. Bad news though, it's supposed to rain all day. Hopefully the meteorologists are wrong, wouldn't be the first time.

Will check back in tomorrow~

Pictures update 7/7/2010: All photos taken by Desi Gardner. Thanks!