coffee & beignets

msp-msy (minneapolis-new orleans)

this year’s annual conference was held in new orleans. having never been to LA i was excited to check out a new city, especially in the company of 5 of my colleagues. derek, desiree, brian, miriam, michael and i ventured down to NOLA last wednesday night. the long weekend was filled with meetings, sessions, socials, southern meals and meeting up with old friends.

the weather was warm (80 degrees and humid) and the convention center was huge. our hotel was near the convention center, but you’d never know it based on the length of the walk. thankfully they offered shuttle rides every several minutes. in the end, i only took advantage of the shuttle a couple times. in fact, one time we had boarded the bus at the hotel and i actually got off the bus remembering that the starbucks was halfway through the convention center and i definitely needed coffee before the long day.

during our time there, we attended a social at an oyster house and the hard rock café. i often wonder how much money is spent on those socials – they feed us well and the drinks flow freely. derek, brian and i wandered down bourbon street two of the nights, stopping one night at pat o’briens for one of their famous drinks, the hurricane. bourban street was absolutely ridiculous. people walking around with open bottles, men chucking beads at women (who were not exposing themselves!) and dancers standing on the curb enticing people to go into their establishment. after that, we also made our way to jackson square where we had new orleans famous beignets and coffee and chicory at a well known establishment, café du monde.

       





des and i spent quality time together before the saturday night social. we went shopping at the river walk mall, gambled at harrah's until our hair and clothes smelled like smoke (about 15 mins) and ate ice cream at pinkberry. the final social event was held at the mardi gras mansion (warehouse) which held all of the giant mardi gras floats.

super cool space right on the mississippi river. the greatest thing about the space was the patio outside of the mansion. i was duped the first time i walked outside.. thought i was actually outside but it turns out they had painted and decorated the ceiling to look like the night sky! super cool.

by the end of the 4 days i was ready to go home. i score as an extrovert on the myers briggs personality test, but it's trips like this one that remind me of how much i appreciate (and need) my alone time.

overall, i had a good time, learned a few things from the conference, saw parts of the french quarter (mostly just bourbon street at night), ate delicious southern food, experienced a bit of southern hospitality and spent quality time with friends.

jill