But then I woke up early Saturday morning (thanks to my cats) and couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to make the most of being up so early (and thought about another weekend at home after another week of being at home) and decided I'd head to Baton Rouge, a six and a half hour drive from Austin. I booked a hotel, fed my cats, and then headed out with no plans. (Check out a google photo album for photos.)
It started raining right as I got to Baton Rouge. Not ideal, but not terrible. I drove by my hotel, but didn't want to unload in the rain so I just drove towards a tall building. Turns out it was the State Capitol. What kind of State Capitol looks like this, instead of columns and domes? I knew right then I loved Baton Rouge.
I spent my time just walking around, mostly at the riverfront. "Patriotic" music was playing from several speakers and it was kind of nice, but also kind of annoying as I sat there for awhile and heard the same songs over and over.
I watched the clouds and the barges, and just contemplated.
Baton Rouge has an amazing Downtown Greenway that I took a walk down as the sun was going down. The median of North Street is full of trees, a bike path, and a walk path and it was lovely. Then I walked through the historic Beauregard Town during the fleeting magic hour. Everything was bathed in a glow of purple and pink, and I could smell rain and flowers as I walked along old streets and admired old homes. Through one window I could see a person watching Casablanca. It was magical and lovely.
The next morning I decided to make my way to New Orleans, specifically I wanted to drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge. I had sent some photos to my friend Kate, and she mentioned that Louisiana was home to one of the longest bridges in the world! I took the longer (and on my opinion more scenic) route to New Orleans just to cross this bridge. I paid five bucks and it was well worth it! The bridge spans Lake Pontchartrain and is 24 miles long. One site I read said that at one point on the bridge a person can't see any land; that's not true, as almost from the beginning one can see the skyline of New Orleans. Whatever. It was amazing. I rolled my windows, let the wind blow my hair, and sang along to the radio as I marveled at the bridge, the clouds, the water, and the fete of engineering it was to build the bridge.
I spent a couple hours in New Orleans, since I had come all this way to cross a bridge and was now there. Due to Covid response measures, lots of things were still closed. The famed Bourbon Street was not teeming with people (I actually ended up driving down it on accident when I first entered the city). Lots of people weren't wearing masks. Some places were open, but most places were still closed. So not the best introduction to a city. I hung out at Jackson Square, and did some walking in the French Quarter, but was hot and sweaty so decided to leave. Major shout out to the random restaurant I found next to a post office drop box in downtown that let me use their bathroom even though I wasn't a customer - I was dying and my bladder would not have made it much longer.
On the way back I stopped in Baton Rouge for lunch. I really like Baton Rouge, more so than New Orleans. I often wonder what touristy places like Bourbon Street were like before they became touristy places, full of terrible souvenir shops and restaurants that catered to tourists. What was it like when it was a place people just went to, or stumbled upon.
I had started playing Garth Brooks when I left New Orleans, hoping the song "Callin' Baton Rouge" would start playing at just the right moment. After stopping for lunch, I was making my way to the freeway and, in a perfect moment of kismet, it started playing just as I got on the on-ramp and crossed over the bridge spanning the Mississippi River.
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