(February 23, 2013 - February 26, 2013)
What a way to start a trip!
So, I had a 9:15 am flight to NOLA out of Love
Field. I go down to my car 10 minutes ahead of schedule at 6:50am. I proceed to throw everything in the car
close the trunk and go to get in the driver's seat but the door won't open.
Surely there's a mistake!!! Nope! My
luggage is in the car, purse and keys are clearly sitting in my seat; somehow I
managed to relock all the doors while I was loading the car. I usually keep my
keys and phone in my back pockets but I was so afraid I'd accidentally lock
them in the trunk I put them in my seat instead! Never again! After a little bit of a freak
out and trying to figure out how to get into my car I realized I was stuck. Thank goodness I know my neighbor,
unfortunately for her...I woke her up. It
took a locksmith over an hour to show up (which they said would only be 15
minutes) and then he charged me stinkin $175!!!
Thankfully, I only live 25 minutes from the airport, but since I was so
late I had to park in the garage at
the airport for $14 a day instead of off-site (like originally planned) for $5 a day. And because I checked in less than 30 minutes before
our departure time, my luggage didn’t make my flight so it cost me $30 to have my
luggage delivered to me. It would have
cost me less time and trouble to just break my window as soon as I realized I
locked myself out of my car!!! I hauled
serious butt through the airport, made it onto the plane literally as they were
closing the gate door.
Lessons I learned that morning:
- It really really pays to be ahead of schedule (if I hadn't been I would have missed my flight).
- It pays to know your neighbors!!
- Always ALWAYS have multiple sets of spare keys...house and car.
- It pays to be a runner and a runner who faithfully does their speedwork!
- Always treat people clearly running late for their flight as though their reasons for running late were out of their control. Not as though they lack good time management skills. (I could have done without the numerous people who were rude and treated me like crap in the airport. BUT there were several people who were very nice and even some TSA employees went out of their way to help me get to my gate!!)
Ann Niebrzydowski picked me up at the airport and we joined the
rest of the family (sans Patrick) at The Ruby Slipper for brunch. And what a brunch it was! While catching up
the Niebrzydowski’s and Ballon’s I indulged in Mango Stuffed French Toast with
Carmel Sauce and bacon!
Saw a couple of
steamboats on the river,
various artists and musicians around Jackson Square,
wandered down Bourbon Street (I’m completely okay with only going there once),
eventually making our way back to the street car to take us back to the condo
for dinner. Leon and Ann cooked up some tasty
spaghetti with turkey meat sauce and bread for dinner. Ann and Vicki were kind enough to take me to
my hotel. I checked into St. Vincent’s
Guest House and got situated for the race the next morning. |
| St. Vincent’s was built in 1861 as an orphanage. It was founded by the Daughter’s of Charity order of nuns, however much of the funding was provided by Margaret Haughery. She was an extraordinary woman - an illiterate, Irish immigrant who, from nothing, built a thriving bakery business and became New Orleans’ foremost philanthropist. She lost her own child and husband... to yellow fever, which was endemic in New Orleans. Mosquito born diseases killed thousands every summer until the early 1900’s when the link between mosquitos and disease became understood and public works were undertaken to reduce mosquito breeding grounds. Orphanages were much needed in this environment and St. Vincent’s and St. Elizabeth’s on Napoleon Ave, harbored orphans and later unwed mothers and children until the 1970’s. Peter Schreiber and Sally Leonard rescued the near derelict building in 1994 and with much love and dedication, have remodelled it to become the unique guest house you enjoy today. (taken from http:// |
 |
| Ready for state #7!!! |
I didn’t sleep well, due in part to the mattress and pillow and
woke up with a good knot on the right side of my neck/ right shoulder. As I made the 1 mile walk from the guest house
to the start line I did my best to massage it out.
As I neared the gear check trucks and start
line I bumped into the Niebrzydowskis and Ballons on an easy warm-up
run. I grabbed a quick picture with
them, wished them all luck, and went on my way.
I knew some of USA’s top marathon women were going to be running NOLA
RnR so after I checked my stuff I made my way to the front of the start line to
see if I could catch a peek of Kara or Shalane.
No such luck. I waded all the way
back to my corral (#9) and waited until we’d finally made it to the front for
our start. Since I had run a trail
marathon at Cross Timbers the previous weekend and would be running my first 50
miler in Kentucky in 2 weeks, I was running RnR purely to get the state and as
a training run for KY. The weather the entire race was perfect, a bit overcast
with nice cool temps and low humidity! I
started nice and slow, I enjoyed taking in the city and when the course double
backed and the elite runners were making their way back toward me I took time
out to cheer. I jumped out of the stream
of runners onto the median and walked along for a while cheering for the
front-runners and looking for Shalane and Kara.
I wasn’t thinking and forgot to pull my phone out and snap a picture
of them as both of them passed. After
both ladies shot past me, I joined the runners again and made my way along St.
Charles Street. I continued to keep my
eye out for Leon, Vicki, Alberto and Mike hoping to cheer for them as
well. I did manage to see Leon and Vicki
wiz on by, almost missing them. We
wandered our way through the city and then out toward City Park and finally to
Lake Pontchartrain. 
In between the park
and the lake the course double backs again and this time I was ready with my
camera. So I slowed here a bit to try to
catch Kara and Shalane this time around. Some how I
managed to miss them! Soon after the
majority of front-runners had passed I came up behind Mike. Since he’s run Boston, I was completely
surprised, I asked how he was doing and he explained his situation. I felt really bad for him. On a side note: even though he didn't run a
good race (by his standards), he still ended up finishing with a mid-packer’s
time! I went on my way, keeping an eye
out for Leon and Vicki (Alberto ran the half and the half runners were already on their way to the
finish when we were heading into City Park).
About this time I was starting to get bored and turned on my music and
decided to implement Leon’s race strategy: run 6 minutes, walk 30 seconds. I ended up running 6-8 minutes with 1 min
walks. Out at the lake we actually had a
couple of hills to contend with, but nothing too bad and the sun decided to
join us for a little bit. As we made our way away from the lake I realized, even
though I’d been taking the race at a easy pace and spent time spectating
instead of running, I still might PR! I decided to pick up my pace a little.
Several miles from the finish I unintentionally started playing cat and
mouse with a guy. He'd pull ahead of me on my walking portions and I'd usually pull back ahead when I started running again. I believe it was around mile 25
when things became more intense. I
wasn’t necessarily trying to beat him to the finish, but I wanted to stick with
him. He had a strong kick and it was nice
having a buddy silently encourage me to dig deep. It was like we were feeding off of each
other’s energy and speed. 
I swear we
sprinted across the finish line practically side by side (pretty sure he was a
couple steps in front of me though).
Whew, DONE! I was feeling so good
after crossing the finish I couldn’t resist jumping into his picture the finish
line photographer was snapping of him. 
We exchanged congratulations, names, and brief conversation. Marvin's from California, and like me, he's working toward all 50 states and has recently found a new love...trail/ultra
running!
Oh how I enjoy making new friends like Marvin!
 |
| I love this city! |
In between the park
and the lake the course double backs again and this time I was ready with my
camera. So I slowed here a bit to try to
catch Kara and Shalane this time around. Some how I
managed to miss them! Soon after the
majority of front-runners had passed I came up behind Mike. Since he’s run Boston, I was completely
surprised, I asked how he was doing and he explained his situation. I felt really bad for him. On a side note: even though he didn't run a
good race (by his standards), he still ended up finishing with a mid-packer’s
time! I went on my way, keeping an eye
out for Leon and Vicki (Alberto ran the half and the half runners were already on their way to the
finish when we were heading into City Park).
About this time I was starting to get bored and turned on my music and
decided to implement Leon’s race strategy: run 6 minutes, walk 30 seconds. I ended up running 6-8 minutes with 1 min
walks. Out at the lake we actually had a
couple of hills to contend with, but nothing too bad and the sun decided to
join us for a little bit. As we made our way away from the lake I realized, even
though I’d been taking the race at a easy pace and spent time spectating
instead of running, I still might PR! I decided to pick up my pace a little.
Several miles from the finish I unintentionally started playing cat and
mouse with a guy. He'd pull ahead of me on my walking portions and I'd usually pull back ahead when I started running again. I believe it was around mile 25
when things became more intense. I
wasn’t necessarily trying to beat him to the finish, but I wanted to stick with
him. He had a strong kick and it was nice
having a buddy silently encourage me to dig deep. It was like we were feeding off of each
other’s energy and speed. I swear we
sprinted across the finish line practically side by side (pretty sure he was a
couple steps in front of me though).
Whew, DONE! I was feeling so good
after crossing the finish I couldn’t resist jumping into his picture the finish
line photographer was snapping of him. We exchanged congratulations, names, and brief conversation. Marvin's from California, and like me, he's working toward all 50 states and has recently found a new love...trail/ultra
running!
Oh how I enjoy making new friends like Marvin!
Leon found me at the gear check truck, through chattering teeth
and blue lips he told me he ran a SUB-4 MARATHON!!!!!!! WAY TO FREAKING GO, LEON!!!!! He introduced me to his college roommate and
his wife who drove over from Lafayette for the afternoon. After we were all cleaned up (and smelling much better), we headed to The Bulldog for the traditional Niebryzdowski
celebratory burgers and beer! 
I drink
local whenever possible, so I enjoyed a delicious NOLA Irish Stout with my Dead
Man burger.
After burgers, we headed back
to the condo for Eucher. I love playing
cards and it’s always fun learning a new card game. I was exhausted, after we finished the
game I called it a night and went back St. Vincent’s.
I drink
local whenever possible, so I enjoyed a delicious NOLA Irish Stout with my Dead
Man burger. After burgers, we headed back
to the condo for Eucher. I love playing
cards and it’s always fun learning a new card game. I was exhausted, after we finished the
game I called it a night and went back St. Vincent’s.
Since I passed out so early, I woke up bright eyed and bushy
tailed early Monday morning. I gather my
stuff for the day and headed out for coffee and breakfast. Literally across the street from the guest
house is Mojo Coffee House. A tasty cup
of chicory Creole coffee and an everything bagel with sun-dried tomato cream cheese was the perfect start to my day! 
The sky was threatening rain and the temps were cool...my kinda
weather! I was only staying a couple
miles from the French Quarter so headed in that direction.
The sky was threatening rain and the temps were cool...my kinda
weather! I was only staying a couple
miles from the French Quarter so headed in that direction.
 |
| Random house on my way to the French Quarter...I just LOVE all the different houses here!! |
After exploring around there, I made my way
over to Frenchman Street, I saw Charmaine Neville would be singing at Snug Harbor
and made a mental note to try to make it back in time for one of the
shows later that evening. Ann had called me and said they
were grabbing breakfast and would then be headed out the cemeteries. I made my way their way, I was REALLY looking
forward to visiting the cemetery!
Metairie Cemetery was right around the corner and pretty big,
the office had two options for their self-guided tours. Metairie was
transformed from a racetrack in 1872, in 1991 it was designated a National
Historic Place. The racetrack configuration remains, within the borders of the
cemetery. We could do the Civil War or
Great Families tour, we decided on the Great Families.
The cemetery office provides a CD and map in
exchange for a driver’s license. The
tour is only an hour long but we got out at several of the tour stops to
explore the other tombs in the area, so our tour was quite a bit longer. I had SO much fun exploring the
cemetery. I can’t wait to get back to
NOLA and tour more of them!
On our way
to lunch, Ann mentioned they were wanting to catch Ms. Neville at Snug Harbor
later that evening and asked if I wanted to join them. I told her I’d been wanting to go see her too
and of course I’d love to join them! We
wrapped up the morning with lunch at Tracy’s in the Garden District on Magazine
St.
Again, I had to feast on local fare:
Abita’s Turbodog, boudin balls, and a roast beef po boy.
The cemetery office provides a CD and map in
exchange for a driver’s license. The
tour is only an hour long but we got out at several of the tour stops to
explore the other tombs in the area, so our tour was quite a bit longer. I had SO much fun exploring the
cemetery. I can’t wait to get back to
NOLA and tour more of them! 
 |
| Estelle Theleman Hyams monument - The Weeping Angel |
 |
| Yup, we sure did find someone's sleeping place... |
 |
| The tomb in the background is Eugene Lacosst (died 1915). Only the finest pieces of the Alabama marble were to be used for the monument (the discards were enough to build 15 other mausoleums), it is over 30 feet high, and the carvers were brought over from Italy. It cost over $60,000 to build in 1918, imagine what it would have cost today!!! What did Eugene do to make all his money??? He was a hair dresser, BUT it's said he made his money from the stock market. |
 |
| Moriarty tomb: probably the most famous monument here. A massive tomb, it was designed to out do all others. In fact, at 60 feet tall, it's reputed to be the tallest privately owned monument in the United States. It's erected at what used to be the main entrance to the cemetery. Born in Northern Ireland, Daniel came to New Orleans as a youth and not long after met Mary Farrell (22 years his senior). She passed long before him and so he set out to build a monument in her honor. |
Again, I had to feast on local fare:
Abita’s Turbodog, boudin balls, and a roast beef po boy. 
From Tracy’s we did the self-guided walking
tour of the Garden District. WOW, again
I was thinking how freakin’ cool NOLA was; so rich with history, architecture
and character. I absolutely LOVE it! My highlight of this tour was visiting Anne
Rice’s house!
 |
| Cool tree roots out front of Anne Rice's house |
She’s the author of
Violin, Lives of the Mayfair Witches (Witching Hour, Lasher, Taltos.), Vampire
Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned,
etc) and many others. I've been reading her books for years!!!! Toward the end of the tour, it looked like we
were about to get rained on, so we decided to drive by the last few
houses. Wouldntcha know, after we got
back to the car and piled back in, the clouds just opened up and poured down After the Garden District tour, we parted ways
so they could get Mike situated and dropped off at the airport. They offered to give me a ride back to St.
Vincent’s, but since I prefer walking whenever possible, so I opted for a nice
walk in the rain. It was perfect! I was feeling a little sluggish so I stopped
into Mojo’s to grab a cup of coffee on the way back to my room. Later that evening, I met back up with everyone at The Praline Connection. Vicki’s friend from college and her husband happened to be in town at
the same time so they joined us for dinner as well. I hadn’t ordered jambalaya yet so I went with
that for dinner, add a side of collard greens, all washed down with an Abita Amber.
Following dinner we went over to Snug Harbor and caught Charmaine Neville’s
show and capped off the night with beignets at Café du Monde.
Following dinner we went over to Snug Harbor and caught Charmaine Neville’s
show and capped off the night with beignets at Café du Monde. 
Tuesday I had an afternoon flight home, but I made sure to grab
one last cup of coffee and bagel from Mojo’s. I went back to my room to pack up and then
later I wandered down to Stein’s for a delicious Reuben. Vicki and Alberto’s flight was right around
the same time as mine, so the Niebrzydowski’s were kind enough
to allow me one last hitch. I really
enjoyed getting to spend time with Leon, Ann, Vicki, Alberto, and Mike and
getting to experience New Orleans as well! I’m looking forward to the next chance I have
to get back there!
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