DAY 100
Week 15
NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana, USA) to PANAMA CITY BEACH (Florida, USA)
Thursday September 28th, 2006
TODAYS MILEAGE – 302 miles or 486 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 13601 miles or 21889 kilometres
What's a hundred days on the road between friends??? 
I didn't get out of New Orleans until about lunchtime, so I just dawdled along through Mississippi, Alabama and on into coastal Florida. So what was my opinion the "Big Easy" you wonder?
Over a year after Hurricane Katrina struck, the city is still rebuilding and peoples lives are returning to some kind of normality. Bourbon Street was not what I envisaged in that the stench of urine, vomit and garbage piled up in the sidewalks - stays with you up and down the street. Common sense would dictate the you at least try and get your major attraction to shine. Those streets have numerous bars, strip joints and souvenir stores and there doesn't seem to be much imagination expended in originality or themes, rather the quicker they get your wallet emptied, the better the establishment felt.
I had a great time exploring the French Quarter, away from Bourbon Street, as the history, architecture, influence of the American Indiana/Spanish/French/African and kaleidescope of businesses made for a fun time just sticky beaking. Although you didn't want to stray too far from the Quarter, as you were in the projects and as some of the locals put it "were fair game". I felt like I was being sized up anytime I neared the fringes of the Quarter. The locals I spoke to said that crime was down post Katrina but they all had concerns, which to me, is not a way to live.
I ate at many wonderful places, mainly at the locals recommendation, but steered clear of the "celebri–chef" joints as I have a hard time paying $30.00 for a plate of anything, especially when the chefs who's names on the building isn't the person banging the pots & pans.
So after 3 days in New Orleans I can honestly say that the town is an enigma wrapped up in a riddle and passed off as a puzzle. It could be so much more, but in some respects, it is so much less, but in a good way. It's a gritty hard edged town with a softer side if you look for it. Was I disappointed, somewhat, but then again I enjoyed my time in the city. I had fun while I was there, but would I return – probably not.
Driving along the coastline with the windows down was just so cruizy and laid back. It's also been a couple of years since I last experienced it and I was just soaking up the memories of wondering around the beaches of Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Sydney, Adelaide, Smoky Bay and the Greek islands.
At the recommendation of Gump, I pulled into Panama City Beach just as the sun was going down. As you can see below, I managed to snap off a couple of pictures from my room at the Paradise Palms Inn before the sun set, then went in search of some food at Dirty Dick's Crab House.
More exploring tomorrow.
• PANAMA CITY BEACH (Florida, USA)