WHATEVER BRINGS YOU DOWN HERE WON'T KILL YOU

Some things just seem to be quintessential to get a proper experience of New Orleans. Sampling the local cuisine is obviously one of the must do things, so I ate. There were menus that boasted family recipes that were over one hundred years old, so I sampled. Gourmandizing the Gulf would obviously grow to be one of my favorite pass times. First there was the more typical food fanfare, such as fried green tomato Po'Boys with shrimp rémoulade. Other local favorites would be red beans in rice, stick to your ribs tasty. It was a good introduction before moving through other touristy things, such as gumbo and Southern Fried alligator bits. Venturing still deeper into my exotic eating exploration, I'd find delight in Louisiana Crabmeat Cakes with Crawfish cream sauce. Pushing still further, Cajun alligator sausages "Atachfalya" according to the menu mad my jaws snap with gator pleasure. Unknowingly another be a creature would that would be provide the pièce de résistance, my ultimate favorite would be the turtle soup.
One of the next tests for local acceptance is if you're fond of the local brew, so I drank. The beer of choice seems to be Abita Amber, now I took to it in an instant. Most of the times it's better than the drinking water and goes down more easily, that's why they invented the stuff in the first place. My findings at large would be it's best in the bottle as opposed to on draft, so I drank. Another touted local beverage is Sazerac, it's New Orleans origins stem back to pre-Civil War times to the 1830's. Legends report it to be the the first cocktail invented in America, though the recipes vary. It's a drink that's done neat, for some odd reason they fill the glass with ice and absinthe only to discard it. Then they do a muddled mixture of Rye-Sugar-bitters and lemon peel garnish. Wasted absinthe aside, in the end my  concern was it had whiskey...so yet again I drank.

NATIVE EASY

Instantaneously I was ushered in as a Big Easy native. Numerous people would swear by the fact they had either seen or met me before. This trend began only hours after arriving in town, all I can easily assume is it will extend into the future. One particular native girl, whose family had been here since 1732 about the time the city became a Royal colony of France, greeted me the best. "Welcome home" she said "may your journeys away be infrequent and not for long." With that sort of stamp of approval on Friday the 13th everything seemed set.
To me my arrival was like a fist full of voodoo, ready made to haunt the French Quarter. Since so many people instantly  claimed familiarity with me, it sent my imagination a haunting. What if there was a Voodoo Zombie Priest that I resembled that walked the Quarter late nights? Baron Samedi where are you?
What I knew was, the dark culture here was going to be a sure fire inspiration. My pointed shoes were already headed in the right direction.

FRIDAY THE 13TH EVER AFTER

From Gotham to the Gulf was how I set out my journey. I knew it should be a hot day mid August and Friday the 13th would provide my fuel. Running on absolutely no sleep I would leave my native Manhattan behind. Searching for fun and adventure & few dollars more, it was off to New Orleans. Upon first arrival, site unseen even, I was welcomed by a purple house. My sleeping chamber would also contain walls and floors of that same Royal Hue. Squitas were in a buzzing & biting frenzy, fastening up a crimson net around the bed was in high order. This canopy would supply some protection while dually making me feel like a little princess. This next month was surely going to b a challenging in more ways that one. But I was welcomed in by my housemates, two lovely women that broke out  2  bottles of Champagne, Sausages, Goat Cheese & ridgy potato chips.