Lunch in New Orleans

Next Thursday, I will be flying to New Orleans for lunch.

On March 24, 2005 I purchased airline tickets for two friends from Chicago to join me in New Orleans for my birthday on June 18, 2005. Neither friend was able to make the flight due to medical complications which meant that since I was the purchaser of the tickets, I was elegible for a credit towards future travel.

Today, I telephoned the airlines to book this years birthday flight and was informed that since the credited tickets were purchased on March 24th of 2005 the one year time period to use the credits was due to expire next Friday which meant I would lose out on over $300.00 in air fares if I don't take immediate advantage of the credits.

On such short notice and not wanting to be away from home next week, I decided that I would take advantage of the flight credits by flying in for a one day stay......

I will arrive early morning which will give me the opportunity to set foot on familiar and much beloved ground. It will give me the opportunity to know that not everything I love has been destroyed. It will give me the opportunity to visually experience some of the devastation and the rebuilding effort.

I will talk with friends and strangers. I want to hear from them the struggles they've encountered during and since Katrina.

I will eat once again in one of my favorite restaurants, The Court of Two Sisters.

I will secure my reservations for June 2006.