Our Trip for 5 to New Orleans on $100

It was a typical Friday night in college Station our Sergebutt year. Things were quiet, no one had a date, and we were stuck on campus. Going out beer drinking was about the only diversion we had to look forward to.

Then someone mentioned that Mardi Gras was on in New Orleans and that we ought to go. The problem was that we had $100 between the 5 of us and that seemed to be a mighty small stake for the trip. But, considering our options, it didn't take much cogitation on ours parts to decide it was a darn good idea.

So, I seem to remember that it was about 10:00 PM when we all piled into my car for the 8 hour drive to New Orleans, Of course, there was the obligatory stop at the first bar just on the other side of the Louisiana border and that added a tad more time to the trip. We finally rolled into New Orleans early in the morning and everyone was dog-tired. We searched for and finally found a cheap motel on the outskirts of town. All but two of us ducked down out of sight. We rented a room for two and then pulled around to park out of sight of the office. Inside the room, we pulled the mattress off the bedspring and figured out some way to sleep five on bed otherwise barely large enough for one.

We rested for a few hours and then finally rolled out around noon with high anticipation of a weekend at Mardi Gras.

The first business was to go to pizza hut. We ordered a couple of large pizzas and decided to load them with all the toppings we could to maximize the bulk we were to eat. Unfortunately, none of had any experience with crushed red pepper so we sprinkled it on liberally along with the parmesan cheese. A quick bite was all that was necessary to let us know we had made a serious mistake. The pizza was hot as fire and there was little we could do to remove the excess pepper. But, we had no choice but to eat it anyway since we had no spare money to reorder. We probably spent more on beer to chase it down than what new pizzas would have cost us.

Finally, we headed to Mardi Gras. The French Quarter was a very different place back then. My recollection of my last trip there several years ago was of a place that is growing seedy rather quickly. Back then, we visited little jazz bars, one after another, enjoying Mr. Bojangles-type characters who tap danced for change.

Naturally, money was a constant concern and we rationed it carefully. Fortunately, Boone's Farm apple wine was plentiful on the street for $1 a bottle. That was a lot cheaper that the bars and it was a great way to stay loosened up for watching all of the activities on the street.

Our best show of our self-control came in one of the bars with female dancers, who caught our collective eyes because of what they were not wearing. There was a one-drink minimum and we were seated in the very back of the place. Well, we manage to make our drinks last a good two or three hours each. In the meantime, patrons would get up and leave. By being quick, we were able to gradually occupy those newly vacated seats and gradually work our way up to the bar. Finally, we sitting in the most coveted seats in the house and we had a great time encouraging the dancers.

At some point, one of us convinced the others we had to visit Preservation Hall and Pat O'Brien's to have a real New Orleans experience. (I am pretty sure it was Edderds.) There were long waits at both places but we eventually got in.

Finally, somewhere around midnight, I did a quick inventory of our dwindling reserves. We had $6 between us, just enough to buy gas for the return trip. None of us had credit cards so it was now or never. I remember that night as one of the toughest drives of my life. Fortunately, we didn't have enough cash for anyone to get rip-roaring drunk in New Orleans but I was plenty tired…. and the only one awake in the car.

We arrived on Campus at about 7:30 AM, just in time to make morning formation for chow at Duncan. Actually, Duncan Hall served their best meal Sunday mornings. We had fresh fried eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, grits, OJ - and all of it as much as you could eat. We ate well that morning and slept even better all day.

Tom (TE) Schoolcraft