Nashville

Miles: 530

Route: New Orleans, LA - Nashville, TN

On Thursday morning we grabbed coffee and beignets to go and headed north toward Nashville for the wedding weekend of Nikou and Mike. We hadn't realized we would be 100% backtracking through Birmingham but I'm pretty sure Alex was happy we stopped in NOLA.

We made it to Franklin, TN just in time to workout and clean up for a southern-style BBQ at Nikou's parents' house. The food was incredible - I've never seen a smoker that could actually hold an entire animal! - and we had a great time meeting some of Mike and Nikou's family and friends.

Friday was deemed our day of grooming: after a few months on the road, Alex was in need of a beard trim and we both needed haircuts to look wedding-ready on Saturday. We woke up early to drop off our dry cleaning and killed time before our appointments by having a big breakfast in downtown Nashville.

Southern breakfast done right at Puckett's.

After some much-needed hair-styling, I searched for a place to get a manicure and Alex headed to the Honky-Tonks with our friends for an afternoon beverage.

Later that night, we met up again with some of our friends for a group dinner at Silo, where we had great food, well-concocted drinks and perfect company. Afterward, we headed to welcome drinks with the bride, groom and rest of the gang back at our hotel.

Not the best quality photo but the best quality people.

Lots of love for the bride from these girls.

We had the best time catching up with everyone on Friday night and headed to bed by midnight so we would be well-rested for the wedding festivities.

Saturday morning it was time for the best food Nashville has to offer: hot chicken. We walked around the city for a bit and then grabbed B-cycle bikes to head to the famous Hattie B's. We had to wait in line - as expected - but it was completely worth it. We would definitely recommend a meal here to anyone stopping in Nashville.

A trip to Nashville isn't complete until you go to Hattie B's for their delicious hot chicken.

After lunch we had just enough time to get cleaned up before the shuttles came to take us to the wedding ceremony. The service was in a beautiful church and it was our first Greek Orthodox wedding. Having been to a number of weddings in the past year, we have really enjoyed seeing the different traditions that all of our friends choose to incorporate.

Mike and Nikou are married!

After the ceremony it was off to Mint Springs Farm for the reception. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was amazing - I was so happy everything worked out so perfectly for the bride and groom! Sadly, we didn't make it to the Honky-tonks for the late-night festivities (I was falling asleep on the shuttle back!), but we had a fantastic evening celebrating with friends. Congratulations Mike and Nikou!

Just posing for the cover of a Brooks Brothers catalogue.

Trying another pose.

On Sunday morning we drove to the farewell brunch to say goodbye to everyone and then headed back into the city to meet my dad and stepmom, who had driven down for the day from Cincinnati.

We had lunch downtown and then walked around exploring for a bit before heading to Opryland to check out the famous hotel. We learned there are two parking options: 0-20 minutes is free and anything more than 20 minutes is $21. We opted for the free option and zoomed through the hotel grounds to peek around. The hotel is massive and beautiful and I'd definitely come back to Nashville to check out a show and stay there.

Afterward, we headed to dinner at Whiskey Kitchen and then on to the Honky-tonks on Broadway.

Honky-Tonks on Lower Broadway.

Fireball shots per Judy's request.

Cutest older couple dancing it up at the bar.

As my dad kept saying, "we hit the jackpot" at the bar we selected for the evening, Roberts Western World. We had front row seats, the band was amazing and the people sitting next to us were very friendly. On top of that, we got to watch some pretty incredible dancing action by the local crowd. After a late night of music and drinking, we headed back to get some sleep before saying goodbye to my parents.

Tomorrow we are off to Charlotte, NC and from there we make our way to Washington, DC before heading back to NYC!

NOLA

Miles: 350

Route: Birmingham, AL - New Orleans, LA

Sarah and I woke up on Sunday morning to the smell of sausage biscuits baking and coffee brewing in the Underwood's kitchen. We really have had the best hosts during our road trip!

We didn’t linger long in Birmingham though - Sarah was very excited for us to get to New Orleans. The drive is only about five hours and we stopped in Hattiesburg, MS at Crescent City Grill for my first taste of “real” Cajun-style cooking. Gumbo and a po’boy? Check!

We arrived in New Orleans just in time for the Giants game so we headed to a bar on Bourbon Street to watch the G-Men take on the Cowboys. At least they managed to get some points on the board…and it’s hard to complain about watching the game from Bourbon Street!

Sarah was able to get her favorite local beer at the bar (and we obviously didn't have any trouble getting a seat!).

After the game, we returned to The Sunburst Inn, our B&B for the next few days, to get settled in. This place is located only a few minutes walk from the French Quarter and is run by two really nice guys - plus the house has a much more Now Orleans-y feel than some of the bigger hotels. Glad Sarah found it!

The Sunburst Inn - definitely a great deal if you're staying in NOLA for a few days!

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the French Quarter and Sarah made sure I tried the local drinks: a hurricane and a hand grenade. They’re both super sugary and super strong! We decided to pace ourselves and call it an early night - we have three more nights here after all!

Halloween is definitely a much bigger celebration here than in NYC. This is one of the many well-decorated balconies we walked past on Sunday night.

First stop on Monday morning: Café Du Monde, New Orleans’ original French Market coffee stand, for café-au-laits and beignets. Both were amazing!

Diggin' in!

After exploring the French Quarter in the daylight for a few hours, we sat down for lunch at NOLA, one of Emeril’s restaurants down here. I can’t remember a time when I was so torn about what to order - besides dishes with shrimp (which I’m allergic to), I would have happily ordered literally anything on the menu because it ALL looked so good. I settled on another po’boy (when in New Orleans, right?) and Sarah got shrimp and grits. Going to need to loosen the belt for the rest of our stay here…

Sarah's shrimp and grits at NOLA.

Full from lunch we decided to take the streetcar to the Garden District so Sarah could show me her old stomping grounds at Tulane. Before boarding the street car we had to stop and get to-go daiquiris though, because that’s what people do down here I guess!

Riding the street car to Tulane.

Tulane has a beautiful campus and, coupled with New Orleans’ vibrant downtown, it is easy to see why Sarah decided to go to school here. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to focus on class given all the city has to offer but somehow she managed!

Obligatory picture by the Tulane University sign.

Sarah found her old house a few blocks from campus, looking a little worse for wear.

One of the many beautiful homes in the Garden District.

No trip to Tulane’s campus would be complete without a stop at The Boot, recently voted the Best College Bar in America. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but it was a good place to stop after our long walk around campus.

Given our beignets for breakfast and heavy lunch at NOLA, we opted for a bit of a lighter dinner and headed to Wasabi, a sushi place only a few blocks from The Sunburst Inn. Our long day had worn us out and after dinner we headed back to get some rest.

Tuesday was a more leisurely day for us - we had a late brunch, caught up on the blog and ran some other errands. By late afternoon we were ready to see some more New Orleans classics and headed back to the Garden District for dinner at Jacques-Imo's. Our streetcar ride was a little more eventful on Tuesday, though - as we were getting close to our stop, a car unexpectedly turned across the track and the conductor was unable to stop the train in time. We rammed right into the car, spinning it across to the other track. Fortunately everyone was fine, but a scary way to start the evening!

Sarah's brunch at Horn's - hard to beat eggs covered with crawfish étouffée!

Jacques-Imo’s was great, as expected. We had fried green tomatoes to start, then Sarah and I split two entrees: grilled redfish (the lighter option) and country friend venison (the opposite of the lighter option). Both were fantastic.

We headed to the Maple Leaf Bar next door to watch Rebirth perform after dinner. The show was awesome - it’s no wonder these guys won a Grammy in 2012!

We managed to get a great spot to see the performance (plus the bar itself isn't too big, which helped limit the size of the crowd).

Once the show was over we had just enough energy left to head to Pat O'Brien's to see some live piano before returning to our B&B to crash.

Today was planned to pretty much revolve around one thing: lunch at Commander’s Palace. Sarah described Jacques-Imo's and Commander’s Palace both as quintessential New Orleans restaurants, but very different. I definitely agree. Commander’s Palace was as formal as Jacques-Imo's was casual (there definitely wasn’t a dress code on Tuesday night!) but the food was just as delicious. We both started with the famous Turtle Soup and split a couple of amazing entrees. Oh, and Commander’s Palace also offers $0.25 martinis during lunch. So, needless to say, it was a great lunch!

I got the pork prime rib - phenomenal.

Afterward we explored Magazine street for a few hours before heading back to the French Quarter. Our final meal of the trip was at Port of Call, a casual place known for their burgers. They did not disappoint.

I feel (almost certainly accurately) that I’ve gained five pounds here over the last three days, but it’s been a really fun visit to a city that’s very special to Sarah. Tomorrow morning we’ll make the drive up to Nashville in preparation for Nikou and Mike’s wedding on Saturday!

Tuscaloosa

Alex and I got a lot of questions and blank stares when we mentioned we were heading to Alabama to watch a college football game. Neither of us went to school there or even have that much interest in college football (GW and Tulane didn't inspire much fanfare I suppose!). But we were excited to attend an SEC game - my first - and spend some quality time with the Underwoods.

Overall the experience was pretty close to what I expected: tons of fans dressed up in all kinds of inspired attire, lots of tailgating, cheering and drinking and an exciting football game (well, exciting as long as you were rooting for Alabama!).

Proper tailgate festivities. I was advised to "dress up" because that's how they do it in the South - good thing the only dress I brought was clean!

Having gone to school in New Orleans I was surprised that alcohol was not served inside the stadium, but I think that was probably for the best - especially since everyone started tailgating about five hours before kickoff!

A lot of red in this stadium!

We convinced a few fellow fans to take a quick picture in between the action!

The game ended up being a shutout, with Alabama beating Texas A&M 59-0, a pretty great way to begin my college football experience!

After the game we drove through traffic to Birmingham so we could have a nice dinner with our friends. We had a great meal at Bottega and then returned home to enjoy a nightcap with our gracious hosts, Andrew's parents. List Underwood even let us try his 23-year Pappy Van Winkle - a perfect end to a perfect day! Thanks again to our amazing hosts!

Tomorrow we drive to New Orleans, which is the destination I'm most excited for on our US road trip!

Life is a Highway

Miles: 1,140

Route: Alamogordo, NM - Dallas, TX - Eutaw, AL

The past two days have basically consisted of driving, sleeping and eating. We left White Sands early Thursday morning, made it to Dallas by evening, then woke up today and drove through Louisiana and Mississippi so we could attend the Alabama college football game tomorrow with our friends (and longtime Tide fans) Andrew and Meredith. Not a whole lot to report about our drive so I'll let a few pictures tell the story.

Somewhere along the way. Seemed appropriate!

We made it to a rooftop bar in downtown Dallas right before sunset. 

Not a bad way to spend a few hours in Dallas.

Dinner in Dallas. Putting Alex's gift certificate to use for an early birthday dinner!

First taste of Southern cookin' at Cotton in Monroe, LA. Not pictured: Pimento cheese and green tomato beignets.

Dinner in Meridian, MS at Weidmann's. Reunited with my college favorite: Abita purple haze. 

Tomorrow we get to sleep in a bit before heading to Tuscaloosa for game day. Roll Tide!

White Sands

Miles: 225

Route: Santa Fe, NM - White Sands National Monument

Sarah and I made the four-hour drive from Santa Fe to Alamogordo yesterday. It was quite a remote drive - we were on state or county roads the whole time (not even one interstate highway) - but the driving was easy and the views of New Mexico's open plains were nice. Plus, we started a new book on tape to keep us occupied.

We had views like this pretty much the whole time.

Alamogordo is a small town that seems to only exist to serve tourists like us who visit the White Sands National Monument and to host friends and family visiting loved ones stationed at Hollman Air Force Base. There are a lot of cheap hotels and pretty much every chain restaurant you can think of (Sarah's actually pretty happy about that part!). We had a quick dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings - not our favorite experience, but the food was good nonetheless - and got to bed early.

We woke up early today so we'd have a full day to explore the white sand dunes that make this area famous. We watched a short video at the Visitor Center to learn how the gypsum sand dunes formed then headed into the park. Given that it is the middle of the week in October, the park was practically deserted...but we didn't mind having the place to ourselves!

The first views of the white sands. Unlike any place we've been before!

Like I said, we had the place to ourselves. We stopped under one of these shelters to eat our lunch.

Sarah took advantage of the open spaces and did a cartwheel in the sand.

After we ate lunch and filled up our water bottles, we drove to the north end of the park to take a hike through the dunes. Unlike other hikes we've done, this one did not have a path - just a series of markers to guide you. We never lost track of them, and there were footprints in the sand to reassure us that we weren't lost, but it did feel a little isolating to be alone in the middle of a desert...

There wasn't anyone else there to take a picture of both of us so we had to settle for solo-shots today.

We passed this plant along the way. Given how much the dunes are moved by the wind each year, some plants have developed extremely tough roots in order to stay put. This one used to be on top of a sand dune, now it stands on its own.

Walking into the desert.

Nothin' but sand dunes and mountains.

At the halfway point of our hike we arrived at the Alkali Flats. Beyond our view (closer to the mountains) is Lake Lucero which is responsible for the annual gypsum creation that eventually becomes the sand dunes.

We slightly underestimated the length of the hike. You would think the signs in the park would clearly explain how far a hike into the desert would be before you embark, but it was not labeled on any of the park's maps. Anyway, we were expecting around three miles but by the time we could see the parking lot again we'd just walked past the five mile marker. Good thing we brought an extra bottle of water!

We returned to Alamogordo for a frozen custard at Caliche's as a reward after completing the long, hot hike. We rested at our hotel for a few hours but then returned to the park for sunset. The welcome video at the Visitor Center notes that the best times to photograph the dunes is at sunrise and sunset - and they were definitely right!

If it weren't still 70 degrees by sunset we might've thought the dunes were snow!

While we were waiting for the sun to set Sarah tried out the sled she bought at the gift shop. Turns out gypsum is a little more difficult to sled down than snow.

Almost sunset...

...and here's the shot we've been waiting for!

Our trip to the White Sands National Monument was an amazingly unique experience and, despite its very remote location, we'd highly recommend it to anyone taking a tour through the Southwest. Tomorrow will be the first of two days of driving to get to Alabama by Saturday to watch the Crimson Tide take on the Aggies.