Day 5

Inner Journey: It felt good to have a day to sleep in. Having a free day today, after the busy past couple of days, was nice. Starting out my day I decided to sleep in until almost 10:30 and I felt great after a good night’s sleep. When I woke up everyone was gone, so I had some time to be alone. I reflected on the experiences I have had on the trip so far. Something I have learned from this trip is the importance of having new experiences and being open to change. In life we tend to get into the same cycle of daily life, a ticking clock that never seem to change but keeps moving forward. We start to become comfortable with where we are, and we let our environments determine who we are. Coming to New Orleans has been an experience that I would not change for anything. The music, the art, and the imagination that are pouring out of every street is breathtaking. I traveled to Colorado this summer, and spent some time in the mountains. When I came back I felt lighter. The biggest difference however between this experience and Colorado is that I don’t have my guitar. The entire time being here I have seen countless musicians that are so talented. Music is the way I express myself. I come from a family of musicians and so I know when I hear good music. Music, to me, is so much more than words and chords. It’s about feeling every note. Music is an ever changing alliteration of notes and chords, that have seemingly infinite combinations for how they can be played. Every musician you ever see is not the same as the one before. Like genetics in people, you will never see two musicians exactly the same. Each one has their sound. When someone can play their instrument, regardless of what it may be, and really feel every note coming out of that instrument, in that moment, everything is alright. You don’t think about the past, or the future only that present moment. To me, regardless of where people are playing, whether it be the street or a bar, I find this Nirvana when someone plays the music just right. Music is 10% the notes you play, and 90% of feeling you put into the notes being played. There are only twelve notes that can be played in all music. It’s how you blend and feel different sounds that makes the sound For instance, many guitar players can play a twelve bar blues scale, and it would sound good. However, no one can play the blues scale like Jimi Hendrix. The vibrato, and emotion that came from that man’s guitar have never been replicated. That uniqueness however, is everywhere, and New Orleans is filled with raw talent. This new experience really showed me how importance music actually is in my life. As much fun as this trip has been, my biggest regret is not bringing my guitar. When walking around New Orleans, even when it’s cold, there are 50+ local musicians playing from book stores to street corners. This place is a place musicians, artists, and any creative mind would thrive in. It is a playground for “right brained” people, and with that said I will definitely be back soon!

Outer Journey: Today I woke up later around 10:30. When I woke up everyone was gone, so I showered and did some blogging for a while. When I finally got ready I decided to just walk around and see the city. When I got to the train I didn’t really have a plan so I just got on and decided to ride it to the end of the line. It was a lot closer to the point by Jackson square, the point we usually get off at as a group, than I was expecting. When it got to the end I got off and just started walking in the opposite direction that we had been in for the last few days. I wanted to city something new. The first thing I came across was a record store than had a really good folk band playing. They had a female lead singer that played guitar, a drummer, an upright bass player, one female back-up singer, accordion player, and a person who played both saxophone and trumpet. This was a great find. This band was incredible and I couldn’t believe I was seeing such talent in a small record store. I looked around for a while and found some nice records. The first was Led Zeppelin III on vynal, and the second was an old vynal (in great condition) of Woody Guthrie. When I left the record store I went to a bar and grill that was next door. I met a lady, who was the bar tender, that had come down to New Orleans 20 years ago for a three-day vacation or New Hampshire. She loved the city so much she decided to stay. I ate a Mediterranean burger that was so big that I could only eat half. I wasn’t planning on having a beer at two o clock, but thought it would be appropriate being in a city where you can travel from store to store with an open beer. When I left that bar and grill I headed down the street and met up with some friends to watch a breakdancing show. The people narrating and performing really were talented in their own right. They knew how to make people laugh, and get money out of those people. And they got a lot of money. Probably over 300 dollars in less than 15 minutes. After this I walked around and shopped for a while. Later in the evening myself and five friends went to a five-star restaurant called Emeril’s. We had great service and great food. The bill was a little over 50 dollars for myself before tip. I would highly recommend trying this place at least once! Overall today was eventful. It seems every day that I have been in New Orleans I have seen or done things that really are exciting. This city literally doesn’t sleep. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds.