Every person should travel the world and do what they love. The world is huge with so many things to see and experience.

I had the opportunity to visit New Orleans, La. attending a journalism conference and took a tour of the town, learning the history of the area and hot spots that make it well known.

Being in New Orleans really took me back to history class all over again. But it was a good feeling, because to be there made everything I have been taught, a true factor.

To trace back in time, Louisiana was founded by the French during the 18^th century, then in 1803 it became U.S. territory due to the Louisiana Purchase and given the opportunity to be a part of the union in 1812. The capitol of Louisiana is Baton Rouge. The state is well known for its excellent cuisine, jazz, and Mardi Gras festival.

On September 17, I rode a bus called “VIP City Tours” that lets tourists experience a two hour ride to sight see around New Orleans. The areas visited were The French Quarter, Treme, The Garden District, St. Louis Cemetery #3, City Park, The 9^th Ward, and Lake Pontchartrain.

While strolling through the French Quarter, I learned the beginner history of New Orleans. Most of it were how the French and Indians fought over the land. To learning that because of the historic area, if new construction were to take place, a law is in place that they would not be allowed to tear down anything, but renovate the inside of homes, restaurants, and buildings.

Going through The Garden District is usually where Mardi Gras takes place. As I rode through this area, the tour guide asked each passenger what are in the trees. Someone on the bus shouted “BEADS!” and sure there were beads in every oak tree dangling high in the sky. The beads are hung through this district all year round.

Once the bus reached St. Louis Cemetery, it then parked along the curb. Each rider on the tour were able to get off and tour the cemetery listening to different tales from the tour guide of why residents of Louisiana are buried six-feet above ground. What I learned is that every family member is buried together forever. Their bodies are not in caskets in the house-shaped-stoned graves.

The last stop on the tour was riding through the areas of where Hurricane Katrina hit. This area was called The 9^th Ward. As I rode through the different areas, it gave me flashbacks of when this storm occurred, as I watched it on the news. Some homes reached up to 10 feet of water. I saw so many vacant homes, a dam where a wall busted because of the intense pressure of water. This year makes it 11 years, and New Orleans is slowly rebuilding the city back up.

My time spent in Louisiana was a great experience, to be amazed by so much this town had to offer. I met a lot of incredible, realistic and humble people, which would be my reason to visit New Orleans again.