Day 8 - New Orleans

We all slept great last night, and got up around 10:00 this morning. We made our way to the local Starbucks for breakfast, and spent a while on our computers before deciding it was time to get some real food for lunch. We went to Adams deli, a local deli and grocery store for po’boys. The sandwiches were great, and just what we craved for, big, cheap, and tasty.

During the morning we had also made reservations for a swamp tour at 2:45. So we left for the tour around 1:30. After an hour drive we arrived in the bayou, at the location of the tour. The tour lasted about two hours, as we cruised through the swamp in our boat full of about 20 other tourists. Our tour guide was great, he told us about the ecology of the area as well as its history. Unfortunately we did not see any 13 foot gators like we had hoped, but we did see two smaller 6 foot gators on the tour. We also saw other swamp wildlife including a raccoon, some blue herons and jumping fish. We were all glad we took the tour, as it put us in the middle of the swamp and its environment just as we had hoped.

We then returned to Zeta Psi where we spent some time hanging out with the 5 or so brothers at the house. After a few hours at the house we headed down to The Boot and got pizza. It seemed to be the place to be for a collage kid on a Friday evening, as it was packed with local students. After spending some time there, we decided to head down to the French Quarter for the rest of the night. We took the long trolley ride down, and when we got there the streets were even more crowded than the night before. However the novelty of the area had somewhat worn off for us. We didn’t stay long in the French quarter and eventually took the trolley 

back and called it a night.

Day 7 - Atlanta, New Orleans

We started our journey from Atlanta to New Orleans just after 9:00 eastern time. We travelled through Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and finally new Louisiana and arrived at Zeta Psi at Tulane around 4:00 central time. We met a few of the brothers who gave us good information on what to do and where to eat for the rest of the day. We started out by touring the Tulane campus. We were all impressed by the campus as it was surprisingly beautiful. After touring campus we walked back to the house where we cooled off and relaxed to prepare for the night to come.

We ended up leaving around 5:30 for the French Quarter. There was a trolley a few blocks away that runs to Bourbon Street and back, so we jumped on it and headed towards downtown. The trolley was slow, but it got us to where we wanted to be.

 We walked along Bourbon Street and even at 6:30 there was already a lot of energy in the streets. The only place we could compare it to was Las Vegas. We went to eat at the Gumbo Shop which was recommended to us by the guys at zeta psi. It did not disappoint as we enjoyed our jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice. After eating, we went and walked down by the Mississippi river where we watched steam and tug boats float down the river. We then returned to Bourbon Street where we enjoyed the rest of the night listening to jazz and the blues in the festive atmosphere of New Orleans, before taking the trolley back home around 11:00

Day 6 - Atlanta

We started our day today by visiting Lenox Square in Atlanta, a popular mall in the area. After spending some time at the mall and eating lunch we decided to visit Piedmont Park. We walked around the park and found a nice spot to sit and rest, I even took a short nap in the grass. Afterwards we decided to drive to the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta. We later learned that it was the neighborhood with the highest crime rate in all of Georgia. Driving through the Bankhead neighborhood was an eye opening experience for all of us, and made us realize how fortunate we really are.

We then returned to delta sig at Georgia Tech for a short while before heading to the Braves game at Turner field. We got to the stadium around 5:00, two hours before first pitch. We spent that time exploring the stadium. We also ran into an usher named Roger who made our nigh at the ballpark. It turns out that he graduated from the University of Washington in 1976, and played football for four seasons there. He told us all about the history of the Braves and Turner Field, and we could tell he was very passionate about the game. He also told us to come back to his section (just above the Braves dugout) a few innings into the game. After getting Georgia dogs (hot dog with coleslaw and sweet onions) in the stadium, we made our way to our seats in center field for the first pitch. We stayed in center field for two innings before we went to visit Roger again. 

When we came back he had seats for us in the 23^rd row above the dugout. These were great seats compared to center field. We thanked roger profusely. It was obvious that he enjoyed talking with us and sharing the history of the Braves with us, but we enjoyed soaking in his knowledge just as much. And as Jack stated “he was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met”. The braves won the game 9-1, behind solid pitching from Jair Jurrjens and home runs from Chipper Jones and Dan Uggla. We then returned to delta sig for the night. We have our longest drive of the trip so far tomorrow, to New Orleans which should take us around 8 hours.

Day 5 - Myrtle Beach, Bishopville, Augusta, Atlanta, Georgia Tech

We all woke up around 10:30 this morning after a fun night in Myrtle Beach. We ended up checking out of our hotel and leaving for Atlanta at 11:00. The traffic getting out of Myrtle Beach was awful, as it took us nearly an hour to get up to full speed. We stopped a Waffle House (they seem to be everywhere here) for lunch. It was a great deal for the food we got. Along the way to Atlanta we also stopped at Pearl Fryar’s garden in Bishopville, South Carolina, as well as at Augusta National golf course in Augusta, Georgia. However the golf course was closed and was surrounded on both sides by thick bushes and fences, although we did get a glimpse of the clubhouse.

We finally arrived in Atlanta at Delta Sig at Georgia Tech around 7:30. After talking with some of the brothers there we decided to go tour campus. The first place we visited was the football stadium, which was a block from the house. There was an open gate so we got to go into the stadium and walked around inside, which was pretty cool. Afterwards we played some basketball with some local kids, on a court on top of a parking garage, adjacent from the stadium. We had a great time playing basketball with them, and I’m sure it will be an experience we will remember for a long time. After touring the rest of campus and fraternity row we decided to head to dinner. After a long search and what seemed like driving all around Atlanta, we found a Chinese restaurant which we all enjoyed. We returned to delta sig for the night and watched the Mariners game before going to bed.

Day 4 - Myrtle Beach

 We all got up around 8:00 am this morning and left delta sig and Raleigh around 9:00. We went to Starbucks for breakfast and wi-fi, so we could upload pictures and update the blog. We then drove to Myrtle Beach South Carolina where we arrived around 1:00 pm. We couldn’t check out until three so we spent some time walking on the beach. It was very crowded with lots of patriotic and overweight Americans. After checking into the hotel we went to lunch and when we returned we hit the beach again. We swam at the beach until around 7:30 when we went to dinner. We then spent the rest of the night on the beach watching the fireworks. The beach was packed with people and there were fireworks everywhere. It was a very festive atmosphere and a great place to spend our fourth. Tomorrow we will leave for Atlanta.

Day 3 Photos

Day 3 - University of Virginia, Chalottesville, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

Matt and I started our day at 7 am by going for a run around the University of Virginia campus. Even in the early morning, it was very humid and fairly warm. We ran to the football stadium and eventually after getting turned around a couple of times on campus, found our way back to the hotel.  After a short breakfast, the four of us went to tour UVA. We spent until about noon visiting the campus including visiting Thomas Jefferson’s rotunda, the outdoor amphitheater, residence halls, the student athletic center and the football stadium. Overall we were very impressed by the campus, and we all wished we could spend a semester there.

After lunch we toured Charlottesville shortly before departing for Raleigh, North Carolina. We left Charlottesville around 1:00 and arrived in Raleigh near 5:00. We then visited the delta sigma phi fraternity at North Carolina State University where we are staying the night. However the fraternity was actually about a 10 minute drive from campus. After touring the house we headed to the NC State campus. We were unimpressed the campus which was very large and spread out. We then found fraternity row, which was also on campus, but we were also unimpressed. We were all happy we decided not to attend NC State. However we visited the football stadium later (which was a 10 minute drive from campus) and were very impressed as it was a very nice stadium.

By this time it was around 7:00 and we decided it was time to head to “The Pit” for dinner. We had high expectations due to its appearance on man vs. food as well as personal recommendations. It was very crowded when we arrived and when we asked for a table we were told there would be an hour and a half wait. We said we would wait without hesitation. To pass the time we went and visited the capital of North Carolina which was only a few blocks away.

The meal did not disappoint we all got “chopped barbeque” with various sides including grits, mac n cheese, coleslaw, baked beans and collard greens. The pork was great, and we all concurred it was the best we have had. It was very moist and packed with flavor.

We then returned to delta sigma phi fraternity for the night, which was a little bit creepy as we seem to have the whole house to ourselves. Today was also very warm as it was 98F when we arrived in Raleigh.  Tomorrow we are planning on leaving around 9:00 am for Myrtle Beach.