Hotel Al

I like to travel, to go to new places, have new experiences, a change of pace. With the pace of life so hectic, trips seem to be getting shorter and shorter. My most recent trip to New Orleans was a whirlwind.

Fly in on Sunday night (in time for the Packers-Giant game). Meeting Monday from 7:30 to 6, dinner with the group from 6:30 on.. Meeting reconvened Tues morning at 8 and ended at 11:45. My ride to the airport left at 12:15. I saw Bourbon Street, literally just saw it.

Luckily for me, the ride back to the airport was amazing. The shuttle was driven by Hotel Al. Al, who had worked for the Hotel Monteleone for 48 years. That's right, 48 years.

He started driving the hotel's limousine and then switched to the airport shuttle. Al was funny, witty and a character. I tried to memorize some of his conversation so that I could use the dialogue later:

"A cacajun is a cajun with a cold."
"During Hurricane Katrina, he slept with an ironing board between himself and his ex-wife so that she would not take advantage of him. "
"At the age of 70, he had learned a new four letter word that started with F, FEMA."

He loved his job, he was proud of his native city and his heritage.

I had the privilege of being in the company of someone who truly enjoyed life.