A short and bad night. Full room again, lots coming and going. I am full awake before 6 am. No reason to stay. Fast check out (just leave the room card) and then the 100 m to the light railway to the airport. Again 3 USD is a reasonable price for an airport connection.

Of course much to early at the airport. It is 7 hours to my flight and luggage check in is possible 6 hours in advance. I get breakfast (1 scone and a bad, watery coffee) at Starbucks (the only thing available). Loading my phone a little bit, which I forgot last night.

Exact 6 hours before back at the luggage check in (Sky Priority is nice and fast), send my luggage and then fast lane through security. I just forgot about the liter bottle of water in the backpack – ups… no loss there.

I tried, but traveling with Priority and a First class segment doesn’t give you access to the Delta lounge (I fly Delta today). And the lounge I could access with my credit card got so bad reviews, that I find one lonely power outlet in a corner of the airport and listen to some audio book and sit and wit (boring). A quick lunch at a Asian fast food place (not very good), and finally boarding starts on the first leg to Atlanta.

Good seats, enough legroom (Comfort+), 9” IFE screen with a good choice of movies. The food service was a snack box wit some Doritos and chocolate, and you got free drinks. A little bit more on a 4 h 40 minute flight would have been nice. But friendly staff. Lot’s of turbulence that made the crew sit down half of the flight (but I didn’t feel any big bump).

At Atlanta it is a fast change of planes (and terminal). Just a big big airport. Not nice at all. But easy to navigate if you know where to go. So 15 minutes after I get to the gate, the boarding starts. Again on Delta, this time on a B757-200 in First class. I am getting tired. Nice seats, 11” IFE screen, same movies but the flight is only a little bit over an hour long. Again the snack box (real food would be nice), the drinks and the staff that has to buckle down because of turbulence.

Finally the plane arrives at the old New Orleans Airport (the new one is supposed to open later this year) at 23:30 local time. The luggage is already there.  Warm and humid – I don’t like that so much. Get an airport shuttle that gets me to my hostel.

OMG… there at 0:25, check inn like in a prison camp. He could have been German. All about rules, where to do what and what not to do (“Only eat at that table!” etc.). I got the first night payed and canceled the last night because of the early flight the 28th. He takes his flashlight ad shows me to the room. No room has a lock! The private that all hostels have for electronics/computers is an IKEA plactic cube that I can brake with to fingers. I combination with no locks at the door – fantastic (irony!). THen there is no light at the beds, no electricity – mobile phone flashlight to find the bed. No place to put your glasses or anything. The hostel is clean and newly painted, but I don’t feel, that my stuff is secure when all rooms are open and you see the high/drunk people come home from the French Quarters.

So I go on Trivago, find an alternative for the hostel (which is difficult on a festival weekend) and book at 1:25 in the night two nights at the Springhill Suites by Marriott just 10 minutes walking distance away… 345 USD for two nights… I hope I can get some money back from the hostel. But I won’t stay here…

This night I have to sleep with my glasses on and my passport etc. under the pillow …