On the Road Again
Have you heard the oldie by Willie Nelson “On the Road Again”? If not, you should listen to it at least once. It’s one of those songs that gets stuck in your head, and that’s right where it’s been for the last few weeks… stuck in my head.
Like most of you in this business, we started 2020 with so much work travel on the books we really weren’t sure how we’d be able to accomplish it all. I felt tired at times just thinking about it! If you’ve been required to shelter in place, by now you are probably feeling like us, rested and ready to get “On the Road Again”.
Recently, I’ve found myself reminiscing about our trip to New Orleans for the HPBExpo. It was the last trip we made before being ordered to shelter in place. When we planned our trip to New Orleans, we planned a day of fun and touring the city, and I sought to find a true Louisiana culinary experience.
Like Willie says in his song, Goin' places that I've never been, Seein' things that I may never see again…that was the plan.
We hit the jackpot when all signs led us to dine at the Upperline restaurant. My Southern Living magazine arrived just before Thanksgiving, so I stuck it in the car with us on Thanksgiving Day to peruse as we traveled to have lunch with our family. The first sign, was when I opened the magazine, a full spread on the lovely JoAnn Clevenger and her James Beard Award-nominated restaurant, Upperline. Of course, that page was dog eared right away as a potential spot to visit on our March trip to NOLA. Then, that same day, we were chatting with family and sharing our 2020 travel plans, when out of the blue two family members insisted that if we did nothing else in NOLA, we had to make a visit to a restaurant named Upperline.
Now just thirty minutes earlier I was in the car reading about it for the first time, they didn’t know that, but mentioned it…sign number two. In early January, sign number three really caught me by surprise as I was reading a book Tim gave me for Christmas, by one of my favorite southern writers, Rick Bragg. Rick referred to Upperline as one of the great restaurants of this world. So, the deal was sealed, I was determined that we were going. Right then, I dialed up the Upperline restaurant and guess who answered the phone? Yes, it was JoAnn Clevenger herself. We had a very nice chat and I booked a table for two. Every time I thought of our trip, I could hear JoAnn’s sweet voice in my mind… oh, and dream about the bread pudding I’d read and heard about.
The first of March rolled around and we were beginning to hear of exhibitors and attendees canceling their travel plans to the HPBExpo. We knew we had to go, so we stayed focused on the work to be done and on our plans to enjoy our second trip in the last few years to NOLA. We arrived on a Tuesday. On Wednesday morning we set out for visit to the beautiful Garden District.
That evening we took a stroll down Bourbon Street… just because you should.
On Thursday, we enjoyed surprisingly great attendance at the show and the long-awaited meal that evening at Upperline. JoAnn Clevenger did not disappoint! She greeted us and visited our table quite a few times throughout the dinner. She was truly, as we say in the south, “the hostess with the mostess”! She had an infectious laugh and warmth about her that was genuine and inviting. I took her a copy of Rick Bragg’s book, and at her insistence, I humbly signed it. I confirmed to her Rick’s assessment of her precious little restaurant was indeed correct.
A word to the wise, her bread pudding is worth the trip to NOLA!
I don’t think anyone could really imagine that by mid-March the world as we knew it would be such a different place. There were hints everywhere, but still no real comprehension of the time we were about to be entering. There were the little hand sanitizers that were given out as we registered (which, by the way, have come in quite handy over the last few weeks), and not to be forgotten the awkward elbow pumps instead of handshakes and hugs.
The final event that really got my guard up was the very eerie feeling I had on Saturday morning as we stood on a strangely quiet and empty street outside our hotel in downtown New Orleans awaiting the arrival of our Uber driver to take us to the airport. As we waited, the bellman swiftly walked by grabbing up a valet sign that stood right in front of us. In a worried voice, he said, “You guys are getting out of here just in time. Bossman just told me to shut down the valet service and our whole city is about to shut down as well.”
I believe that little moment on the street corner will forever be a defining moment for Tim and I as to when the world changed. I bet you can think of your own defining moment. It’s hard to imagine what our travels will be like in the future but I know we will all be ready when the time comes and perhaps appreciate it in ways we didn’t before.
Until next time, stay safe, and cherish the time you have with family, friends, and business associates, whether it’s sheltering in place or “On the Road Again”.