We're taking a road trip! I haven't been in a car for longer than it takes to get to Cedar Point since we moved to Chicago in 2008. At first this sounded like a really romantic idea—drive the Bourbon Trail, spend a few nights in the French Quarter, lay face down in the white sugar sand of the Redneck Riviera—but now I have severe anxiety-related acid reflux, which isn't romantic at all.
However, nothing relieves stress like a few hours list making, so my I present: OUR ITINERARY!
Day 1: Monday, July 23
Chicago ➞ Bourbon Trail
☛Visit Heaven Hill Distillery and help Paul pick out a barrel by saying things like, I don't really like whiskey straight; dusty bottle hunting; a round of Seelbach Cocktails at the Seelbach Hotel; dinner at St Charles Exchange; more drinks at The Silver Dollar.
Day 2: Tuesday, July 24
Bourbon Trail ➞ Nashville
☛ Visit Four Roses Distillery and warehouse for barrel-picking; hightail it over to Buffalo Trace Distillery for more barrel-picking; hit the road for Nashville; check into Hutton Hotel, where we'll meet Timmy (!) for dinner at Catbird Seat (hopefully) and drinks at Patterson House. Somewhere in there we'll also fit in a round at Holland House Bar & Refuge.
Day 3: Wednesday, July 25
Nashville ➞ New Orleans
☛ Breakfast at the Jack Daniels Distillery; road dog it down to New Orleans and check into The Roosevelt Hotel before diving head first into a frozen Irish Coffee at the Erin Rose.
Day 4: Thursday, July 26
New Orleans
☛ Watch out: Cure, August, Dominica, Bellocq, Bar Tonique, Soda Shop, Arnaud's French 75, Cochon, The Swizzle Stick Bar at Cafe Adelaide. We're gonna eat/drink everything in your bar/restaurant.
Day 5: Friday, July 27
New Orleans
☛ John flies down and meets us for a night of fun (but not too much fun) in the French Quarter. I've never met a person who loves to eat boiled underwater creatures as much as my brother, so I'm sure dinner at restaurant that requires eating off of a red and white laminated picnic tablecloth will be in order.
Day 6: Saturday, July 28 - Day 7: Sunday, July 29
New Orleans ➞ Navarre, Florida
☛ Drive my two favorite boys to the beach, as they will surely be hanging their still-drunk (John) and terminally hung-over (Paul, age 41) heads out the window. The main purpose of this visit is to wish my grandma a happy 80th birthday (!!!), but I am also intent on recreating this photo:
Day 8: Monday, July 30
Navarre, Florida ➞ Chicago
☛ It's a long one (916 miles!) but between the three of us, we'll force those 16 hours to fly by with a We're making memories! mantra.
