Kaelin Lamberson ‘28

I was exhausted after our final tour concert, so I went to bed early the night before, getting a full nine hours of sleep! I had a leftover caramel pecan beignet for breakfast before exploring the French Quarter with Maya A. (we have two Mayas in the group), one of my roommates. We went to The New Orleans Vampire Cafe and drank virgin blood bags (pomegranate lemonade) before going to the vampire boutique next door. Maya bought a crow pin (“The Scavenger”) and postcards. I was convinced that I wouldn’t buy anything and was set on saving my money, but the saleswoman convinced me to buy keychains related to one of my favorite vampire movies (The Lost Boys) and TV shows (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) after I blabbed about some of my favorite vampire media.

We then headed back to the hotel after browsing a bookstore to prepare for the Chorus group trip to the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA). I bought two small, overpriced coffees (an iced latte and an iced mocha) and bonbons, and a large Langston Hughes poetry book.

I also recreated Thomas Willeboirts-Bosschaert’s mid 17th-century oil painting Venus Mourning the Death of Adonis with Iris (Venus) and Eirini (evil-looking cherub), and I think we nailed it!

I really liked the art piece that looks like a rainbow, since it’s made of photographs of the Mississippi River at different depths, and therefore different colors and hues–very creative! The golden artwork, America, is also incredible!

After my tour and one of two coffee stops (Cafe NOMA), I went to the sculpture gardens with Eirini. Then, we went to Cafe du Monde with other Choristers before boarding the bus to the hotel.

At the hotel, everyone prepared for our group dinner at Broussard’s Restaurant and Courtyard with two alumni (yay, Rebecca and Julie!). I ordered New Orleans barbecued shrimp and grits and mousse au chocolat to accompany the appetizers (parmesan crusted asparagus and beignets (crab and corn) and demi strawberry salad.

After dessert, we sang “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” to the waitstaff, receiving compliments and high fives afterward. I then headed to my room, wrote this blog (after having many technical difficulties due to the awful hotel Wifi–thank you, Maya, for lending me your hot spot), packed, showered, and went to sleep, preparing for the travel day back to Cornell.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it!

Con amor,

Kaelin Lamberson, Care Chair, Soprano II, and Class of ‘28 in the College of A&S