A few years ago I was living in the DC area and had never been to New Orleans, but knew I had to get myself there considering the way some of my friends gushed about the food scene. In December I realized I needed a couple more flights to reach my desired status level for the upcoming year. Crunched the numbers and discovered that IAD-MSY-PHL-DCA would give me just enough miles, so I found some reasonably priced flights and went for a single night. Unfortunately, a delay on the way there made my dinner plans impossible, but I still managed plenty of beignets, brunch at Commander's Palace and a to-go order of jambalaya supreme from Coop's Place that brought stares of envy from the FAs on the MSY-PHL leg.

Still need to make it back, as that trip was just enough to whet my appetite.