After I parked my rig, I actually got my knife, safely put it in my pocket and walked into this place. I'm in New Orleans right off I510 not far from Arabi LA where my first stop is in the morning. I have never been here before. I delivered to New Orleans right before and then right after Katrina. But both times I stayed up in Hammond at the Petro off I12.
This place is located on a large piece of property. If you're a truck you enter from the rear on the east side. It's creepy. Not well lit. I found my way up to the main building on the west side by dumb luck. There are NO signs.
It's 10pm at night and there is either an active cross-docking operation in the middle of this t/s or it is out of business and serves as something else. I won't know until the morning. Even with a full moon, I is pitch black. There are only about 10 trucks parked here. This is listed in the '08 Nat'l Truck Stop Directory as a full service "XL" $ facility. But, it's creepy. Did I say that already? Well, it is.
This would be a great place to shoot a movie about crime, gangs, truck hijacking, etc. There are some cars parked here. I don't know who they belong too, customers, employees or gamblers inside losing money. The cars all look like the ones in the flick "Gone in Sixty Seconds."
So, anyway, I walk inside with my knife ready for whatever. There are two clueless security guards standing outside smoking. I go inside the restaurant. It is MT. I'm really hungry. The buffet is bare. Some salad is still sitting there. The sign outside says they're open 24/7. Maybe before Katrina. I find out later back in the truck by going on their website they now close at 9pm. Just as well, because I wouldn't have eaten there, period. It looked just like an old Greyhound station somewhere in Georgia at 3am with no passengers. Weird and really creepy.
I have no food in the truck. I've been on the road for 5 weeks. All my backup and emergency supplies are out. I do have a 1/2 box of really old Sam's Club raisin bran. I could have that in a coffee cup and use the last of the hazelnut creamers I have. Yuk. I'm gonna have to bite the bullet here.
Southern Bell pre-made Tuna for $2.89 and Kleinpeter chocolate milk. Kleinpeter? Whatever. I double check all the expiration dates. Ok, I'm good. I also buy two "breakfast" sandwiches that I will nuke in the morning. Add in a couple of packages of powered donuts and I'm good to go. The total for all this delicious stuff is $19.39. I wonder if that "qualifies" me to park in this creepy place. Yes, that right, they actually charge for parking. I don't know how much - I'm not going to pursue it. I'll just have to take my chances.
I should have stayed at the Pilot or the Shell t/s a few miles west of New Orleans, but I wanted to get as close to my customer as possible. I also wanted to see the city at night. I was surprised how "alive" the place looked. The last time I was here I drove past the stadium and it was horrible. Now, tonight, everything looked, at least from the interstate, kinda "normal." But, I have to be honest, I got kind of an eerie feeling driving through downtown that I've never gotten anywhere else. Again, weird - and creepy!
Want to see this creepy place in the daytime before Katrina? go here: http://www.palacetruckstop.net./index2.html
