PART 2:... The last time I lost traction on standing water, the rear violently snapped around (so I always have a chuckle when I see guys on here claim that snap oversteer is a myth in our cars and is only really found in old 911s). This time, however, I'm not sure if it was the good rain tire tread or the 200 lbs of water, engine oil, tools, and luggage in the trunk, but when the rear started to float, I somehow managed to keep the car pointed straight. Being completely surrounded by semi-trucks on I-40 would have led to a very, very bad ending otherwise, and I'll chalk this save up to divine intervention and not driver skill.What can I say about Memphis? It has an amazing food and beer scene, the people are friendly, the women are beyond gorgeous, and there's a ton of culture that you just don't see on the West Coast. We briefly hit the tourist hotspot of Beale Street in Downtown Memphis, but quickly moved on to the local gems — there's so much more to see and explore once you leave the touristy stuff!The food highlight of my Memphis visit was a group of restaurants that share the same owners (also James Beard finalists) called Hog & Hominy, Porcellino's Craft Butcher, and Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen. Gibsons Donuts are also said to be Alton Browns favorite, and super soft and flavorful. And of course, we stopped by a neighborhood hole-in-the-wall for good pulled pork and coleslaw at Central BBQ. Lastly, we grabbed beers at Wiseacre Brewing — perhaps the first brewery I've seen where the male to female ratio was a solid 50:50!After my near-crash experience, I decided to start taking the weather far more seriously than I have in the past 20+ years of my life. The tropical storm warning on TV got my attention, and we opted to drive down in Stephen's 2013 Acura TSX wagon instead of the banana, which I instantly fell in love with. Super smooth, great response and fun to drive, with a good amount of pep and torque — an hour into this drive and I'm starting to feel silly driving across the county in the s2000 — what a night and day difference in comfort.It was an easy 6 hours from Memphis to Nola in the Acura, and we checked into the JW Marriott right as the storm hit — water up to wheel wells and flooded streets all over town.Here's what you need to do in New Orleans:The beignets and chicory coffee at Café Du Monde are required — go at 8am to avoid the crazy lines. Other requirements also include po'boys, oysters, shrimp and grits, and the appropriate cocktails (hurricanes, grenades, sazerac, bourbon, etc.). We also hit an upscale restaurant called Bayona, by the famous chef Susan Spicer, and got the prix fixe four-course lunch menu for under $60 (not including going overboard with our cocktails). Check out the Rodrigue Studio [Blue Dog] and the art galleries and local shops, find some jazz musicians, soak it in.Take a nap after the inevitable food coma. Wake up at 11pm and head out to Bourbon Street for all kinds of debauchery... Now everything you've heard about Bourbon Street is probably true, so I'll leave it at that. My favorite part? Walk past the rainbow flags and the lights start to fade, the crowds disappear, and you stumble upon one of the oldest bars in the country, lit only by candlelight.Inside there's a piano man. Order yourself a purple drank or a hurricane, sit back and relax and watch the hours unfold while people sing along and request piano covers to the likes of "Rocket Man" or "You Can't Always Get What You Want" or even "Bohemian Rhapsody.'" Stumble out at 3am and find an even crazier Bourbon Street than you left it.Next time: make sure to get reservations at the famous Commander's Palace, and bring a damn suit and extra shoes. And get the Café du Monde beignets twice.On our third day in New Orleans, we packed up and headed northbound back towards Memphis. We took the scenic route and followed the winding Mississippi River up the delta — windows down, sunroof open, blasting Naughty by Nature, Salt N Peppa, and other 90s hip hop classics. We drove through bayou country, big towns and small towns. We saw poor and rich, plantations and shacks and trailers and estates. Lots of different people and new faces and a chance to see a different side of America that most of us will never know.This trip forged new friendships and memories, and strained and tested others. I'll be forever grateful to Stephen and his wife for the love in which they welcomed me both into their beautiful home and their beautiful city — thank you!And I'm not sure when it happened — it might have been sitting in Stephen's backyard under the shade of the pecan trees, mosquitoes buzzing about, on an ordinary humid Memphis evening, when he pointed out the fireflies or lightning bugs that I had only ever read about in books as a little boy —Stay tuned for Part 3, my return trip to California!