New Orleans 2013 - Sunday and Monday (AKA Shopping fail and Plantation win)

At Oak Alley Plantation

Now we come to our final two days in New Orleans and the surrounding area.  Sunday was a day to be dedicated to Mother's Resturant, Cafe Du Monde and shopping.

Lets work this day in reverse a bit.

So, Leanda likes to shop.  Who doesn't?  So I pull out the (mostly) trusty AAA guide.  Six miles of shopping to be had on Magazine Street!  Awesome!  Let us shop.

Fast forward to two tired people and no shopping.  This is strange says we!  We get back to the Quarter, and inquire as to the shopping on Magazine Street.  That's when we find out there is shopping... another couple of miles out from where we turned around.  One taxi cab ride later we arrived at Magazine and Washington streets.  Fairly ok shopping.  Nothing for me, but Leanda made a killing.

So, back to the beginning of the day.

We stolled over to Cafe Du Monde, known for its beignets and cafe au lait.  Beignets are basically fried dough... French doughnuts COVERED in powdered sugar.  If I'm honest, they were ok.  Nothing spectacular, but the ambiance and the company more than made up for it.

More exploring, then over to Mother's for some po'boys.  I got their Famous Ferdi Special (ham, turkey covered in debris).  Leanda once again noshed on some jambalaya.  Good food.  HUGE menue, so more to try the next time we are down there.  And we will go back.  Probably when Owen is a bit older and can appreciate the city and its history.  Our culinary day wrapped up with a light(ish) dinner at Bistroux, a hotel restaurant not far from our lodging.  I got a cuban sandwich and a drink known as a Pimm's Cup.  It was an interesting gin based drink.  Not sure I'll ever drink it again, as it is something of an acquired taste.

Monday we hopped into our rented Chrysler 200 (when I was expecting a Chevy Spark (or something similar)) and headed outside the city to visit Oak Ally Plantation.

An alley of oaks... get it?

Oak Alley Plantation is a sugar cane plantation situated on the Mississippi River.  Very picturesque.  Took a tour of the house, and learned a lot about the history of plantations in Louisiana.  A very different way of life from that of New England during the same period.  This is just one of the many plantations that you can visit, and I recommend this one, or any for a step back into history.  After a light snack of pecan ice cream, we headed for the Abita Brew Pub

One of the residents

Turns out the Abita Brew Pub is closed on Mondays!  Ah well.  Instead we hit a place called Zea in Covington, LA.  I chowed down on fried catfish, hush puppies, grits, rice and beans.  Leanda had a portobello panini.  VERY good food, almost glad the brew pub was closed.  The catfish fell apart if my fork got even remotely close to it.  If I'm ever near one of these again, I will pay a return visit.

And thus completes our adventure in New Orleans.  Tuesday was a super early wake up, near miss of a flight in DC and home.  We both really enjoyed New Orleans and look forward to returning again someday.

New Orleans is still recovering from Katrina and its aftermath.  But this is no reason not to visit.  Don't believe the negative stories you may here.  Visit once, and you'll fall in love just like we did.

New Orleans 2013 - Saturday (AKA In which we learn the real reason New Orleans buries above ground)

New Orleans, Day two.

Another day of exploration and excitement to be had in the city of New Orleans

This is a robot move...

So, we spent part of the morning exploring Jackson Square.  There was a great selection of artists and street performers (like the gentleman above).  Its a great place to just hang out and people watch.  Set against the back drop of St. Louis Cathedral  and a giant statue of Andrew Jackson.

We then descended into the macabre by taking a tour of St. Louis Cemetery No.1.  New Orleans is know for its above ground burial system.  Why is this, you ask?  High water table?  Nay say I!  Or, more accurately, so sayeth the Jedi that led our tour.

Yes, that is a tour guide dressed as a Jedi.  See, thats what happens when you take a tour on May 4th.  Also known as Star Wars Day.  Oh, and he's in front of the future resting place of Nicholas Cage.

So, why do the denizens of New Orleans bury primarily above ground?  In short, space.

See, when a person is interred, they are sealed in the crypt for one year and one day.  This ensures going through a New Orleans summer. Turns out these crypts act as ovens, and the bodies are naturally cremated.  This is how there are many generations residing in one crypt.  Our tour guide, Duffy, gave an estimate that there are more dead in New Orleans than living.  Kinda creepy.

Should you find yourself in New Orleans, look up Haunted History Tour.  Take one of their many tours.  You won't be disappointed.

So, now we are hungry.  We strolled back to Jackson Square, and walked into the Corner Oyster House for some lunch.  Oyster po'boys were eaten, Abita Purple Haze drank, and pecan pie was enjoyed.  Holy Hell.  I've never had pecan pie before that day, and now I have a brand new desert obsession.  Once this diet is done, pecan pie shall be made.  Leanda had some tasty mozzarella sticks and a salad.

This place.

Another great day in New Orleans.  We walked all over the French Quarter.  I may have mentioned this, but we really like this area.

Finally, we embark on an epic shopping trip and escape the city to explore a plantation.

New Orleans, LA 2013 (AKA No, we did not go for Jazz Fest)

For our anniversary this year, the Mrs. and I decided to head on down to New Orleans.  Neither of us had been there before, so it seemed the perfect place to visit.

First, a quick explanation of the Jazz Fest part of the title.  Turns out there is a huge Jazz Fest in New Orleans every year, and this year it happened to be the same weekend we were visiting.  Every local (and some fellow visitors) asked us if we were there for Jazz Fest.

We were, however, there to sample some of the fine local eating.  Oh, and explore.  But there was eating to be...  eaten.

Friday

View from our hotel, The Hotel St. Pierre

Chilling out at Bourbon Heat

Acme Oyster House.  Pretty good food here

Once we arrived at our hotel, The Hotel St. Pierre we headed into the maelstrom of the French Quarter.  We really loved exploring the Quarter.  It has tons of character and fantastic architecture.  Oh, and food.  I think I've mentioned this.  Lots and lots of bars too.  They're open 24/7 and there's a open container policy, so all sorts of people are walking around all hours of the day drinking.  Bit of a culture shock there.

So we started our culinary adventures at a place known as Bourbon Heat.  Seeing as this was our first meal, I kept it light.  Alligator sausage with creole mustard and a side of sweet potato fries.  Very tasty.

We then explored the French Quarter for a bit before heading off to dinner at Acme Oyster House.  I had first heard of this place while watching Man vs. Food, and since then always wanted to try it out.  I didn't get oysters though.  Seeing as they can be pricey, I did not want to order a half dozen oysters only to find I did not like them.  So I played it safe and ordered a crawfish tail po'boy with a side of gumbo, washed down with an Abita Turbodog.  The po'boy was ok.  Gumbo was fantastic.  And the Turboog was a recommendation that I'm glad I followed. For desert I enjoyed a Pecan Cobbler.  Now that was tasty.

And that ends our first day in New Orleans.  Stay tuned for my entry on Saturday, in which more food is sampled and we see where Nicholas Cage will someday rest for all eternity.

Epic Vacation Part 2 - The Cruise

So once we arrived in Tampa and boarded the ship, our adventure was on!  The first day was a relaxing day at sea, spent exploring our ship the Carnival Legend.

Not much happened, but that brought us to..

Yup, this is the place

Cozumel
We did not do a lot here other than walk around and look at all the shops.  If you want good quality jewelry for a good price, this is the place to go.  We had lunch at Senor Frogs, but what happens at Senor Frogs, stays at Senor Frogs.

Sign outside the port

Belize

Altun Ha

This fulfills the #33 on my list, Visit another country with a family member.  I technically did it with three, but Leanda and my sister went off on their own to do some crazy zip line.  While they were off doing that, my brother-in-law and I took a tour of Belize City, and a tour of the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha.

Look kids, its Doc Brown

And here endith the talk for today.  Cozumel was what I remember of it from the first time I went.  Lost of shopping.  Belize was beautiful.  A young country that is fiercely proud of its history and heritage.  The ruins were amazing and almost overwhelming with their age.  I would like to revisit each country again in the future. 

Epic Vacation 2011

So recently I went on a vacation that consisted of a road trip to Tennessee.  We then went onward to Florida, where we boarded a cruise ship at the Port of Tampa and sailed around the Western Caribbean.  That's a story for a later post, as it will also tie into one of my 61* goals.

The road trip started at about 10PM ish, with a late meal at a local eatery.  From there we pointed our 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis (hey, we ride in style) and headed south west.

Sunrise in Virginia (ish)

Soon after we stopped in Rural Retreat, Virginia and had breakfast at a lovely hole in the wall whose name escapes me.  However, I do remember the AWESOME grits I had there.  And a very tasty meat stuffed omelet.

We finally arrived at our Tennessee destination.  And we slept.

Me in Tennessee

The next day, our guide (my cousin) took us around the area.  Nice area, lots of mountains and green.

I used to have this in plastic.  I love antique shops.

 Oh, and then we went to an awesome place.  A boot store.

They were buy one get two free.  So, we bought some.  And by we I mean, me, my wife, my sister, my brother in law and my cousin.  It was awesome.

The next day we headed out again.  BTW, it seemed to take forever to get through Georgia once we were south of Atlanta.

After lots more driving we finally arrived at our hotel.  We rested and prepared for our cruise.