NOLA on my mind

Over break, the three of us and our little dog hit the road for New Orleans.

It's possibly my favorite city, though I love lots of cities. I just feel the most at home there. Erick and Sophia love it, at least they love it in the winter. I am pretty sure Sophia would want nothing to do with summer in the south.

We hit some of our favorite spots - like the hot dog joint on Magazine Street.

Our dog likes Dat Dog. He also likes Magazine Street. He always makes friends there and gets lots of loving. But the hot dogs are definitely his favorite part.

In all the times that we have taken Sophia to New Orleans, we have never taken her to the Audubon Zoo. That's strange considering the zoo was one of our favorite things from our first trip down there in 2002 (honeymoon). We fixed that this time. It's a really great zoo. And what would a zoo in the swamp be without some baby gators?

Another new thing for Sophia was an evening in the Marigny. We spent the evening on Frenchmen Street, listening to live music in a club and on the street. It was my favorite evening of the trip, and that's saying something!

We had a great visit in New Orleans, as we always do. Soaking in the sights, sounds, smells of a unique and delightful place.

Hanging with these two is always the best part!

Vacationing with Leo

Taking our little dog, Leo, on vacation with us was probably one of our biggest concerns. He's a lovely guy, but the longest he's ever been in the car with us is four hours, and he doesn't love it. Add to that our concern that Sophia wouldn't sleep in the back seat while he was there with her, and we were hoping it wasn't a terrible idea. 

Within the first hour of leaving home, Leo had growled at Sophia to get off him as she tried to lay down. She had complained that he was taking up too much room and she couldn't get comfortable. We were more than a little worried at this point.

Then... I don't know what shifted. Either they both finally got tired enough or they just accepted their fates. Regardless, they settled in, and never had any trouble again.

Having Leo with us was actually quite wonderful. In New Orleans, since it wasn't raining, we ate almost all our meals on patios, which meant that he was welcome to join us. He did so in a very mannerly way. He was charming to all and pleasant for us.

Here are Sophia and Leo in the lobby of our hotel. The Hotel Indigo is very dog friendly. During our first couple of trips through the lobby, we counted six or seven canine guests, all sweet and friendly. None quite as cute as our own, but then...

While we were in Gulf Shores, we didn't take him out to eat with us, but we had lots of time together. He loved hanging out on our deck watching the waves and the seagulls. He also loved running through the sand like a crazy dog.

Mostly, though, he enjoyed the same thing he enjoys at home: snuggling up on the couch.

Overall, I'd highly recommend traveling with Leo. He's a great companion. Sophia is very interested in taking him on our next flight, but that's an adventure that I'm not so sure about.

Winter Break Vacation

     Hi this is Sophia. Yesterday I got home from my winter vacation! We went to New Orleans, and Orange beach. New Orleans is always an amazing time. It is a ten hour drive to New Orleans, so that is never super fun. But the experiences you get there are 100% worth it.We stayed at a regular hotel with one room, one bathroom, and one tv. We went to a place  called Preservation Hall. At Preservation Hall they get jazz bands to  come. Sense I am a  kid I got to sit right up front. The main performance area is the size of a large dinning room! The whole thing looked like a old house. The paint on the outside was chipping, so it looked brown. Or maybe it was painted brown, I wasn't really sure. There was no snacks, or water inside. But the music made up for it all. It was amazing. It is a 4 hour drive to get to Orange beach. Orange beach is really close to Gulf Shores. I absolutely loved it. Although me and Daddy were sick. Both of us got sick. So our vacation did not turn out exactly how we imagined. But we were only sick for 1 day, so we got to play on the beach a lot. The gulf water is more warmer than other beaches. The sand is defiantly whiter. The sand isn't ruff or super inconsistent. But Gulf Shores and Orange beach, are a mostly beachside condo town. There are some turn offs you can go to, to get to the towns. But you are not by the beach any more. Sense there are so many condos you can't see the water anyway. My room in our condo/hotel was very nice. I had 2 full sized beds, and a tv in my room. But my rooms only view was the parking lot. Then next door to my bed room was a bathroom, ( for me only, un like this apartment with only 1bathroom to share between the 3 of us ) and another bed room ( that was not my mom and dad's) It was were we put Leo's crate so he basically had his own room. witch had twin sized beds ( we did not tell him mine were bigger.) He had the same "amazing" view as me. Plus he had 2 beds , and a tv. Again mine was bigger. down the hall, was the kitchen, witch I am not going to tell about, except it was a average kitchen. If you make a left turn n you are in the living room. Beside the living room is a set of sliding doors. To reveal a balcony over looking the pool and ocean. It has a amazing view. If you go back inside. Go a little past the couch and you will turn left to go into my mom and dad's room. they have a king sized bad, I think. A bigger tv than me. Plus a set of sliding doors to get to the balcony.
    

NOLA Knockdown

This is the Jackson square - in my opinion one of the most beautiful places in new orleans next to the the foggy river and the very beautiful colored buildings, which I got to see in person. Like I said one of the most beautiful places in new orleans. I love new orleans so much. There is a beautiful line of shops right by the back gate of the Jackson square. In front of the Jackson square where this picture was taken on the steps. There is a dance group that performs there call the Master Dragon Showcase. They are what they call an acrobatic break dancing group. If you donate $ 20.00 they will give you a DVD of them performing. It was pretty cool.

You know new orleans just makes you so happy you have to smile. BIG! I mean real big. So big it makes the person next to you laugh, and trust me it will spread from face to face. And if you see it happen it will make you smile even bigger.

NOLA has so much to offer. Like great food, big parks, nice people and an aquarium. Great job new orleans. How can you get any better. Guess what the aquarium has in it SHARKS! This shark is a sand tiger shark with super sharp teeth. There were people in there cleaning the tank. Well actually there was only one person cleaning the tank. The two others had colored sticks to poke the fish and sharks away from the person cleaning so she wouldn't get hurt.

So much good food in new orleans. But the menu at ernst cafe really surprised me. I will bet you think this is chicken but it is not. Guess again. Yes you are right it is alligator. It was surprisingly delicious.

See isn't the river beautiful? Well I think it is one of the most beautiful things in new orleans. I love the way the clouds look so close to the water.



I hope you get to experience the wonders of new orleans like I did.



Written by
Sophia Monroe Creach

I LOVE NEW ORLEANS

I really couldn't tell you how many times I declared my love for the Big Easy while we were walking its streets. Thursday afternoon, my mom and dad took Sophia home with them. Our plan was to come back to St. Louis and get about five hours of sleep before leaving at midnight. It's a ten hour drive from St. Louis. But, seeing as we were like children waiting to go to Disneyland (children who can drive), we ended up just staying awake instead. We watched The Avengers at a local theatre, and got onto I-55. We arrived in New Orleans just in time to eat an early lunch. I'll try not to go into detail about every meal, but it may be difficult. Anyway, first meal was The Gumbo Shop, a favorite of ours. It was great, and everything would just get better from there. After lunch, we did what we would do for the majority of our weekend - walked and walked. We walked every street of the French Quarter. We strolled down blocks we haven't been on before and we explored all of the busiest blocks as well. I don't know when they did this, but the city has now blocked off several blocks of Royal Street for pedestrians during the day, allowing vehicles down Bourbon instead. Then switching those two at night. This change brought out some fantastic entertainment on Royal. We saw jazz bands, jazz solos, contemporary musicians, street performers, an opera singer and many more. Until the rain washed everyone out for an hour or two. Then another group would start all over again. At night, it was much quieter, especially off Bourbon. A new walk for us was into a neighborhood called the Marigny, east of the French Quarter. It's a little edgier and local than that neighborhood. The Marigny is home to the jazz club, Snug Harbor, which often hosts Ellis Marsalis. He's been a jazz musician and teacher, primarily in New Orleans, for more than five decades. He's also father to four currently successful jazz musicians. After doing some research on jazz clubs, we bought tickets to his Friday night show. Marsalis led a fantastic jazz quartet. Watching them communicate and perform together was mesmerizing. Saturday was walking, shopping, eating, drinking, walking. So wonderful. The evening was spent on a tour of the French Quarter with a haunted history group. It wasn't the jump out at you and grab you type of tour. It was a walk and chat about various tragic events in the area that have led to some mysterious occurrences. It was quite fun. There are some stories and histories that I look forward to reading more about. After our tour, we found another place for great jazz, Fritzel's European Jazz Club. Completely different, but absolutely fun. This group was dedicated to keeping people happy and bouncing. They play a short set so the hostess can rotate a new group in for drinks and tips. They were highly entertaining! And hard to get a picture of... All of these things don't explain why I love New Orleans. I don't fully understand, so explaining it is pretty hopeless. It's the one city I know that simply fills me up. I'm satisfied in my belly, my ears, my mind, my soul and my heart. One reason I can name is the people - its residents and tourists both. Mind you, there are some in both categories that aren't easy to love, but, for the most part, everyone is fun to be around. The residents are happy you're there, especially since Katrina. They are interested in your story. They want to share part of theirs, and they're willing to go way above and beyond normal interaction - even if you're not eating at their table or buying their art or coming into their bar. They just make it fun to walk around. The tourists there are a different sort, too. Eye contact is easy to come by and is usually followed up with conversation. We met people from all over the place. We know that because we actually chatted. In lines, in restaurants, just standing around. It's almost like people want to confirm that others are having this same incredible experience. People, in general, are easier to be around in New Orleans. (And it's not the alcohol.) Another reason that I love New Orleans is our own history here. We started our life together there ten years ago. Highs and lows and lots of life later, it still meets us where we are. I love this city. Because I think it loves me back.

Itchy Feet (not literally)

In the Spring (and the fall, winter and summer), I tend to get itchy feet. I want to pack up and head out with Erick and Sophia. It's a chronic condition. Maybe because it's Fat Tuesday and I miss NOLA. Maybe it's because January and February always seem to drain the life out of me. Who knows.

In summary, I'd rather be here:

I don't necessarily want to be in NOLA today because I think actual Mardi Gras might actually taint it for me. I like a reasonable amount of debauchery, but let's not take it too far.

I can't wait till we're all doing this.

But honestly, if I have to stay bundled up, I'd at least like to have a nice view.

I need help.

Here we are now; Entertain us!

My final blog about our trip to the Big Easy will be pretty broad in scope. I'm going to describe to you what entertained us on this quick trip.

This time around, we decided to really make efforts to take in whatever live music we could find. In the past, we have focused on sight seeing or eating or what not. Music was our focus this time. At least that's how we started out. What we forgot to factor in is the sheer entertainment factor inherent in a city that is filled with drunk people, miscreants and people like us. We understand that we're entertaining, too.

The music focus served us very well on the first night. In our previous visits to the French Quarter, we have managed to miss out on the world renowned entertainment hosted at Preservation Hall. Preservation Hall is incredibly diminutive from the outside.

I always assumed it was deceiving and housed a roomy, acoustic stage and hall. I was wrong. It was even tinier than I could have imagined on the inside. There was barely room on stage for the instruments. The hall consists of four wooden benches and a few floor pillows. As we walked in, we were welcomed by a friendly cat. "Intimate" would be a great way to describe Preservation Hall.

Many acts have played there, but the venue is home only to one - the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. On Friday night, we arrived in time to get seats for the first set at 8:15 and we stayed until about 10:00. The cost was only $10 per person for all three sets (they played till 11:00). The Jazz Band was outstanding. It was made up of a handful of old timers on sax, clarinet, piano and drums, and one young (comparatively) trumpet player.

They were really a pleasure to listen to. They clearly had a great rapport, and they were open about not rehearsing together, which made their performance all the more entertaining. I can guarantee that we won't miss another opportunity to take in such great jazz.

We finished that night by walking down Bourbon Street and observing the usual debauchery and foolishness. Nothing too interesting to report that evening. We were actually quite disappointed at the lack of crowd, when comparing it to our previous visits. We hadn't been since Katrina, and the city has yet to fully recover, even in the touristy areas.

Our final day was entertaining from start to finish. I mentioned the banter at Clover Grill, which started our day. For the rest of the day, we were just pleased to see a more busy and bustling city full of interesting people carrying on interesting conversations.

In the evening, we headed onto Bourbon Street and enjoyed some great live music at some random Blues Bar, which we can't seem to recall the name of (no indication of our state of mind). Talk about great people-watching. This place was great. The house band was actually great quality. Things got more interesting when they brought out their guest performers. Dr. Blues was a little cheesy.

He was haled with a smattering of indifference (a phrase I stole from David Letterman years ago) upon his exit.

He was followed up with a great performer. The Soul Man or some such.

He knew how to get people on their feet. You can imagine the sights and sounds of a group of intoxicated individuals keeping beat with one another on a small dance floor. Good times.

Our final stop for the evening was Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. It's another favorite of ours. It has a terrific history and even better atmosphere. The bar is lit almost exclusively by candlelight and has the feel of an authentic 18th century pirate pub. If only the walls could talk. I'd probably have to plug my ears. This was the most entertaining spot of the night. Complete with a crowd of tipsy bridesmaids & bachelorette, who fortunately weren't inappropriate - just inebriated; an angry drunk yelling profanities about politics and religion at his clearly more relaxed, yet uncomfortable, friends. And finally with a visit with the "world famous Windex Pete." He's the one toasting us from across the street, and his bike is the one chained to the most photographed street sign ever. Bourbon.

He said he was a tour guide and Renaissance Man. He had plenty of stories of the famous people he had run into at Lafitte's and around the city. The entire time he chatted with us, clearly after a little generosity of spirit, he kept his eye on his "classic" bike, saying, "You watch that bike, now." Then he told us how it had been stolen just after Katrina, and he ended up running into the fellow later, who easily returned it. Pete is what makes New Orleans what it is. We didn't feel unsafe with Pete. On the contrary, he was more likely to keep us safe and give us a few helpful hints to guide us safely through our night. I'd love to have more time with Pete one day, I'm just not sure we could afford it! On our next trip, I'd be happy to run into the Windex Man and get the next version of his interesting history.

Our Big Easy Menu

In the past, we have tried a few different approaches to eating in New Orleans. We have made reservations at some great places, laid down the cash and enjoyed a European-style lengthy meal. This time, we decided to put our use of time above the culinary star level. We were very pleased, when all was said and done, with our choices. We got to experience more styles of food this way, and we had more room to enjoy the beverages so readily available in the French Quarter.

I didn't take any pictures of the food or drinks. We just ate and drank. So I may throw in a few random shots just for a little variety.

After checking into our hotel, we realized that we hadn't eaten all day. So we headed to the Gumbo Shop, and enjoyed - what else - gumbo. Delicious, hot, steamy gumbo. Our daquiris were a pleasant addition to the meal.

Afterwards, we wasted no time before tracking down our favorite beverage. The River's Edge, right off of Jackson Square, makes an excellent drink called the River's Edge Punch. Just saying it makes my mouth water. Now, Erick makes a mean rendition of this favorite, but as you can imagine, it tastes even better when drinking it while watching street performers and interesting characters pass by. You can imagine our crushing disappointment when the drink was no longer on the drink menu. Fortunately, the bartender knew just how to concoct this little bit of heaven. We would see Rudy the bartender several more times before the weekend was through. Here is Erick enjoying the River's Edge - from my cup too!


He was "holding" my drink so I could snap this shot of the gutter next to the St. Louis Cathedral.

Planners be ware: the following could irritate you just to read. All of our meals were enjoyed at the very last minute when we realized we were hungry. We wandered around the French Quarter until we found something that met our time, money and taste bud requirements. We checked out Bubba Gump's on the first night. We wouldn't normally eat at a chain on a trip like this, but knowing that the shrimp was fresh helped us make our decision. It was actually a great atmosphere and even better food. We didn't forget that we were in New Orleans, so that's all we needed.

Our unplanned meals took us back to the Gumbo Shop on Saturday, then to the Crescent City Brewhouse for dinner. Again, fantastic luck. Erick and I shared the Brie Platter and a burger. The Brie platter, with roasted garlic and apple chutney, was just perfect. The burger really hit the spot, particularly when enjoyed with their own freshly brewed beer.

A trip to New Orleans would not be complete without a trip to Cafe Dumonde for beignets and milk, since we don't enjoy chicory in our coffee. Just happens to be across the street from the River's Edge, I might add. Oh, and also across from carriage mules like this one.

We only had one breakfast during our visit. We knew exactly where we would go. On our last trip to NOLA, with Paul and Risha, we discovered the Clover Grill. This is just a couple blocks from our hotel, and serves a real southern breakfast, perfect for anyone who needs a full plate of grease after a rough night. Since we weren't in such a situation, we just enjoyed biscuits & gravy and sausage. Of course, the coffee was perfect. It was fantastic. It's really just a pleasure to watch the cook and server interact and banter with the regulars and the first time customers. I love little diners like that. The camaraderie is almost tangible. I don't know if its the tight quarters or shared love of a big breakfast. Regardless, it's a good time.

I think that covers the highlights of our culinary adventures. Snacks and beverages were smattered throughout. Now, on to a diet. Don't ask. Just wish us luck.

Falling in Love Again

Over six years ago, Erick and I made the trip to New Orleans in our 95 Dodge Neon for our honeymoon. It was an experience that we can never and would never want to forget. Full of ups and scattered with downs that we didn't mind, it was the trip of a lifetime. Not only was that trip the greatest opportunity we had to fall more deeply in love, it turned out to be the opportunity to fall in love with a city.

This was our third trip to the Big Easy, and we fell in love all over again. For us, New Orleans embodies freedom, romance and community. Our goal for the weekend was to rest, relax and enjoy each other's company. We jumped into this goal with both feet. We enjoyed great food, fantastic live music and people-watching to soothe the soul. It was really the best trip that we could have hoped for.

As you all know, I had been experiencing a certain amount of dread as it related to leaving my sweet girl for the weekend. Turns out, she didn't share my concern. Each time we checked on her, she seemed to be as well-adjusted and happy as the moment we left. I was certainly relieved. It even added to my enjoyment. I had a better time than I had expected to, since I thought I'd be worried about Sophia. Of course, as Mommy, there's a smidge of disappointment that she didn't pine for my comfort or kisses or special way of doing things. It's a disappointment I can quickly get over. I'm just saying.

Here is our room. The same one we stayed in during our May 2005 visit with Paul & Risha (although P&R had their own room.)

In subsequent posts, I plan to share with you some specifics of our trip. We ate some fantastic food, and enjoyed some heavenly beverages. Then, we also took in some of the best live music, or at least most entertaining people that New Orleans had to offer.

I can honestly say, each time we go to New Orleans, we enjoy it more than we did the last. Not sure when we'll get back there again, but if I can talk any of you into going some time, that would do me some good. I can live vicariously.