The Big Easy

New Orleans is much more than the French Quarter with Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras craziness, music, and beignets  -- although all of those are to die for and first-time visitors should never neglect them if the opportunity to experience any of them presents itself.  But what else is there?  Glad you asked.

On the way to West Virginia for Christmas this year with the family, Greg and I first enjoyed a full week in a timeshare trade-in in the Big Easy.

Before, I've had two previous very short visits there under extremely different circumstances:  one was as a very poor graduate student attending a convention, sharing accommodations with other poor students, and the second was also for a convention (my husband's), and I was along for the ride, this time as a new mom, happily sharing accommodations with husband and a stroller-riding seven-month old.  Because both of these forays were tightly limited by meetings as well as by finances, I had only a cursory overview of the area. 

So this most recent visit held promise -- I was going to finally actually SEE the city and what it has to offer.  Although Mardi Gras was long gone, this was the Christmas season, another opportunity for celebrations and decorations. A great move --  before the trip we purchased visitor's passes (still mindful of a budget) that were good for three compressed days of admissions into a broad variety of sites and activities.  

But prior to activating the passes, our first couple of days we spent getting a good lay of the land, which involved a lot of walking and enjoying things that don't require an admission price, such as getting up close with the locals:

Relaxing near the French Market

We strolled around Jackson Square, side-stepping the horse-drawn  carriages, admiring art and chatting with artists outside the square; we browsed in art studios and antique stores, and avoided one rainy hour by walking under the cover of the French Market.

Iconic scene at Jackson Square

We splurged calories at Cafe du Monde for one breakfast of beignets and chicory coffee, listening to the jazz trio that was standing just outside of the patio, and when totally stuffed, we moseyed over to relax on a bench watching the equally lazy Mississippi River.  We jumped on trolleys to check out the surrounding area, including the beautiful campuses of Tulane and Loyola Universities.  And of course, even though we ate some meals in our condo, we took advantage of several of the wonderful restaurants.  One was Cajun, complete with live music provided  by a Zydeco band. 

Dancing the two-step

One attraction our pass didn't cover was Preservation Hall, so we purchased those tickets separately, and one evening, we sat on wooden benches, shoulder to shoulder, and listened for a solid hour to some of the best of what New Orleans is all about:  jazz.  A couple of the performers, including the drummer, looked as if they had been there since the early days.  

Preservation Hall -- waiting for the show

Following this, we made our requisite -- though fairly speedy -- trip down Bourbon Street, just because.  And there Greg bought a huge cocktail to slurp on the way (open containers are perfectly legal.  What a night.)

I'm not going to go into the detail that these following sites really cry out for because I don't want to lose you.  (One important point to keep in mind -- you can enjoy jazz just by being out on the street.  Somewhere, some group or single musician is performing for passersby./  Here is a quick list of what we enjoyed (we didn't make it to everything the city offers, however), but those we did get to enjoy may appeal to you as well.  And they are all covered by the Visitor's Pass):

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (we watched the penguins at feeding time and they showed off for us, sweeping around the perimeter of their glass-enclosed pool;  we entered the parakeet garden area, and the little curious budgies browsed inside my open jacket and inside my open purse hanging on my shoulder, and sat munching on our sticks encrusted with seeds.)

Curious and sweet Budgies

The Audubon Insectarium    (Yeah, bugs.  Greg loved it all and I loved the butterfly garden.)

Sites behind Jackson Square:  St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo (historic building where the Louisiana Purchase was formalized, also lots of interesting artifacts), the Presbytere (another historic building housing displays about Katrina and upstairs are the super-cool carriages and costumes from Mardi Gras).

Left to right, Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral, Presbytere

Quickly now:  we visited wonderful museums, including the stunningly exhaustive but emotional National World War II Museum (you need a lot of time for this one).

We took a two-hour riverboat ride on the Natchez, where we were treated to lively tunes from a jazz quartet, and also to a Christmas performance by local schoolchildren.

We took a drive out of town a little way for a Cajun Pride Swamp Boat  Ride (fun!).  At the conclusion of the trip, Greg got acquainted with our captain's pet, named, appropriately, Alli.  I passed.

As I said, even though we stayed fairly busy, we didn't get to everything.   But a vacation isn't intended to leave us exhausted;  it also can be a springboard into even more adventures, those missed on the first go-round.

My First Ever Painting!

A couple of weeks ago I went to a studio called Painting With A Twist and I liked it so much that I'm going back.  You can check its website -- they're franchised and have tons of locations (at least 80), in several states, clustered mostly in the southeast.  I went to the one in St. Petersburg.  The "twist" is that it's an artist-directed play-date type of activity, teaching students to create a painting in a single two- or three-hour class, the longer one is dedicated to a bit more detailed painting.  So, at the end of the class, I walked out with a completed canvas.

The company provides everything we aspiring artists need:  the easel, canvas, paints, brushes, and even an apron, complete with dried paint splatters, that, when tying it on, I at once felt as if I were already part of the artistic process.

I picked the date and time from their calendar for the specific painting I would attempt:  a Monet-inspired curved bridge over a flower-surrounded pond -- similar to the settings you might have seen of his home in Giverny.  And you probably already know that his style was "impressionist" which is good because that provides me LOTS of leeway when displaying my finished piece:  "Hey, this is MY impression."  But there are thousands of paintings rotated through the months and people who book private parties have the option of picking one that might not be on the regular schedule.  Children's subjects are also available, so there is pretty much universal appeal.

My class met in the morning, but they have midday and evening classes, too, and at any time, students may bring a bottle of wine or snacks to enjoy, and perhaps share (further evidence of their special "twist").  The company provided my morning class with coffee and doughnuts on the serving counter.  One thing in the studio that tickled me was their fancifully painted list of house rules.  Among them, the two I most remember are "Please do not dip your paintbrush in your wine glass," and "Please do not drink your cup of brush rinse water."   I knew that this was where I belonged.

Even without the wine, however, I managed to drop my paper plate of paints onto the floor, paint side down, of course.  The young teacher didn't miss a beat in washing away my mess, saying "Oh, this happens all of the time,"  and I could see the possibility in those wine-enjoyed evening parties -- but coffee?

Anyhow, I had a wonderful time painting my very first canvas which I proudly brought home to my admiring husband.  Yes, he earned points with that.  

My two-hour "Monet"

(*I'm still working on this photo-importing problem, and I still don't have it licked.  My painting is a bit brighter than this appears here.  Oh well.......)