N’awlins (New Orleans, LA)

Creole Gardens Bed & Breakfast, New Orleans, LA

I am about to embark on a series of entries- yes, a series- about New Orleans.  Why is that?  It is quite simple really- there is too much to write in one entry.

On that note, I would like to begin by saying that we visited New Orleans this past November.  My husband had been “voluntarily” bumped on an over-booked flight and we had a flight voucher to use.  After some consideration, we decided we would like to escape for Thanksgiving, but where should we make our escape to?  Four years after Katrina, New Orleans was ready for us and we were quite easily convinced.  Decision made.

Now if I could ask you to visit anywhere in the U.S. that you had never been, I would beg you to consider California and New Orleans; I guarantee you will fall in love with both.  New Orleans is currently crying for tourists to grace the city limits- since Katrina, it has been very difficult for NOLA to attract tourists.

That being said, here are a few trip planning recommendations, should you decide to visit NOLA.  We booked our trip at the perfect time- for a flight in November during the week of Thanksgiving, I booked at the very end of August; it was the lowest flight to New Orleans that I came across (about $200 round trip each).  With our voucher, we didn’t spend a dime on flights, save taxes: my mission accomplished.

My next step was to find an affordable place to stay there (being that we spend most our livelihood on student loans, we are very much “Budget Travelers”).  Since we had a flight voucher, a combined package was not feasible; plus, I knew we really wanted to stay at a B&B.  So I did a little bit of searching on Hotels.com and BedandBreakfast.com and I found the Creole Gardens B&B.  I booked our room over the phone with Creole Gardens directly and I got a great deal on our room- $89 per night (even on the weekend nights) and that included a southern breakfast every morning!

As for my review of Creole Gardens, all I can say is that for the price, the hospitality far exceeded my expectations.  The staff was incredibly stellar and the breakfasts were scrumptious- they even made Thanksgiving dinner for any of the guests that wanted to eat there, at no extra cost!  The rooms are each unique and the whole property is colorfully decorated.  Honestly, if we find ourselves in NOLA again and the Creole Gardens is still in business, there is no need for us to stay elsewhere, even if we have more money to spend on accommodations.  It’s right on the edge of the Garden District and Financial District and a very short walk or trolley ride to the French Quarter.

For more information, visit their website:  http://www.creolegardens.com

That concludes my introduction on New Orleans.  Next stop in NOLA: the restaurants and food.

In the pictures above: on the left is a glimpse of the colorful lanterns and paint at Creole Gardens; on the right is the common breakfast room in the Mansion.

weird Austin (our hopeful future home)

keep Austin weird! (click to enlarge)

This past November, my husband (Sean) and I visited Austin, Texas for the first time.  One evening during the summer, Sean said to me, “I think I want to move to Austin.”  I laughed.  Both of us are from the Northeast, born and raised.  The last place I could have imagined us settling down was Texas- the South is one thing, but Texas is a whole other world!

I decided to do a little research on Austin, as did Sean, and the more we both read, the more we fell in love with Austin.  So, the inevitable next step?  We started making plans to visit there.  We had already planned a small trip to New Orleans and decided to make Austin our first stop.  Here we are now, two months later, doing our best to relocate to Austin.

What do I have to say about Austin?  Well, first of all, it is weird- there is no escaping that!  Their slogan is “Keep Austin Weird” and wherever we went, we could sense the unique nature of the city.  Music is an essence of the city- with numerous venues and colorfully decorated guitar sculptures in the airport (see above photo collage), one can sense that wherever they go.  Austin is also the capital of Texas and as such, may boast a beautiful and proud capital building (again, see above photo collage).  One of our favorite visions to behold each and every evening was the Austin City Power Plant.  Around 5 p.m. each day, the red letters of the plant facility would illuminate the City perimeter and shine for everyone to see!  If you stroll the streets of SOCO- South of Congress Street- there are numerous thrift boutiques to behold with their fun window displays and mannequins.  South Congress street is also home of the famous “Continental Club”, a hoppin’ music club featuring music of the 1950’s to the present (http://www.continentalclub.com/Austin.html).  Airstreams stream the City Limits as little snack shacks and offices; one may purchase a cupcake or a crepe from an Airstream, as well as visit a local real estate group or an Austin Pet Rescue center.

the Mexic-Art Museum, downtown Austin

For the artists out there, I highly recommend visiting Laguna Gloria- Austin Museum of Art’s original location.  It is slightly outside of downtown on the lake and has beautiful grounds, statues, original art, as well as the AMOA’s art school (see photo of the student below and interior shot of the house at Laguna Gloria above).  Laguna Gloria is a wonderful daytime visit of peaceful surroundings, stellar Austin History and the work of local artists.

Last, but not least, a few fun and intriguing things to keep in mind.  This may come as a shock to many, but Austin is home of the largest Urban bat population- that’s right bats!  If you visit Austin during the summer months, it may be very worthwhile to head down to the Riverwalk at the Congress Street Bridge intersection and bring your umbrella (if you know what I mean)- at dusk, approximately 1.5 million bats leave the shelter of the bridge and take flight!  You will likely join the company of other visitors and bat enthusiasts in doing so, waiting to see this spectacular sight!  Sean and I visited Austin in November, so we missed the prime season by a few weeks; however, we were fortunate enough to see hundreds and thousands of birds gathering every afternoon around 4:30 p.m. within the City limits- it was quite fascinating (see photo of birds below)!

Our final impression of Austin was that it is a city of pure wonder!  Currently, Austin is ranked as being one of the greenest cities in the country, as well as one of the prime places to relocate to.  As home of the University of Texas, the possibilities are almost endless.  There is a wonderful culture, heritage, Mexican and artistic influence, and the people are just plain stellar!  You can find great art, music, and Mexican food- an average meal is around $12 each- as well as numerous job possibilities.  It’s no wonder that we want to relocate to such an incredible city as Austin!

Birds of Austin; Student at Work- Art School at Laguna Gloria. (click to enlarge)

becoming a blogger…

the accordion player

For the past year, or so, I have been avoiding the “blog”.  Journal writing has never been one of my strong suits… it is not that I feel I am a poor writer, nor that I feel I do not have anything to say or share with others, but I have never done well with the discipline of continuing the journal process.  That being said, here I am, attempting to start a blog and keep it going.  Perhaps I may share something great and profound with whoever decides to read my thoughts and view my images- and perhaps not.  But it is my goal to get a blog on the road and keep traveling with it; maybe there will be some of you out there who will read it, and if so, I thank you for doing so.

Just for the records, I am a freelance photographer.  There will likely be photographs posted on a regular basis- and if not, please call me to account on that note!  My main objective in starting a blog, in addition to what I mentioned above, is that I have a place that I am posting and writing about my photos and life on a regular basis.

Without further ado, I now intend to begin taking my first steps on this hopefully stellar “blogging” adventure!