Louisiana Vacation June 2012

My sister, two nieces, nephew and I decided to enjoy our summer vacation in Southern Louisiana. I was happy to make an appreciated contribution.

Saturday, June 9^th

Our flight with Air Trans Airways was uneventful but the short window of time between connections caused a minor moment of stress in Atlanta.

My mercy and Dale Carnegie training helped me deal with a minor misunderstanding about the rental vehicle thus saving our vacation. A simple upgrade was easily arranged. The minivan proved to be comfortable and well appointed.

We arrived under an overcast sky that threatened inclement weather. The humidity and warmth was no worse than what Pittsburgh has to offer and was diffused with a cool breeze every so often. The weather overall was dynamic with clear blue sky’s one moment and a short rain storm the next. Navigating the city was interesting and southern hospitality greeted us upon arrival at the Quality Inn on the corner of 210 O’Keefe Ave.

The Zydeco and Cajun music festival was fun and many people danced around the stages. Three outdoor stages near the US mint building provided venues for many notable musical groups. The Creole tomato festival was also underway in the vicinity. Many different food booths offered flavorful samples of Louisiana culinary delights such as creole crawfish sausage Po-Boys.  Jackson Square and the French Market are festive. We spent a good portion of the day soaking up the music, food, and fun.

Bourbon Street and several adjacent streets within the French Quarter are polluted with all manner of wickedness. Saloons, pornography, Voodoo shops, and other unspeakable debauchery have corrupted the city. The single light that towers above it all is Saint Louise Cathedral; however it does not seem to have any appreciable effect.  Intoxicated revelers parade in the street stumbling past barely legal pornography displayed on outside walls. Virtually naked prostitutes, both female and male, exhibit themselves in doorways. The profane religion of Voodoo openly encourages fortune telling and tarot card readings in deplorable shops that proudly display desecrated crucifix. As we walked among this wretched sea of trouble I had the feeling that three angles would suddenly appear demanding that we escape away and that if we look back we would transform into a pillar of salt. Curiosity killed the cat so headlong we waded into it. I took a libation in an effort to experience the full effect. When in Rome do as the Romans do. I dared to tread where angels fear to go.

 It is not my habit to bias negatively so let me draw focus away from the depraved onto those things about New Orleans that charm its visitors. Jazz bands play music on the streets, performers show off their talents in hope to receive an appreciative coin, horse drawn buggies escort visitors on tours, the cuisine is exceptional, and artist can be found everywhere. 

Before returning to the Quality Inn we decided to appreciate a New Orleans must do, Café Du Monde at 800 Decatur Street near the River Walk market. The powder sugar was blown by the wind of the Mississippi River. The beignets and coffee were tasty. Along the river walkway one can see just how broad the Mississippi is. The wind gust felt exhilarating.

Our hotel suggested the Oceana at 739 Conti Street for dinner. The jambalaya, red beans and rice and other menu items were scrumptious; it comes recommended.

Sunday, June 16^th

I got an early start today and decided to visit the city on my own with camera in hand. The early light gazed favorably upon the city. I walked a loop down to Bourbon Street then to the Cathedral and back around to the hotel. Efforts are made by early morning work crews to clean the streets after a long night of debauchery. French bread delivery trucks make their rounds. Several diehards roamed the streets like zombies. I had just enough time to capture a few images before a tempest moved in.

After taking a few moments to appreciate the hotels complimentary breakfast we had enough time, before brunch, to explore one of the unique cemeteries of the area. Gothic, above ground, tombs are lined in rows with paths between them like a necropolis. The conditions of the tombs are hauntingly alluring.

The Court of the Two Sisters at 613 Royal Street is a landmark of New Orleans at which we enjoyed our Sunday brunch. Traversing the rain showers we arrived damp. The food selections on the buffet are both numerous and delicious but the highest marks must be given to the barbequed ribs and the bread pudding.

Since the weather was inauspicious we decided to depart the city across the shorter bridge over Lake Pontchartrain during the peak of the storm and find our base camp just outside Slidell. The property is named Jabberwocky. The bayou property is well appointed with swimming pool, boat, dock, four bedrooms, and several other amenities; although rough around the edges. Nevertheless, the accommodations are much better than a motel or hotel as they are secluded and among the natural ambiance of the bayou.  A large clan of turtles called the waters in the backyard home as did the resident alligator. After sunset, frogs and crickets made their presence well known with a symphony of music.

Monday, June 17^th

Early in the morning a stroll around the property revealed interesting observations of nature. Many oblong spiders with unusually long appendages have spun webs at strategic locations along the dock. Various wildflowers colonize the bayou and some have the appearance of hibiscus. The waters are patrolled by unseen aquatic life and on occasion a splash sends ripples across the surface. Tiny dragonflies hover precariously close to the water’s surface. Turtles, like submarines, allow the periscope of their heads to cautiously look around then dive away to their next observation sight. Reflections of flora dance emerald across the waters. Small snakes swim a zigzag pattern from one landing to the next.

A highlight of our visit was scheduled for the day and we rushed to make our appointment. The Honey Island Swamp tour set sail soon after our arrival and proved to be a rewarding experience. Our guide educated us about many details of the swamp. On call, great prehistoric beasts swim to the boat side for treats and stand tall out of the water much to the amazement of all. Various types of egret and great blue herons hunt for fish among the moss draped cypress. I captured several images.

We all enjoyed lunch at La Pines café at 1061 Robert Boulevard in Slidell. La Pines was recommended by a program called Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It is an obscure place near the blue water tower.  All the menu items are good. I enjoyed the Prime Rib Po-Boy, red beans and rice, and cornbread. The cook came out to talk with us and was glad we stopped by. Maxine, our waitress, charmed us with her southern hospitality.

After lunch we proceeded to Fontainebleau State Park where there is a venerable oak tree of remarkable form. The trees branches flow out from the base then hang down to the ground in spectacular fashion. My nieces and nephew find a sublime splendor in the tree and celebrated a return to it.

On our return to basecamp my nephew and niece joined me in discovering where the path across the small wooden bridge leads to. We found that an outer boat dock and platform is available away from the house further out into the bayou. This setting is superior to the one near the house. The natural environment out here yields a more tranquil place to meditate on those things that truly matter in life. Sadly, distant industrial noise and cars racing down the nearby road managed to slightly spoil the ambiance. 

We all enjoyed dinner at a nearby bar called The Boil.

Tuesday, June 12^th

I got up late, around 7am, determined to take a chair to the outer dock and meditate with nature. The natural serenity was rewarding. The alligator was patrolling his territory, egrets worked on fishing, songbirds abound, and wildflowers embellish the bayou. I felt contented among the flora and fauna gazing into the water clearly viewing the sky above on its glass like surface.

Later we decided to go on a road trip to explore River Road and its numerous sugar plantations. About an hour west on River Road along the Mississippi River are several famous sugar plantations. Among them is Oak Alley plantation where a long alley from the main gate to the front door, about 100+ yards, is sagacious oak trees set at equal distant positions creating a tunnel like pattern. Entrance fees are costly and we decided to turn away to explore a less costly alternative nearby.

The Saint Joseph plantation is less opulent but all the more authentic. Some of the original slave quarters remain. The plantation is 5^th generation family owned and operated and is still producing sugarcane to date. Sugarcane fields are as abundant here as are corn fields back home. Poignant reminders of slave conditions are on exhibit.  An ominous storm chased us back into the SUV and we proceeded to explore further heading back into New Orleans. Our goal was to try Parkway Bakery famous for Po-Boys for lunch but we found it closed on a Tuesday afternoon.  We optioned to patronize another landmark restaurant called Mothers at 401 Poydras Street.  Mothers Restaurant was unimpressive and the cost was an unfair trade. I will give them credit for the sweet potato pie as it was tasty for breakfast the next morning.

After our late lunch it was decided to explore sin city again. I always thought Las Vegas had exclusive rights to the label “sin city” but its sin is dwarfed by the Big Easy. Visiting the Voodoo shops again made me feel like I might be struck down by lighting at any moment but I dared fate and explored them nevertheless. I walked about the shop as if on pins and needles fearful to look or to touch but did so anyway.

Prostitutes beckoned in their G-strings as drunks stumbled around. Entertainers of all sorts can also be found in the streets. A youth painted silver performed along with jazz musicians. A four member singing group sang a song for us. A  Saxophonist plays near the cathedral.

Wednesday, June 13^th

I arrived at the outer dock this morning around 6am. Sunrise painted the sky with subtle hues of tangerine and magenta. These colors reflected in the still waters as crickets and song birds harmonized. Altocumulus clouds created an abstract masterwork above. I sat down and enjoyed Mothers sweet potato pie. Unlike midday the temperatures during the morning hours are pleasant. The alligator patrols for breakfast as he did yesterday morning. The ubiquitous red winged black bird proudly chants his familiar song in a cypress very close to me as if I was not present.

I allowed myself to be distracted by reading Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley”. Steinbeck is a favorite ever since I read “The Grapes of Wrath”. The book is a narrative of his solo road trip across America with his dog Charley. It gives me a foggy insight as to what I might expect should I realize my dream of following his example one day.

The Spanish moss becomes illuminated by celestial firelight making them seem ethereal among the green flora across the bayou. Reflections are surreal because the water is so perfectly calm.

As the cosmic fireball approached height I retreated back to the shade of the house. The remainder of the day, for me, was fruitless. It is uncommon for me to spend even one day without a full schedule of places to see and things to do when on a photography vacation. Each and every day is well spent doing things that cannot be duplicated back home. My fishing prowess has been proven so I had little desire to fish off the back porch. Swimming in the pool was another option but for some odd reason it did not appeal to me this day. I finally decided to go on a short road trip alone and found little that was photogenic.

Later that evening we enjoyed dinner at a very busy place called Southside Café at 3154 Pontchartrain Drive. The place was hopping with bikers and locals. The food was good. We ordered the works, catfish, crawfish, alligator, and shrimp. It seems that each place we have tried has its own top rated food. At the Oceana it was the Jambalaya and red beans, Mothers had blameless pie, Two Sisters had appetizing Ribs and bread pudding, La Pines had savory cornbread and hushpuppies, Southside has delectable catfish.

Thursday, June 14^th

We all took to the road early on our way to Lafayette. We stopped at Baton Rouge to explore LSU campus. The university grounds are interesting.

On a whim, we decided to try out a nearby diner for a late breakfast. Louie’s Café at 209 West State Street is a rough around the edges greasy spoon but oh so good. The home fries are special and the cooks are fun to watch as they cook your food on open grills without any reservations when it comes to butter and oil.

Our goal in traveling a few hours west was to experience another recommended swamp tour. McGee’s Landing in Henderson was featured on Jamie Oliver’s American Road Trip. He featured them as he helped them put their place back together again post-Katrina.  The place was difficult to find because it is located along a levee were on one side is the road and the other side is the swamp & property. With the help of cell phones and the GPS we managed to find the place. The swamp tour was uniquely interesting in that it covered a vast area where all the red cypress were harvested allowing none to remain. The species is now extinct because of thoughtless human avarice. Although we recently fed, it was decided to partake of at least one or two menu items from McGee’s.

Lafayette was disappointing because we arrived after hours and neglected to arrange for a music festival. It seems that the location is famous for Cajun music festivals and down home Acadian culture but not at the hour or day of our visit. Lesson learned; sharpen up your research skills for next time. We had lots of time to kill before we went to dinner so we explored the area. As we journeyed down Louisiana roads we found full lots of empty government trailers that were used to help displaced people after Katrina. They are nothing but waste now because of toxic chemicals off gassing from the materials. They are like a trailer ghost town.

Just outside Lafayette is a famous eatery called Prejean’s and our plan was to have dinner there.  Prejean’s is a local favorite and was recommended by a recently visited roadside shop owner. A small Cajun music group played very close to our table. We enjoyed several different menu offerings and took our time digesting them as the music played on.

On our return trip back to Jabberwocky a vivid and stunning double rainbow appeared in the sky.

Friday, June 15^th

After a peaceful visit to the outer dock I decided to make the best of the day by adding music at poolside and jumping into the water. We had a fun time and then relished local pastry shop delights. The others spent time fishing and relaxing around the house. We later collected a plethora of leftover food we took home with us over the past week and warmed it up in the oven then selected bits and pieces for dinner; waste not want not.

Saturday, June 16^th

Our last day in Louisiana was spent cleaning up and packing up. We had most of the day and decided to visit La Pines Café one more time for lunch. We then returned to New Orleans and shopped for last minute souvenirs. Afterward a visit to another necropolis at the far end of Canal Street proved interesting.  Near the airport is the community of Kenner. A favorite eatery called Harbor Seafood and Oyster Bar adjacent to Fisherman’s Cove seafood grocery on the corner of 3201 Williams Boulevard is the place for our last dinning send off from the Deep South.  We all relished the crawfish boil, hushpuppies, and alligator bites.  The SUV was returned and our flight departed soon afterward.

Summary

Although Louisiana and the Bayou has its charms they are dwarfed in comparison to other regions of this great land we call home. Few high impact landscapes or imposing vistas only the sublime ambiance of nature in the bayou if one is lucky enough to discover a place of solitude to enjoy it.  Perhaps I have become spoiled by mountains and vast landscapes that stun rather than extend a subtle embrace. From what I could see, attractions other than New Orleans, swamp tours, fishing, eating, voodoo, and music festivals are not obviously available. I must credit the bayou to be a tranquil place to meditate nature, something that I neglect to do when on fast paced photography trips.

New Orleans is Americas Gomorrah with alluring charms of music and cuisine to entice the curious into its web. A sense of wrongdoing overshadowed my short sojourn. I will not make the mistake that Lot’s wife did in departing from it.

The renowned cuisine, in so far as I was exposed to it, was marginally notable. A Po-boy is a glorified sandwich, fried foods abound and are difficult to avoid, and many items are overly seasoned.

The Deep South was an interesting place to visit but I would not want to live there.