by admin | Sep 14, 2011 | Greater Baton Rouge
After suffering through three days of rain over Labor Day weekend, I watched in disbelief as a week full of sunshine mocked me out my office window. Saturday couldn’t come fast enough, and we were up and out the door before the geckos had even fled our porch from the night before.
We had saved this trip to St. Francisville until we had the perfect weather conditions, where every historic home glittered in the sunlight and low water levels provided access to the nation’s largest cypress tree. Yet no matter how many times we visit this “best of the small towns,” we always begin our adventure at Grace Church of West Feliciana Parish. Take two steps into the surrounding, tree-shrouded cemetery and you become immersed in history, walking among elaborately carved headstones honoring those who died nearly 200 years ago. The entire area gives the sense of treading through the pages of a book. Three-year-old, dinosaur hunter Charles must have shared the mystique, spinning me a tale of T-Rex eggs and triceratops bones lying just beneath the surface.
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| Magnolia Cafe |
From the cemetery, we strolled around the historic district, making sure to peek in Grandmother’s Buttons, before following a motorcycle crew to lunch at Magnolia Cafe. Outside on the screened-in porch, Paul and I filled up on overstuffed sandwiches, while August flirted with our table neighbors and Charles showed us his collection of dinosaur fossils in between mouthfuls of shrimp.
Our plans had included a trip to the garden ruins of Afton Villa, but a quick stop at the local tourist information let us know they didn’t open until October 1. Instead, we left with a recommendation to visit Oakley Plantation, where famous naturalist John James Audubon once worked as a tutor while creating 32 of his intricate bird paintings. Charles spent his time here giving the resident peacock an afternoon workout followed by making us a meal of mushrooms and osage oranges in the cooking pot on display outside a slave cabin.
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| Oakley Plantation |
Back downtown, we stopped in for an afternoon coffee at Birdman Coffee and Books and treated the kids to some chocolate ice cream. Rejuvenated, we headed back out, this time down a gravel road deep into Louisiana’s wild country. Egrets and blue herons eyed us carefully as we passed their hunting grounds on our way to Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge. Our destination was the National Grand Champion bald cypress tree, accessible by land only from July through December and flooded by the Mississippi River the rest of the year. A short, half-mile hike led to the base of the tree, which unfortunately we could only admire for a few minutes before the inevitable mosquitoes launched their attack. So, while worth the visit, I would definitely recommend bringing bug spray.
Sufficiently exhausted, the kids slept soundly the whole way home, not even waking as we shouted the obligatory “Geaux Tigers!” while driving back over the LSU lakes.
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| National Grand Champion Bald Cypress |
by admin | Aug 30, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
Today we hopped in the car and started driving with no destination in mind. Heading toward downtown New Orleans, we made a split second decision to cross the Crescent City Connection when the bridge appeared in the distance. The first exit on the Westbank may not stand out as a tourist destination, but veer off General DeGaulle, follow the road past Federal City to the river and you arrive at Algiers Point.
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| Tout de Suite Cafe |
Touted as the second oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, Algiers Point sits directly across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter. Originally the site of a slaughterhouse used by French settlers in the 1700s, today the area, with its tree-lined streets leading past homes and stores as old as the 1840s, reminded us of a smaller version of Uptown New Orleans.
We dropped in Tout de Suite Cafe for a quick iced coffee, but their appetizing muffins and croissants convinced us to stay for a second breakfast. While we ate, three-year-old Charles entertained other patrons by dancing a little jig to the live guitar music. When he decided the show was over, he darted out the door with us tailing behind.
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| Confetti Park |
A few blocks down Verret Street, and we hit the jackpot with a small playground. Confetti Park, with its whimsical fence and mosaic walkway, is complete with slides, swings and ride-on toys. Here, Baby August bounced around on a bug car, while Charles blackened his fingernails by filling a dump truck with dirt.
Strapping them in their strollers, we walked past colorful plantations, shotguns and creole cottages. We had stopped to comment on the architecture when we heard a child’s squeal of delight. On the tree next to us was the empty shell of a cicada, which is now crouched on my coffee table staring at me with its sightless round eyes. A bug catcher on our bookshelf houses a dozen of his friends, the fruits of our walk turned scavenger hunt.
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| Old Masonic Hall on Olivier Street |
As we wove up and down streets looking for the critters, we caught the attention of one gentleman who, noticing our random path through town, asked if we were visiting and offered us a brochure. In this community where everyone knows each other, a family of new faces stood out immediately. We chatted a while and found out his house on Olivier Street was once a former Masonic Temple later used as a dance hall where early Jazz musician Buddy Bolden played.
Our walk ended by a focal point of the neighborhood–Holy Name of Mary Church, an imposing Gothic church with 75 stained glass windows crafted in Germany. We drove out of town along the river, viewing New Orleans’ skyline from across the water. As we headed back to the bridge, a line of people waited to board the free passenger ferry ($1 roundtrip for vehicles), which would carry them from “The Point” to the foot of Canal Street.
by admin | Aug 3, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
One of several Walter Anderson paintings on display at the OgdenThe air conditioning is running nonstop these days. I find as I get older, I have less tolerance for the heat, while the kiddos seem to be oblivious to it. In a desperate effort to keep them inside, I was allowing them to empty my tupperware drawer into a chaotic pile across my kitchen floor. By the time they were pretending to “swim” in it, I felt an urge to visit someone else’s indoor playground. The museums in New Orleans’ warehouse district were beckoning us, and we answered the call.
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| Airplanes inside the World War II Museum |
We wheeled the strollers into the National World War II Museum first. While I wouldn’t consider the museum’s solemn hallways as suitable for two small children, the airplane-filled lobby is eye candy to them. It’s free to step inside and stroll around the planes, tanks and Higgins boat displayed in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion. For those without small kids – and with several hours to spare – it’s worth the admission to take a complete tour of the museum, including the 4-D movie, Beyond All Boundaries, showing in the Solomon Victory Theater.
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| Confederate Museum and Ogden Museum of Southern Art |
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Across the street, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s modern building is home to a wide variety of paintings, sculptures, photographs and everything in between – all created by Southern artists. Charles particularly loves coming here on Thursday evenings, when he can dance to live music and try his hand at his own art project. It was much quieter during our visit today, however, and we took our time wandering through the galleries. A must-see is the colorful watercolors, oil paintings and drawings of two Gulf Coast artists, John Alexander and Walter Anderson, on exhibit now. Our visits here always end with a stop on the roof, where you can see expansive views of the city.
For lunch, we crossed back to the World War II Museum’s American Sector restaurant, where Chef John Besh whips up tongue sandwiches alongside hearty American dishes. Kid’s meals are served in old school lunch boxes, complete with a toy surprise.
Upon leaving, we debated whether to head to one of the other museums in walking distance. The Confederate Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center are both fascinating in their own way, while the kids would have been thrilled to go to the Louisiana Children’s Museum. But a meltdown from one kid and a yawn from the other made our decision to save those for next time.
by admin | Jul 20, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
Back from a two week vacation along the coast of California, it was rough stepping off the plane in a fleece jacket into a wall of hot, sticky air. Everything instantly slowed to a crawl — breathing got harder, walking became an enormous task and carrying luggage farther than the luggage cart was out of the question. But inside the refrigerated car, I felt my senses slowly return. I found myself admiring the lush, green surroundings and, by the time the live oak alley along Carrollton greeted our return, I was happy to be back home.
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| Louis Armstrong Park |
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| Lights in Louis Armstrong Park |
Summers in the South are best spent in wide, open spaces (where your chances of a breeze increase slightly), in a pool (where the water is nearly as hot as the air) or inside a wonderfully air-conditioned home. I usually wouldn’t count the Quarter as a top summer destination, but our family braved the heat in our excitement to see the partially reopened Louis Armstrong Park.
Technically on the outskirts of the Quarter in the Tremé, Louis Armstrong Park lies on the backside of Rampart Street. The park’s winding lake snakes beneath graceful bridges, leading us along tree-lined paths past buildings, statues and an open space marking the site of Congo Square, where slaves were once allowed to meet, sing and dance.
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| Croissant D’or Patisserie |
Home to the Mahalia Jackson Theatre, the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park’s Perseverance Hall (reopened June 18th) and the still shuttered, Katrina-damaged New Orleans Municipal Auditorium, the park and its buildings have had a somewhat unstable history since the 2005 hurricane. Today, however, it was putting on a show for us, delighting Charles and August with its colorful dragonflies and offering Paul and me a nearly secluded, peaceful walk through crepe myrtles, cypress trees and antique roses.
Unfortunately, no amount of shade could protect us completely from the sun’s intense heat, and we soon set off for Croissant D’or Patisserie on Ursulines Avenue. Minutes later we were sipping iced coffees and eating French pastries on the outdoor patio, while three-year-old Charles was chasing birds and playing in the fountain.
Rejuvenated, we stepped back on the street and paused to smile at baby August staring in wide-eyed wonder at a horse and its carriage steps in front of us. A short walk farther, and we decided to make one last stop inside the walled gardens of Old Ursuline Convent, touted as the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley.
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| St. Mary’s Church at Old Ursuline Convent |
Since 1752, the building has served many functions — from convent to school to showcase for the Archdiocese’s archives. After a brief tour of the beautiful church and historical rooms, we allowed Charles a few more minutes of running through the formal gardens before conceding that our drenched clothes were a sign to turn in the day and relax in the coolness of our house. There was much more to see in the Quarter, but it would have to wait until another blog.
by admin | Jun 30, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
Main streets across the country have designed themselves into one-stop destinations, luring us in with fancy sidewalks and nice landscaping and then keeping us there with an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants and coffee shops. Uptown New Orleans has several of these main streets–Magazine, Maple, Freret and the newly overhauled Oak Street (home to the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival).
Feeling a burst of energy Friday evening, we picked the kids up from daycare and took them out on the town to Oak Street. First stop was Rue de la Course coffee shop, which looking back was probably the source of our energy burst. Housed in an old bank building with ultra high ceilings, the shop offers interesting views of gargoyles and owls, which always manage to catch Charles’ attention while we enjoy the first few sips of coffee.
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| Hard decisions at Blue Cypress Books |
Then we were off to stroll the street, peaking in a few used clothing stores before visiting Blue Cypress Books. The kids and I sat on the floor by the children’s section, rummaging through the second-hand books. The resident cat decided to join us for a while until August, crawling and dragging along a jack-in-the-box, chased him across the store. We bought an interesting paperback and sat on the nearby corner bench, listening to the streetcar rattle by while we read about a frog and his adventures in the city.
Across the street, Skip N’ Whistle displayed an array of New Orleans’ themed t-shirts. Before we could shop around, though, Charles had escaped up the roped-off stairs and we had to drag him off to our next destination–recently opened Tru Burger. The burgers, hot dogs and fries were perfect for an evening meal with the kiddos, but anyone out for an adult meal might want to venture farther down the road to Jacques-Imo’s or Cowbell.
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| So many choices at Adventure Ice Cream |
As if we hadn’t eaten enough for one night, we crossed the street once again to Adventure Ice Cream. Made with milk from Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, the creamy ice cream was a big hit with both kids and Paul and I snuck a few bites as well. The perfect ending might have been a walk along the Mississippi River levee just up the street, but relaxing on our couch before an early bedtime was divine as well.
