Louisiana – …on the B.L.

New Orleans Kid Friendly Itinerary

March 13, 2020March 15, 2020 RaeAnna

20200303_115336 — Kisses in front of Saint Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square in New Orleans, Louisiana.

20200303_104447 — Breakfast at the iconic Café du Monde.

20200303_145841 — A stop at Chalmette Battle Ground on the Creole Queen river boat tour.

20200303_150451 — A live oak tree at the Chalmette Battlefield.

20200301_180320 — Sunset over the Mississippi River looking at the ferry and the Saint Louis Cathedral.

Titles “…with Kids” are not often part of my repertoire. They’ve never been a part of my repertoire until today. I don’t have a child. I have dogs, so I write about them. Children are not often a part of my narrative because the ones in my life are in the periphery. I love them dearly, but I visit, not tend to them. Last week, I was in New Orleans caring for my eight year old cousin while her parents enjoyed a much deserved adult vacation. Allison came into my life for the first time a year ago on the family cruise celebrating my grandmother’s 80th year on this planet. Allison and I hit it off immediately. I’ve seen her every two or three months since then; I see her more than any other family member. I agreed to watch her for a week over a year ago.

Allison will love me no matter what, but I wanted to make our week together extra, super special because she’s eight and I can. After receiving permission from Mom and Dad, we played hooky from school and headed to the French Quarter. Oops! Not sorry. I have done and would do all of these things by myself or with adults, but they were requested by a kid and approved by a kid.

Breakfast

Café du Monde Head to the original café on Decatur across from Jackson Square for deliciously fresh beignets and an amazing view of the hustle and bustle. Have some hickory coffee for the adults and chocolate milk for the kiddos. Bring cash because that’s all they accept.

Activities

Open Air Market This is a great place to have nibbles and explore. You can find great souvenirs. There are tons of things to keep the kids’ eyes busy for an hour if you let them roam.
Saint Louis Cathedral It may not be the normal place you take kids, but it’s free. Allison loved it. We lit candles and said prayers before sitting down in the sanctuary. She had lots of questions about the architecture and statues. I answered as many questions as I could and googled the rest.
Jackson Square After or before bopping into Saint Louis Cathedral, take a picture in the iconic square. It’s one of the most photographed areas in New Orleans. Don’t miss it!
Street Car It’s name might not be Desire, but it’s a great way to see New Orleans outside of the quarter for cheap. There are incredible houses and buildings in the Garden District. You can always hop off and grab lunch at one of the many restaurants and cafés along the route.

River Boat Tour

River Boat Tours I’ve experienced a few different tours, and they’re all great. Allison begged to go on the river boat tour days before our hooky day, so this was definitely the highlight for her. We took the Creole Queen for the history tour and stopped at Chalmette Battlefield. We had a blast. She got a snack on the boat, we took pictures, and watched the paddle. She couldn’t have been happier.

I would love to give you more food options, but you’ll be overwhelmed with options. I have too many favorites to narrow it down. Allison had a blast. She was so exhausted by the end of the day, I heard some snoring from the back seat.

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

Blog + Dog, Experiences, Travel

Walks on the Levy

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 RaeAnna

20200301_111146 — Photo credit: My eight year old cousin.

20200301_111048 — There’s nothing she loves more than a good exploratory sniff.

Last week, Beau and I were in New Orleans. She wasn’t supposed to come with me, but extenuating life circumstances meant she ended up in NOLA for the first time. I wasn’t bummed to have her all to myself for a week, and she wasn’t bummed to be the sole receiver of all the attention plus an eight year old new best friend. About a year ago, I agreed to spend a week watching my cousin’s daughter while she and her husband went on a cruise to celebrate her 50th birthday. Allison and I get along great, so I was happy to spend a week with her. We did a bunch of really fun things, but Beau had a blast chasing her around the house and getting loved on.

One of the first things we did was go for a walk on the levy. If you don’t know what a levy is, it’s a big retaining wall to keep a river – in this case, the Mississippi – from invading homes, businesses, and causing utter destruction – think Hurricane Katrina. Allison’s house is a couple blocks away from a levy running along the Mississippi. You can walk along the top and even go down to the water’s edge. The river was incredibly high, which made it even more enticing to my water-loving dog. After a forty-five minute stroll in one direction, where I received quite the arm workout keeping Beau from swimming with the fishies and potentially alligators, (No me gusta.) we decided to turn around and head home. Beau was sufficiently tired, and Allison walked her the rest of the way home… I don’t know why she can walk in an almost straight line for an eight year old, but zigs, zags, and bounds when it’s her mama. Oh well, at least she didn’t drag Allison head first into the river.

Beau loves exploring and being outside. If she could sit in the backyard with me all day, she would. We always try to take her for a walk shortly after arriving at our travel destination. These walks put her at ease and let her know we will not be abandoning her to strangers in a foreign land. Although, these strangers came with cats to poke, so it wouldn’t have been as bad as strangers with a house sans cat-beings.

She’s happy to be home and in her own chair, but she had a great deal of fun in NOLA and walking on the levy.

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Books, Fiction

French Quarter Fiction edited by Joshua Clark

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Definitely
Length 384
Quick Review A love letter to an iconic city created through an anthology of stories by great authors.

20191119_210701-01 — Reading French Quarter Fiction edited by Joshua Clark in Jackson Square in the French Quarter in New Orleans. | Dress | Scarf | Boots | Beret

20191119_210427-01 — Reading French Quarter Fiction edited by Joshua Clark in Jackson Square in the French Quarter.

20191119_210807-01 — Reading French Quarter Fiction edited by Joshua Clark in Jackson Square in the French Quarter in New Orleans. | Dress | Scarf | Boots | Beret

French Quarter Fiction is one of those anthologies: it has something for everyone. (Unless you hate short stories, then it doesn’t have anything for you.) As much as I love reading anthologies, I hate reviewing them because there is too much to say. It’s impossible to focus on style because it changes from story to story with the authors. No one wants to read a detailed literary analysis of every short story in an anthology; most people don’t want to read a literary analysis ever. The messages and themes and character development and everything else shifts just as much. Instead, I like to focus on the fact it’s done well or not.

New Orleans is a vibrant and unique city; I don’t think one story or one author has been able to capture the essence of this iconic place. It means different things to different people. The one thing it does for everyone is evoke feeling; whether they love it or hate it, there are emotions associated with New Orleans. In my opinion, an anthology does a better job at capturing the spirit of the French Quarter because there is a spirit in those streets.

Joshua Clark does an excellent job choosing stories by well known and highly acclaimed authors to lesser known. The stories range from heart breaking to hilarious.

The French Quarter and alcohol are synonymous. You can walk around with a drink in your hand in the Quarter. You should because everyone does. New Orleans wouldn’t be New Orleans without alcohol being a part of the story. The stories begin with a map so you can orient yourself. French Quarter Fiction is divided up into sections. Each section is started with an iconic drink name, the history, and a recipe. I don’t drink, but you should read this with a drink in your hand. It won’t make it better because it’s already good, but it will give you an authentic New Orleans experience from your couch.

I seriously suggest picking up French Quarter Fiction if you love New Orleans or have an interest in the city.

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Title: French Quarter Fiction
Edited By: Joshua Clark
Publisher: Fall River Press (Light of New Orleans Publishing, LLC)
Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 9781435123953

Travel, Travel Eats

Crawfish Boil 2019

May 29, 2019September 8, 2019 RaeAnna

More people came before and after. We had fun. Can you find me?

Family is one of those complicated things. I have not always been close with mine. Extended family were around when I was younger, but they were never a huge part of my life especially in my teen and adult years. No one person’s fault, life just works out that way. I was also in a weird age bracket. I was the oldest by a lot (my brother not included) of my first cousins. The extended cousins were either much, much older or much, much younger. Now, as I’m nearing 30, my cousins view me as an adult like them [yay, finally!!!], or I get to be the fun much older cousin.

The chef, my cousin, sharing the plunger of honor to cook the crawfish. It’s a thing. I promise.

In March, I went on a cruise for my Grandma’s 80th birthday. I hadn’t seen the aunts, uncles, or cousins in about fourteen years. I fell a little bit in love with them. While I was there, I was invited to my great aunt’s 80th birthday party in Maryland over Memorial Day weekend. The cousins I stayed with in Germany – eight years ago – throw an annual crawfish boil, which made the perfect birthday gathering.

Kelsey pulling her weight in the… kitchen.

I would just like to inform you, my family has this ‘All Are Welcome’ attitude. I found out I come by that trait genetically. There was a swirl of cousins, aunts, uncles, relatives by marriage, friends, and strangers. As an introvert, I am not comfortable in crowds but I also hate feeling like an outsider. I hadn’t seen a lot of my family in a very long time, but they never made me feel like I wasn’t included. I wanted my bestie to see my grandma and also because I wanted someone to be able to lean on and know in a crowd. My family made her feel right at home and kept our plates well stocked.

Precooked crawfish. Still alive and pinchin’.

This part of my family hails from New Orleans. I spent a huge amount of time there growing up, so it feels like home for me too. They moved all across the country; many are on the East coast. New Orleans is known for food. There’s nothing quite as Louisiana as a crawfish boil. Almost 200 pounds of crawfish were brought in fresh and consumed. I can’t really explain the scale of this party because it was immense. My great aunt is loved, so she brought in a crowd. My cousins are loved and make friends everywhere they go. Throughout the course of the afternoon, there had to have been close to 200 people at the party. Everyone had a blast and ate their fill of crawfish, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn, and mushrooms. I’m a fan of crawfish boils. Enjoying one surrounded by family made it even better.

Kelsey trying crawfish for the VERY first time.

The food was amazing. The fun was even better. It’s been a long time since I have been to a party quite like that. Even longer since I was surrounded by family. I had a blast. I can’t wait to make it next year.

Experiences, Travel

Oak Alley Plantation

May 17, 2019September 8, 2019 RaeAnna

I’ve been lazy. I haven’t been keeping up with blog posts like I intend to. So this is about three months after I visited Oak Alley, but better late than never. Also it’s super old. Things don’t change that quickly. The grass has probably been cut, and that’s about it.

Walking in the grass at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana. | Dress

Roots of a live oak and the big house at Oak Alley Plantation.

Oak Alley is just one of those places. It is absolutely stunning; so much so, it has become iconic. The grounds are an hour outside of New Orleans in Vacherie. Driving between NOLA and Vacherie gives you a good idea of what rural Louisiana looks like. What used to be a running plantation is now a museum with a restaurant and inn serving as a reminder of the American South’s unfortunate history.

Standing in between the rows of live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation. | Dress | Jean Jacket | Sandals

I remember driving passed Oak Alley at fourteen. My family was visiting relatives after Katrina, and we spent a day driving around the countryside outside of New Orleans. It was dusk when we drove by stopping just outside the front gate. The house was lit up from the outside at the end of a path lined by ancient live oak trees. It was magnificent, and a vision I will never forget. It wasn’t until I was in New Orleans for a bachelorette party a few years ago that I actually toured the plantation. The house is beautiful, but the grounds are the truly wonderful aspect. The plantation earned its name from the twenty-eight live oaks lining a walkway up to the front door of the house. It features a guided tour of the “Big House,” a slavery exhibit, a sugar cane exhibit, and more. There is a restaurant and inn on the grounds. The restaurant has some seriously amazing bread pudding. The gift shop also has some amazing pralines. If you’re lucky, you can have some warm and fresh.

View of the big house and the live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation.

Some of the oak trees are almost three hundred years old. The larger branches extend and drop to the ground. The roots are knotty and huge. Spanish moss grows on the trees. When the light hits them just right, it’s what bayou dreams are made of. Movies and pictures will never do it justice.

Roots and live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation.

Oak Alley was a sugar cane plantation built on the suffering of slaves. Sugar cane was known as white gold because of how much it was worth. Growing, harvesting, and refining was back breaking and dangerous. Slaves were bought and sold, so people could have their sugar. In those days, there was rich, then there was sugar cane rich. Oak Alley was the latter. The history goes back almost 200 years, but the live oak trees are even older than that. Walking the grounds is simultaneously enchanting and haunting. It’s difficult to think about how one place can be home to so much beauty and misery. All history is fraught with abuse, but it should never be overlooked. Remembering what really happened is an important part of embracing history.

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