October 13th - 19th, 2018 Traveling Sisters in New Orleans

One more place marked off my bucket list!  New Orleans, I finally made it.  Carol and I flew in from Seattle and Ruth from Minneapolis, and we met up at the NO airport shortly after on Saturday, October 13^th.  We got our car and were on our way by 4pm or so.  We rented an Airbnb in the Bywater district which was about 30 minutes or so from the airport.  On the way we stopped at a local grocery store for a few things to have on hand at the house.

Our house at 629 Louisa Street

I loved our place.  It was a “shotgun” style house which means it was long and narrow.  It was actually a duplex of which we were renting one side.  We entered into the living room which was small but nicely furnished with a chair and sofa and a few tables.  From the living room we entered two tall French doors into the first bedroom, then from there into the 2^ndbedroom.  Through the 2^ndbedroom was a small hall with the bathroom and coat/linen closet, then another door into the 3^rdbedroom.  The final room beyond the third bedroom was the kitchen.  There was no formal dining area, however the kitchen had a small table.   Our host had said that one of the rooms was converted to a bedroom but not sure which one.  It worked very well for the 3 of us.  The beds were comfortable so I didn’t have any trouble sleeping each night.

That evening we went to a neighborhood restaurant called Bywater American Bistro.  It was less than a mile from our house in an old rice factory building. The food was amazing and was inspired by local culture and cuisine.  Great atmosphere and service also.

We were all tired from a long day of travel so after dinner we went back to the house and I think we were all in bed asleep by 9pm!

Sunday morning we went on a 2.5 hour City Tour which was informative and gave us ideas of places we wanted to be sure to check out later. So much history in this town!  We drove through the French Quarter and the Garden District, saw the St Louis #3 Cemetery and saw some of the areas that were most affected by hurricane Katrina in 2005.  We stopped for a little while at City Park and walked through the sculpture garden.

  

After our tour we walked over to Petite Amelie in the French Quarter for lunch.  They have great soups, salads and sandwiches.  We walked around the French Quarter for a while before heading back to our car which was parked on Canal Street where we started our bus tour.   Once back in the car we drove back to the Garden District to look at the stately homes and Skeleton House which we had passed on the bus tour.   We ended our day by walking over to Pizza Delicious which was immediately behind us on the next street.  It was a busy place but we were able to get a table and have a great pizza and salad for dinner.  I love how our neighborhood has a lot of little stores, bakeries, restaurants, etc. tucked in with all the beautifully painted houses.

Monday we had breakfast in our house then stopped at the Bywater Bakery for coffee to go.  It was just a few blocks from our house.  Their espresso machine was down but they were serving cafe au lait which is basically milk and coffee rather than an espresso shot and steamed milk.  I have been making my coffee at home by using ½ hot milk and ½ coffee and flavoring so this was a good way to go.  

We planned to spend our day visiting two of the many Plantations in New Orleans.  We started with Laura Plantation which was a sugarcane plantation with a sugar mill on the property.  We learned about the slaves that lived and worked on the Plantation and all about the family that owned the land (and the slaves).  The grounds were beautiful and it was interesting hearing the history of the property.  Next we headed to Oak Alley Plantation which was just a few miles away.

We ate lunch at Oak Alley and I got the Gumbo (which was delicious!) and small salad.  Ruth and Carol both had Po’ Boy sandwiches.  Then we toured the big house and once again learned about how the plantation was run and how the slaves were treated both when they were owned and after they were freed in 1865.  Many stayed on to work the plantation and they had no education or means to make it on their own.  Although they were free, they were paid so little that they had to borrow from the landowners which left them indebted to them with no way to leave. 

We stayed in that night and had leftovers from a couple of the places we had been.

Tuesday we got up and took Uber to the French Quarter.  We stopped for coffee at Café du Monde for coffee and beignets.  A beignets is like a fritter or donut, basically fried dough but then coated with powdered sugar.  Sweet, messy but yummy!   For some reason they didn’t have flavored coffee so I went about a block away and got my café au lait from Café Beignet which of course was also selling beignets. On Sunday during our bus tour we had seen a long line of people waiting for hot, fresh beignets at Café du Monde so we were glad we could walk right up and get them quickly.

We headed to Jackson Square for a walking tour of the French Quarter area. We selected Free Tours by Foot which is a company that is operated in several cities.  The tours are free and you pay your tour guide what you believe the value is for what was provided.  Sean was informative as he walked us around and talked about several places in the French Quarter including Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, St Louis Cathedral, the museums, and several businesses.  He gave us tips on places to eat, have coffee and listen to music in the area.  We each gave him $15 which was comparable to the other walking tours in the area.

After our walking tour Uber’d over to Willa Jeans for lunch.  We had wonderful warm artichoke dip and I had a pimento grilled cheese sandwich which came with tomato soup.  It was a great place for lunch, with large portions.  We took our leftovers but later we determined we were out too long in the hot weather to safely eat them so they got tossed. 

After lunch we Uber’d back to Canal Street and hopped on the St Charles Streetcar and rode it to the end of the line and back.  For a $3 day pass and an hour or so of resting we got to see a lot of the city that we may not have seen otherwise.

After Ubering back to the house, taking a break for a while we drove to Elizabeth’s for dinner.  It was less than a mile walk but we were all tired and had walked quite a bit in the last few days.  Elizabeth’s was not busy at all, and was quite dark inside. Ruth and I both had hamburgers with small salads (great!) and Carol tried the catfish which she said was very good.

Wednesday morning we stopped at Satsumas Café which was about two blocks from the house.  It’s a little neighborhood coffee house/café.  I had a piece of quiche which was warm and fresh and Ruth and Carol both had pastries.  We left there and headed to Westwego to go on a swamp tour offered by Ultimate Swamp Adventures. That was a fun experience!  We got to see lots of alligators (I actually held one!) and learned a lot about the Louisiana bayou.  Our guide was entertaining and had a deep Cajun accent.   One of his co-workers was featured on the show Swamp People, which I hadn’t seen but will need to check out.

After our tour we headed back to the French Quarter and walked over to 9 Rose's Cafe, a Vietnamese restaurant, for lunch.   We shared the egg rolls and I had a great chicken Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich), Ruth had a Vermicelli bowl and Carol had Steamed Bun Sliders.  We ate outside on the patio and really enjoyed it.  

After lunch we went to the Presbytere Museum located in Jackson Square.  The upper floor was all about Marti Gras and the lower floor was about Hurricane Katrina. Very informative on both floors.

Before we went to dinner we went across the street to The County Club.  It was a beautiful building and we really didn’t know much about it.  We had only seen a few people now and then go into it. We were told there was a pool and that we could get drinks, so although we weren’t going to swim we wanted to check it out.  They actually had a full service restaurant and a bar, as well as a large pool in the back. We took a quick tour then sat in the bar and had a drink.  The décor was a little different but the drinks were good. We didn’t end up having a meal as we had other plans.

That evening we had dinner at Shaya, an Israeli restaurant that Carol had read about.  I shared several things including ghanoush, tabbouleh, assortment of hummus’s, roasted cauliflower, salad and glazed lamb shank. Not my typical food but it was all good and fun to try something different.

After dinner we went back to the French Quarter and went to Fritzel’s on Bourbon Street to listen to some jazz music.  We hadn’t looked at the times for the music so when we got there the band was not playing for another 20 minutes or so.  That worked out great because we got a great place to sit and by the time they started the place was standing room only.  We only stayed for the first set but they were good and we all enjoyed it.

Thursday, our last full day in NOLA.  The time has gone fast.   We started out the day walking to the Bywater Bakery for coffee, then went across the main street by our house to check out Crescent Park which was along the Mississippi River.  From the street you cannot see the river due to the levee, but once up over the levee there was a great view of the New Orleans skyline and the Mississippi River. 

We took Uber to the Voodoo Lounge where we were to meet to take a walking tour of St Louis Cemetery #1 which is only open for tours or visiting family members.  We learned a lot about the history of burials and why the tombs are all above ground, which was due to the water table and how the caskets and the deceased would start to float.. gruesome!  Our tour guide explained how whole families for generations would use the above ground tombs.  There is a real science to the burials including the type of casket that is used (pine because it breaks down over time), the fact that the deceased person is not embalmed, and the period of time that has to pass before the tomb can be opened for the next family member (1 year).  After that time, if needed the tomb is opened and the remains are pushed to the back of the tomb where they fall to the ground, making room for the latest deceased family member.  Most of the tombs had at least 3 separate openings, or more.  If a family member passed away before the time period had passed to be able to open the tomb then they could “rent” space in another area of the cemetery.  It was all very interesting.  Nicolas Cage had a tomb built for him in this cemetery in the shape of a pyramid for $300,000.  

From the cemetery we Uber’d back to the French Quarter and had a quick lunch at Café Beignet then went on the Riverboat Natchez tour.  As we made our way along the Mississippi River the tour was narrated with the history of the area, then on the way back there was a jazz band playing.  The weather was hot and it was hard to find a place to sit that was not in the direct sun, but otherwise we enjoyed the two hour tour.

That evening we were all tired so we ate what was left of our food and ordered a couple salads and rolls from Pizza Delicious.  

Friday morning we packed our bags and left the home for the last time.  . We had enough time to go to the Backstreet Cultural Museum which was in the Treme neighborhood and was all about the African American culture including the jazz funerals and the second line parades sponsored by the  Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs.  

Then it was time to head to the airport. Ruth and I were flying home and Carol was meeting Mike to spend another week in the south.  I had a salad for lunch at the airport then took the first leg of my journey to Chicago. My 1.5 layover stretched into 4 hours so I finally got home close to 11pm which made for a long day. 

Once again, a great sisters trip and I can’t wait for the next one.  

Sedona and Grand Canyon AZ - May 6th-14th, 2018

I have always heard that Sedona is a beautiful place. and have wanted to go for quite some time.  We had the opportunity to use RCI points so we booked a week at the Sedona Pines Resort.

We flew into Phoenix on Sunday, May 6th.  From Phoenix it's a nice leisurely 2 hour drive.  Along the way we stopped for lunch at Lenny's Burgers.  It was a small diner style so we chose to eat outside even though it was almost 100 degrees out.  The burgers were great and in a short while we were on the road again. 

As we drove in to Sedona we were struck with the beauty of the surrounding red rock formations.  It was majestic and everywhere we looked were more mountains and formations.  We got to Sedona Pines Resort around 5pm so we got checked in and settled in our unit.  

Sedona Pines is located about 6 miles from Sedona and consists of about 150 individual "cottages" which were small manufactured units set in a beautiful park setting.  Each unit consists of a small living area with sofa bed on one end, galley kitchen, bath and bedroom on the other end.  The kitchen had a full size refrigerator, a stove top, microwave, dishwasher, but no oven (which we didn't miss at all).  It was clean, nicely decorated and comfortable even though small.

The grounds had an activity center, putt-putt golf, an office/lobby, a large heated pool and hot tub, two other locations with hot tubs only, a fitness room,  laundry (free), and Italian Restaurant (Bella Vita).  It also had RV hookup spaces.

That evening we had dinner at Bella Vita which was very good but we thought over-priced. We both had Fettuccine Alfredo which came with bread but no salad. It was good and in fact we could have shared it. Instead we took our leftovers to have for dinner the next night.

On Monday morning we had breakfast at the Activity Center which was an opportunity for local tor vendors to share their tours with the newcomers.  We already had a Trolley Tour and a Grand Canyon train ride booked, but we decided to include a Jerome tour and a Chuckwagon Dinner Show. Each vendor offered a drawing and I won a hat to add to Doug's never ending collection of baseball hats.

After breakfast we took a drive up to Sedona.  We stopped at Tlaquepaque Arts and Craft Village, which consisted of tons of galleries, a few restaurants.  It was laid out beautifully and although we didn't buy anything it was fun to meander through the village.  We left there and drove around that area stopping at a few of the vistas to take pictures.  We also drove to Uptown Sedona which is the heart of the tourist area, and was very busy.  We were later told that it was the area that the locals avoid. On our way back we stopped for a few groceries at Safeway.

Later that day we took a 90 minute Magic Trolley Tour.  Our driver pointed out several of the formations and told us the history of the area.  He drove us past Tlaquepague then on down through Oak Creek Village along highway 179. We stopped several places to take pictures as he told us about the local area.  We drove up to Chapel of the Holy Cross and had an opportunity to spend several minutes there.  


The chapel was commissioned by Marguerite Brunswig Staude who was inspired after seeing the Empire State Building and wanted to build a chapel.  She first attempted to have it built in Budapest, but after WWII broke out she decided to have it built in the U.S.  When she saw the beautiful formations in Sedona, in particular one called the "Two Sisters" with "Madonna and Child" nearby, she felt it was a sign from above to build it there.  With the help of Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) they built what is today known as one of the "Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona".  It is beautiful both inside and out and once you are on top of the mountain where it is you have a beautiful view of the mountains surrounding it.

We continued on after leaving the Chapel stopping at different places for pictures.  Once back at the resort I went to the pool for awhile then we had our leftover dinner from the night before.

Tuesday morning we were picked up in a van, along with another couple and for a tour of Jerome.  Our guide was very informative and as we drove through the towns of Cottonwood and Clarkdale, he pointed out historic things and told us about Jerome which is an old copper mining town.  It is now almost a ghost town compared to the thousands of people living there when the copper mine was working.  It is located high up on the hills above Cottonwood. 

We stopped at Tuzigoot National Monument which is a prehistoric Indian pueblo built between 1125 and 1400 A.D. 
  
Once we reached Jerome we were escorted into Grapes Restaurant for lunch and had about 1 1/2 hours of free time to explore the town.   The Haunted Hamburger and the Asylum were other restaurants that had been recommended to us several times, however we will have to visit them another time.  After lunch our tour continued down a steep and windy dirt road to the site of the old copper mine.

After we got back to our place I went to the pool for awhile and that evening we went into Uptown and had a great dinner at the Cowboy Club.  Again, we brought home our leftovers for another easy dinner later that week.

Wednesday we stayed around the resort most of the day.  I spent some time at the pool and in the afternoon there was a putt-putt golf tourney.       We played with 2 other guests -  I got the only "hole-in-one" and won a dream catcher.  One of the other guests won the tournament and won a hat.  It was fun but really too hot to be outdoors for that long.

That evening we drove to the Blazin' M Ranch in Cottonwood for a Chuckwagon dinner.  What a fun experience.  On the ranch are several western buildings, a saloon, gift store, shooting gallery, old time photo shop, etc. We took a wagon ride around the ranch and saw horses, alpacas, and other farm animals.  Soon it was time to go into the "barn" for dinner.  We sat at long wooden tables with other guests.  Each table took their turn going through the galley to get our food which was bbq chicken, ribs, potatoes, coleslaw, corn and a biscuit.  Lemonade, tea and coffee to drink and warm apple crisp with ice cream for dessert.  While eating dinner we were entertained by several musicians.  There was plenty of humor and overall it was a great night.  They ended the night singing "Ghostriders in the Sky" and out the windows on the sides rode a masked man with a cape.  The strobes lights flashing made it all the more fun to see as they made several trips along the windows. 

On Thursday we had no particular plans so we decided to take a drive on our own to see a few more things.  Our first stop was at the Coffee Pot Cafe which was named after the red rock formation on the hill above. It has been there for 50 years and is known for their 101 omelet selections.  The food was great and we will definitely go again some day.  From there we drove to Montezuma's Castle National Monument which was built into the side of a mountain over 800 years ago.  After spending a little time there we drove on the scenic loop right off of 89 between our place and Sedona.  That afternoon I went to the pool for awhile then we had dinner at Los Rosales Mexican Restaurant.

Friday we were picked up at 7 am by a van which took us to another stop for 4 more people, then to the town of Williams.  To get there we drove through Sedona, up to Flagstaff  on portions of old Route 66 until we got to Williams.  We then boarded a train to go to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The train ride was fun, with some entertainment.  First a gunslinger, then a cowboy playing a violin.  We were given a box lunch (could have passed on that one!).

When we reached the south rim (2 hrs) we had about an hour to explore the area before our guide picked us up. There was a lodge, the Hopi House and several other things to see.  We got some beautiful pictures of the vastness of the canyon which we knew we were just seeing a very small bit of it.  Our guide picked us up outside the El Tovar Hotel and we continued on our  journey. 

We made several more stops on our way around a small portion of the south rim. Our final stop in the park was at the Desert View Watchtower where I climbed to the top floor (4 flights) for awesome views of the canyon below. 

Once we left the park we stopped at Cameron Indian Trading Post (did not buy anything), then we were on our way back to Sedona.  We got back to our place after 6pm so it was a long day.  We were both hungry so we went to the Golden Goose Grill and had a great dinner. 

Saturday we drove back up to Flagstaff thinking that we would be able to visit some of the old buildings that were part of Historic Route 66.  It was a long drive and once we got to the Visitor Center we didn't find them much help.  They indicated there was nothing much to see in Flagstaff and suggested we drive to Seligman (another 75 minutes!) if we wanted to see Route 66 buildings.  After spending the day before on the road for hours, then driving over an hour to Flagstaff we opted just to have lunch and head back to Sedona.  We ate at Majerles Sports Grill, had a great meal then headed back. I ended the evening with time at the pool and we finished off some of the food that we had left as we were heading out the next day.

Sunday, which was Mother's Day, we checked out about 11 then headed into town one last time.  We stopped at Starbucks (a treat these days) then went to the Original Red Dirt Shirts shop for t-shirts before getting on the road to Phoenix.  I hated to leave this beautiful area, but we were flying home Monday and didn't want to make the trip early Monday morning.  About 1/2 way to Phoenix we stopped at Rock Springs Cafe for lunch.  Unfortunately, since it was Mother's Day we had over an hour wait but there were things to see so the time went fast.  We finally got in and had lunch which of course was too much food.  We saved room for dessert since their pies were what they are known for... I had Rhubarb and Doug had Lemon, both were very good.

Once we got to the Best Western Airport Inn in Phoenix Doug took our rental car back to the airport and I went to the pool.  Doug was able to get a ride back with the hotel shuttle.  That evening neither one of us was hungry so we didn't go anywhere.  Doug had discovered a Waffle House nearby so in the morning we Uber'd over to it, had a quick, yummy breakfast then headed back to the hotel to catch the shuttle to the airport.

Another week come and gone, another beautiful place to see. I can't wait for our next adventure!

Book:  The Orphan Train