nataliehb's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member nataliehb on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/nataliehb en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:15:33 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com Dec 27th — Kyoto, Japan http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1199670120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1199670120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1199670120/tpod.html Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:15:33 -0500 You Are Here: Japan
Kyoto, Japan

Today is our last full day in Kyoto -- we're already missing it...we begin the morning once again with a large Japanese-style breakfast...though the accumulated meals of the last few days are catching up, and we barely manage to make a dent.

Once again, we spend time in our room downloading images, listening to another jazz artist and enjoying the view with our coffee in the room. While relaxing, I discovered that our room has a copy of the Kamisaka Sekka Exhibition that visited LACMA a few years ago. Kamisaka is a Japanese artist from the late 19th century who resurrected a school of art called Rimpau. While no longer as well known in his homeland, he is quite loved as a figure in the art history circles of the west. And his works are whimisical, fluid and at once, both modern and traditional. He is one of my favorite artists, so finding the Exhibition catalog was such a funny coincidence.

We took a quick walk through Nishiki-dori (picking up the prized honey-butter roasted sweet potatoes), before we start to head west to find Nijo Castle. The walk to Nijo turns out to be quite long, so once again, we stop for our daily lattes at a large coffee shop one of the main north/south streets -- Karasumi-dori. A good hour or so later, we arrive at Nijo castle, situated at the corner of Oike-dori and Horikawa-dori, only to find that the damned place is closed from Christmas to New Years.

Then we braved the subway to Daitoki which turned out to be very easy. Daitoki was sprawling. It is also the one of the most important Zen Buddhist temples. Peter was afraid of the Germans...(and wondering what the draw was for Germans to visit their WWII ally). Then walking out of Daitoki, Peter incited dissent between an American couple looking for a cab ("just focus on the Bamboo forest").

Then we went to an Orange shrine/temple apart from Daitoki and grabbed a cab to some of the temples on the Philosopher's walk, we ate the most amazing brown tea ice cream cone.
Ohojo and Kohojo for a walk through a garden which we 'had to pay for'.
climbing the stairs to see the view of Kyoto, beautiful ponds, streams, waterfalls. The bird posing for photos.

We saw some workman fixing the ringer for Japan's largest bell. There was a man straddling the ringer making it look rather phallic. the monk ringing the bell.

Chonin-ji, being the last ones out of temple grounds and the guard allowing me to use the facilities.

The monks at the top of Sanmon Gate

Then we walked back through Pontocho alley, took our last baths and a nap. We forced ourselves to get up to have dinner and see Goin and Pontocho alley at night.
]]> Dec 26th — Kyoto, Japan http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1199670000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1199670000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1199670000/tpod.html Mon, 21 Jan 2008 18:59:30 -0500 You Are Here: Japan
Kyoto, Japan

On the morning of Day 3 we were up early again, but rather than walking before breakfast, I decided to do some song tagging. However, I was soon reminded that I must never, never, ever modify any of the songs in Peter's iTunes library -- let's just say we don't share similar 'genre' definitions.

Breakfast today was American (our first meal which was made of entirely distinguishable, though somewhat mundane items) -- omelets, sweet sausages, fresh bread, croissants, butter, marmalade, jam, a salad of tomatoes, lettuces, chives and jicama, and of course, coffee and juice.

We returned to the room to unload photos before leaving for the day, and because we doddled, one of the inn owner's brought us a plate of sliced oranges, grapefruit and mango. Hardly 10am and we were stuffed.

This time, our route took us back to Teramachi, but since none of the shops were open yet, we doubled back on a parallel street, and stopped at a few more shrines, before heading South, back down Teramachi until we hit Nishiki-dori.

Much like my first trip, the variety, freshness and craftsmanship of the food here is breathtaking. Try as we might, there is just no way to do justice to all the kinds of
food and food-related shops on this little market-street that's barely wide enough for 3 people to stand abreast.

The narrow street literally vibrates with activity, from the shoppers, couriers and vendors -- many of whom call out to the passer-bys or smile the ubiquitous 'ohayo gozaimasu'. Everywhere you look, there are picked vegetables, fresh vegetables, delicately-carved and presented vegetables, fresh seafood of a bewildering spectrum, candies, dessert specialties, tamago (egg cake), fishcakes and other fresh-cooked finger and take-away foods.

Peter claims he was moved to tears by how the Japanese expressed themselves through food -- I think it was more the fact that we were too stuffed from breakfast to sample all the items we kept oggling over...we spent a good 2 hours slowly winding our way through Nishiki. These are only a few of the shots...



Towards the end, we did manage to squeeze in a fishcake 'lollipop' with vegetables including carrots and potatoes. Then we sampled a honey-butter roasted sweet potato cubes, and finally, we took time out to seat at shop specializing in rice (gohan). There was a small L-shaped counter in the back, which served rice-stuffed triangles (onigiri), only here could we find a bar specializing in onigiri -- a dish we only rarely see offered in any of our izakaya restaurants in L.A. Peter orderd the hicken and spicy miso onigiri, while I had the salmon.

After the adventure in Nishiki, we stopped for our daily lattes at a branch of the Daimaryu department store, then headed south to Shoji-dori, which parallels Nishiki. Shoji-dori is one of the main shopping drags in Kyoto, and in the middle of the week, the day after Christmas -- it was packed. We were heading east until we hit Takashimaya - one of Japan's most well-known department stores (sort of akin to Sacks Fifth or Henri Bendel's in NYC). But unlike US department stores, the ones in Japan are throw-backs to the pre-mall era when these venues ruled.

We went into the store and looked for a directory sign, then headed straight for the basement where all the luxury food shops and grocery are kept.

While there, we found boutique after boutique of european fine chocolates, pastries, wines, and Japanese seasonal specialties. In fact, Peter and I had the best popsicle ever! A belgian chocolate with fresh slices of strawberries embedded.

I also found my long dreamed for "white" bread -- literally the softest, fluffiest, most amazing 'Wonder'-style bread in the world. Peter also managed to find a dark chocolate-covered coffee cake-like, French pastry to sample. The food hall was amazing, stretching into the distance but filled with shoppers and hostess gifts including $115 canteloupes. And no, that's not a typical price for fruit/food, there's apparently a tradition of giving specially-grown canteloupes in custom boxes for the Japanese.

After pulling ourselves away from the high-end munchies, we headed up to take a look around, but got distracted in the elevator by a young mother, her two children and the small chocolate-colored poodle mix, puppy she was holding. We followed them up the the roof of Takashimaya to find that the roof was open and had a play area for children, but more importantly -- a pet store. The children and the puppy were running and chasing across the roof while Peter took a restroom break.

As it was a bit warm and crowded in the food hall, it was actually great to go out onto the roof for a view of Kyoto and some fresh air. While outside I saw a hawk circling, so when Peter returned we both went out onto the roof for the view, and soon saw a pair of hawks, and as we headed to the attached roof, we saw that there were at least a DOZEN or so hawks in the mid-afternoon sky. It was amazing to see them in the middle of such an urban area.

We also found that there was a pet store and grooming salon on the roof...(a theme the would recur later in the trip). Finally, after a few requisite shots with the Pokemon ride in the kiddie playand area, we left by going down a different set of elevators. We found that we had crossed over into the even-more upscale side side of Takashimaya - think DeBeers, Cartiers, Tiffany's etc...best of all, we found a section with traditional Japanese cultural arts, ranging from the affordable (surprisingly) to the very, very expensive. There was also a section dedicated to kimonos/obis and other traditional clothing including a kimono for $92K(!)

As it was getting late, we decided to continue east on Shijo-dori over the Kamo river to the Gion district. This is traditionally the entertainment or pleasure district in Kyoto. It is VERY Japanese, and you don't go into any of the restaurants here unless you have someone Japanese to shepard you...this is also the part of Kyoto where Geisha, and Maiko (Geisha in training) still live and work. Passing by some of the teahouse entryways, you can sometimes spot the shoes of the Maiko (they are high, wooden platform shoes). Geisha, as has been said many times are NOT prostitutes, but women with years of training in certain Japanese performing and cultural arts. I saw a few on my last trip, but we didn't catch a glimpse of any this time -- in fact, I didn't even here any singing or samisen playing drifting from any of the teahouses we passed.

After stopping just before sunset in Kenji-jo, the first Zen Buddhist temple in Japan, we wandered around in Gion for a while, which was wonderful because of all the ancient and traditional buildings there; the area has maintained the look and feel of a pre-modern/pre-industrial Japan with the wonderful wooden exteriors and intimate walkways and lanterns. As it got darker and colder, we turned back onto Shijo-dori from Hanamiko-dori and walked by the grand Minami-za Theater, on our way home. This theater is a cultural landmark and still hosts performances of Kabuki plays -- and as it turns out a gala performance in December called the Kaomise Kabuki. The theater was totally decked out and crowded.

As we crossed the Kamo, Peter spots a tiny little walkstreet to our right; we decided to explore -- it turned out that we had stumbled across Pontocho alley. Pontocho, a street that parallels the Kamo to its East, is simply (and amazingly) doorway after doorway of restaurants and bars. Peter was thrilled at the prospect of coming back the next night to eat here.

We walked about two-thirds of the way North on Pontocho, then found our way back across Teramachi, and then back to our ryokan (but this time without the need for directions). Before long, Peter had rinsed off the day's walking and was back in his scalding hinoki tub for another soak -- I followed suit once the water temperature was manageable, and we were totally relaxed by the time we had our last dinner at Kanamean.

The dinner for this evening was mostly sushi and tempura; an insane amount of food for two people. But, for the first meal since we had arrived, I had the presence of mind to bring my camera.


]]> Christmas Day in Kyoto — Kyoto, Japan http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1198589880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1198589880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1198589880/tpod.html Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:01:26 -0500 You Are Here: Japan
Kyoto, Japan

We both woke up before sunrise our first morning together in Japan. Though it was still dark and cold outside, the private, sauna-style Japanese bath was a warm and refreshing start to the day.

We decided to walk around a bit before our breakfast, which was scheduled for 830am. A quick left turn at Kanamean's gate on Tomi-no-koji dori, took us north for a short exploration of the Central District of Kyoto. The small streets of mixed-use buildings of apartments, restaurants, shops, offices and public buildings were quiet, cold and immaculately clean. We saw vending machines lit up with enticing displays of coffee, and soon spotted a crane as our official landmark.

We headed west and hit 'Teramachi' - a covered promenade that is primarily clothing shops for the young now. But, it was originally created to house numerous temples that were relocated here after one of the many series of fires that have repeatedly destroyed large swaths of Kyoto.
We stumbled upone a small shrine and its adjacent graveyard, watched over by the stone buddhas and the apartment buildings on 3 of 4 sides.

As we returned to the Kanamean, I shot an image in front of a seafood restaurant that I had passed years prior with my friend and then travel companion Robin.

Back at the inn for breakfast, we were treated with an incredible feast of Japanese dishes -- salmon, boiled egg white with a semi-boiled yolk, assorted vegetables, and asari (clam) miso. After this sumptuous meal, we went back to our room, which was already re-maded to enjoy our coffee. The coffee was served a step-down living room with a view of the perfect courtyard-enclosed garden. Dotted with small, playful statues, the garden's trees and plants were almost unreal. The grass looked like the softest of carpets, with not a single weed.

It was a treat just to spend time relaxing, listenting to 'Moondance' a soft jazz vocal piece by an artist we didn't know, named Ann Sally. Already, the stress of day-to-day work life were fading away.

Despite the idyllic view and tranquility of our room, we managed to pull ourselves away to start our discovery of Kyoto. From our inn we headed North to the Imperial Park, grounds of the Imperial and the Retired Emperor's Palaces. The main gate, pictured furthest left is Kenreimon.
The sprawling, pine-covered Park grounds were mostly empty, but there were a few people wandering, some playing with their dogs and two ladies sweeping the gravel along one of the Katsura villaswalls.

While the weather was brisk, it wasn't bitterly cold, so as we headed East across the grounds, we decided to follow a garden trail further North, rather than leave the grounds. The only break from the silence was the beeping of the public restrooms, a sound to help the blind find their location. On the trail, which was less manicured and more natural than the rest of the park, we soon stumbled upon a legion of Japanese photographers poised to capture some wildlife at a man-made watering hole. The small, fenced area was filled with markers and placards describing the wide variety of birds that could be seen at the pond. The photographers had tripods, wrapped lunches and picnic blankets spread around this obviously-popular 'bird viewing' area.

The scene reminded us both of a moment we shared in Florida in an Everglades park, where photographers were trying to shoot nesting owls...

As we tried to see what was capturing everyone's attention, one of the Japanese photographer's walked up to check out Peter's tourist book. Apparently, after reviewing, he approved of it :)

We finally headed East out of Imperial Palace grounds to cross the river Kama, but managed to stop on the way for canned coffee, a pen and some toothpaste. We continued North on Kawaramachi-dori, in order to cross over the Kamo river.

But before we could cross the river we were stopped by the amazing birds we saw just above the waterfalls. We climbed down to the top of the walking/bike path along the river and sat for a while to watch and capture the blue heron, multiple egrets, swimming ducks and other water birds feeding nearby.

Back over the bridge, we headed towards our next destination two shrines. But before we could get very far down Shimogamo-hon-dori (which Kawaramachi turned into), we managed to stop for a treat of red bean in a glutinous white shell. The box of eight went quickly. A few feet further down the same street, we turned left into a neighborhood, covered market-alley, and discovered a french bakery, where Peter got a mini-pain chocolate and I got a version with vanilla. There are tons of these little patisseries in Kyoto and Tokyo, and all too tempting to resist.

As we searched for the 6th century Shimogamo shrine, we first found another cemetery before walking into the first of the Kamo shrines.

We then headed north again to the newer (only 7th century) Kamigamo shrine, where we saw a kimono-clad lady and a shinto monk sweeping the gravel away. The path from Shimogamo to Kimagamo shrine ran alongside a small creek, through Tadasu no Mori (the Forest where Lies are Revealed) and was interspersed with beautiful red maples. Both shrines opened through vibrant vermillion torii gates.

After leaving Kimigamo shrine, we walked through a lovely, quiet neighborhood of small and medium-sized homes, stumbling upon splashes of color in the winter grey, including some gorgeous yellow flowers from a small, planted shrub. Eventually we headed out to a main street and followed the road south along the Takano river to Imadegawa-dori, where the Takano and the Kama intersected and became the Kama.

Now we were walking towards the Philospher's path on Imadegawa-dori. At this point, each of us begin to feel the many hours we had already been wandering. But, we perservered and passed Kyoto University and crossed Higashoji-dori, to find the northern start of the Philosopher's walk (or so we thought). After much wandering, we were nowhere closer to the Path and so we turned southward onto Shirakawa, and then circled back Northward up to Imadegawa again, and then followed Imagdegawa all the way to it's Eastern end, and the Northern start of the Philosopher's trail.

Fortunately, the Trail is very popular and in portions of the walk there are numerous eateries and other storefronts to distract the tourist (mostly Japanese) from the temples and shrines along the way. We gratefully stopped for a latte and cafe au lait in a small coffee shop, allowing ourselves to rest our feet and shed our coats for a time. A hundred yards or so further up the hill, we had another taste treat -- this time crème chou with greentea filling...

Once done with our puff pastry, we made the first (and only) stop on the Walk to see it's famed Ginkaku-ji shrine (Silver Pavilion) -- which overlooks an amazing rock/gravel garden with sculpted sand cone.

As it was so late, for the remainder of Philospher's Walk (so named because of a professor that took it each to/from his classes at Kyoto University in the 60s), we didn't go into any other shrines/temples, but we did manage to see a young couple who almost fell into the Shishigatani canal in front of us as we walked downhill to the other end of the Walk. Once we were back to the main street area, we had a very, very long walk ahead of us back to our ryokan.

Nine+ hours after we had left that morning, we were back in the Central District trying to ask two older ladies for directions to Kanamean. Somehow between my horrendous Japanese and their hand gestures (since in the darkness the crane was nowhere to be seen), we managed to get perfect instructions for the remaining 7 blocks back to the inn. And in fact, we even walked past Tawarawa, where Robin and I stayed on my first visit to Kyoto in 2004.

We stumbled into the outer foyer and removed our shoes, where one of the owners of the inn greeted us. Then we were back in our room, as Peter eagerly sought out the traditional soak in the hot bath, which was awaiting our return. However, the hinoki tub was not just steaming hot, it was practically scalding hot...so try is he did, he just couldn't get in to it all at once. Eventually, with the aid of two cold Asahi beers, and looking the color of a bright red neon sign, Peter was soaking up to his neck in the tub.

We took our dinner in the same room where we had our breakfast (which was different than our first night's dinner) - and enjoyed an absolutely breath-taking kaiseki meal of yuba and soy, roast-beef slices with chives, scallions and dipping sauce, unfiltered sake, as well as sake, and an unbelivable serving of shabu shabu including amazing beef, enoki mushrooms, tofu, leeks, and greens, followed by rice and other treats. The dessert was a mix of strawberries in gelatine with ume (red beans).

We were instantly out, once we were back in our room.
]]> Kanamean — Kyoto, Japan http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1198546500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1198546500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/2/1198546500/tpod.html Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:59:26 -0500 You Are Here: Japan
Kyoto, Japan

It's strange to leave a place on the 23rd, but arrive 12 hours later on the 24th...but, arriving at Narita Airport was just the first start of our journey. Though getting through customs was a bit challenging as I didn't fill out an entry card, having thought I heard the flight attendant say only one was required per family. The Japanese customs officer wasn't helpful other than to point to the form and the table where I should fill it out, neglecting that it was all in Japanese.

Dec 24th, would end up being an 11 hour trip going on 17, by the time we took JR's Narita Express to Tokyo station and then the Shinkansen to Kyoto. On the ride, we passed first through the southern part of Tokyo, then blips of other cities. I had my first taste of Japanese food with the red bean (azuki) pastry purchased at one of the Tokyo station food purveyors.

In our reserved-seat cabin on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train), only 1 woman was wearing a kimono, but there were lots of passengers with masks, and most were extremely well-dressed urbanites.

Once we arrived at Kyoto, we took a cab to our ryokan Kanamean. We were greeted by two of the inn's staff, an older and middle-aged woman.

These two tiny women insisted on carrying our luggage, and then insisted on serving us dinner, although it was already past 9 when we arrived.

We opted to have dinner for just one person: Peter. But since it was 10 courses of kaiseki, we didn't avert the gorging we had hope to eliminate by asking for only 1 seating.

In Japanese, kaiseki literally means bosom /stone - and comes from a tradition that Buddhist monks followed in carrying a warm stone close to their bosom to ward of hunger pains. Though I can't imagine that it worked at all. The name/cuisine evolved in Kyoto to the equivalent of haute cuisine, and is now an amazing series of tiny dishes, offered lavishly in multiple courses, highlighting meats, fruits and vegetables, as well as flavorings and visual presentations that embody and reflect the seasons.

The meal started with a 'sakizuke' course, 2 rolls of unidentifiable vegetables in a sushi roll presentation, then 'hasan', which was several seasonally-themed, small side dishes of vegetables. There was also cooked fish and aspic, then 'mukozuke' -- in this case snapper sashimi. Next came 'futomono' - typically a lidded dish (for Peter's first meail dumpling, soy and garlic), followed by 'yakimona' - broiled seasonal fish, which was scallop. Next yam soup -- 'kumiage'. Still more arrived with the 'gohan' - glutinous rice with mushrooms and crabmeat, and then 'su-zakana' - picked vegetables, and finally 'shizakana' - yuba (a kind of tofu) in 'mizumono', yet another broth-based dish (all of the broths start with 'konbu' -- kelp, dried bonito flakes, and water).

Of course there was also sake, hot tea, warm towels, and then a dessert of jelly and fruit.

We were nearly comatose as we waddled from the traditional floor-style dining room around the corner to our own room at Kanamean. The staff had already laid out our futons on the tatami floors, and had set our comforters and buckwheat pillows in the toasty room. I just managed to turn the heat down before we both crumpled onto the floors into our futons, exhausted.
]]> Last Day in New Orleans — New Orleans, Louisiana, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191247980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191247980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191247980/tpod.html Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:44:33 -0400 10 year anniversary trip...
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Our last day here, all the standards packing, paying bills and planning for the trip home. But we did manage to stop for coffee on Decatur, and some gifts at Southern Candymakers,
as well as a short walk around the Garden district - where we saw Jefferson Davis' home, Newcomb College--the first degree-granting to women, Commander Palace's restaurant, and the Lafayette Cemetry.

We even managed to have lunch at another local eatery, where we had the first and last po' boy of our visit. Delicious...

For the primary photos of our trip, visit our ofoto/kodakgallery site

But more importantly, to support the city -- please go visit yourself. There's no place in the U.S. like New Orleans, and we should all be moved to support this community that has suffered so tremendously (and still suffers in the areas East of the city and other more rural areas of LA), through the wanton and willful neglect of local, state and federal officials and agencies, in the face Katrina and the wake of the levee failure.

To learn more and to help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina#New_Orleans
http://www.nola.com/katrina/
http://www.directrelief.org/EmergencyResponse/
http://thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/katrina

As the slogan we saw throughout the city said -- Return, Rebuild, Renew New Orleans! Visit for yourself, support the city through www.volunteermatch.org or other means to help. Let's take care of our own!
]]> Last full day in NOLA — New Orleans, Louisiana, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191161400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191161400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191161400/tpod.html Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:31:54 -0400 10 year anniversary trip...
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

It was another very, very late wake up for us. On our way into town, we stopped at the old pharmacy on Chartres.

But today, we were determined to have a Nawlins breakfast. So we took the second of Betty's recommendations to heart and headed out to the 'Old Coffee Pot' on Peter's street. Fortunately, their breakfast menu stayed open until 3pm.

It was the first time we waited in line, but the wait was worth it. Inside, the tiny room bustled with the amazing energy of the 3 large, loud and wonderful waitresses -- all of whom had no hesitation when it came to letting you know what was on their minds! We went specifically to taste the Creole calas, a traditional sweet rice cake dish--delicious! As were the grits and side of sausage and biscuits.


After this stick to your ribs meal, it was off to Jackson Square for a 2 hour tour to try to walk off some of the food. We were a small group for the Cabildo tour. Our guide Buddy began the tour at the 1850 House at 1pm. We spent 50 minutes of the 2hr tour in Jackson Square (part of the original city which was founded in 1718), so less walking then talking...There was little to no talk about the rich slave/african-american culture or the music, or the special mix that is unique to the city; still we learned a number of tidbits from the talk, which tended to focus primarily on the french/spanish and very early american history and the civil war.

On the Calbildo tour (named for the building that flanks the left side of Jacksons Square's Church of St. Louis, is the site of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase). We were also introduced to the Creole Baroness Michaela Pontalba who built the row of 'apartments' on the two sides of Jackson Square in the 1850's. She was quite a women. Having survived an attempted murder by her father-in-law in Paris (with two wounds and 5 births), she returned to New Orleans in 1848 to build these apartments, spearheading one of the earliest downtown urban revival efforts, in which she transformed Jackson Square from the military parade grounds to its current day European-style park). During construction, Michaela would supervise, often climbing up and down scaffolding checking everything herself.

When we finally left the square, sometime AFTER the Civil War, we learned how to spot the difference between balconies and galleries, river and lake brick, wrought and cast iron, as well as Creole vs. American architecture. Also, we found out that most of the original city was burned in the fires of 1788 and 1794 (with few rare exceptions). But, since the 20's, the "Vieux Carre's" historic buildings have all been closely protected by law and cannot be demolished, nor can any renovations or new construction in the quarter be done without following regulations to match the period historic architectural style (WOOHOO!!! If only other neighborhoods and communities has such foresight). The quarter itself has been a historic landmark since 1965.

Once the tour wrapped up--you guessed it--back in Jackson Square, we finally headed for Cafe du Monde -- for our first taste of beignets on the trip (and my first ever). It is a HUGELY touristed spot -- but those beignets were actually worth the stop. A basic order is 3 beignets under a mountain of powered sugar...fantastic.

Before heading back to Loft 523, we decided to hit the deeper reaches of the quarter, further behind Jackson Square, and in fact we crossed Rampart, the street that bounds on the side opposite the Mississippi. We entered a side gate to Louis B Armstrong Park where there was a festival being held in Congo Square, an area that had been totally submerged after Katrina.

Today though, it was filled with people and performers, re-enacting the very traditions that first created and inspired the name 'Congo Square.' There, typically under French and Spanish LA rule, slaves gathered and were observered by the Creoles while they danced to beat of the bamboulas, the wail of the banzas and a multitude of other African dances. The drummers and dancers we watched beckoned to the crowd to join in with them, and offered cakes and pastries in keeping with the original traditions.

It was fantastic to see the people of New Orleans reclaiming the vitality of their city and its rich musical and cultural traditions; one could sense how much people wanted an opportunity to celebrate life and the power of living.


The long walk back to the hotel gave us our last view of the city at sunset...we were already missing it.

Our last dinner in New Orleans was at Galatoire's, another of New Orlean's venerable Creole institutions opended in 1905. This last meal was the best of our trip--for the restaurant's ambience, for Peter our Bostonian waiter, for the chorus of diners wishing us a 'Happy Anniversary' and for the wonderful food. Again, Peter had a vodka martini while we shared a gouté for our starter (a serving of shrimp remoulade and crabmeat maison). I also had a cup of amazing gumbo.

Entrees where a chicken Clemenceaux and a petite filet mignon with Bonne Femmes (potatoes that defy description). We also had a side of onion rings. Dessert was a complementary Anniversary caramel custard -- but we also had a serving of banana bread pudding. All of it was fantastic, and like Arnaud's and Bayona, we can't recommend Galatoire's enough.

Since Galatoire's was on Bourbon, we took the street part of the way back--it was good to be here on a Sunday night, when it was relatively quiet, and to put that particular New Orleans tradition behind us.
]]> Saturday in Nawlins — New Orleans, Louisiana, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191074340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191074340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1191074340/tpod.html Mon, 08 Oct 2007 01:03:57 -0400 10 year anniversary trip...
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Waking up today was a bit 'challenging' -- not sure what time we finally made it back to Loft 523, but we didn't manage to stumble out of bed until very late in the morning--especially as we typically never sleep past 630am.

Once again, we headed out to the quarter, this time we decided to take Decatur, the last 'grid' street of the quarter that borders the Mississippi. On Decatur as we passed by the local House of Blues, while I was trying to take a photo, Peter was greeted by an older woman seated in the entryway of her apartment building. She was holding a basket of fresh-picked flowers she was bringing to one of the neighborhood businesses when she invited us up. Next thing we knew, she had invited us into to her building for a rooftop view of the city.

Jackie and her husband, Benny, were the original owners of the House of Blues building, along with several others in New Orleans where they were landlords. Benny had passed away however, and as she told us, I could see her eyes well. We couldn't bring ourselves to ask if it was Katrina or another cause...

Before long, she invited us into her penthouse home, though. While unfurnished for the most part, it was amazing. The unit had sustained water damage from the rains duing Katrina, and had been and was still undergoing renovation.

As she walked us around the space, she talked of her Benny and their 48 years together, her children -- and her grandchildren and her efforts at putting her home back together. It was a rare, personal encounter for us, but something that seems so natural to New Orleans.

After leaving, we wandered into the Southern Candymakers store, despite best efforts--we couldn't leave without getting dark chocolate and milk chocolate peanut butter cups. We turned into the quarter around Jackson Square and headed to the local tourist information office for information on how to get to NOMA (New Orleans Museum of Art). Due to our late start in the day, and the distance, walking was out of the question -- so we took a cab.

The encyclopedic collection and the Gaston Lachaise exhibition were all very enjoyable, as was the traditional space in which it was housed -- but the standout art from NOMA was an intimate exhibition on the second floor called Katrina through the Eyes of Children. The exhibit contained the drawings and in some cases the sculptures of children that had survived the storm. The works produced came from a program of art therapy to help the children deal with the psychological impacts of losing neighbors, friends and family members, as well as the physical devastation of the levee breeches themselves. But not only the disaster, but the feelings of hopelessness, frustration, anger and loss that fill trailer camps were these children are still living 2 years later.

A group of eleven art therapists and volunteers worked with the children at the largest of the FEMA trailer sites over an extended period of time, and the exhibition highlights a selection of their images, along with the children's narratives about the pieces. It was an amazing and heartwrenching collection.

We left NOMA to sit on its columned porch, savoring the dark chocolate peanut butter cup from the morning's walk, looking out over City Park -- looking at that pristine vista, it was hard to believe all the destruction that had visited the city. We took one of the few working trolley lines back to the French Quarter, and to our hotel.

When we left for dinner a little over an hour later, we arrived to the restaurant and realized that we were an hour early. So we headed out from the Central Business District to Peter's Street, past the Harrah's Casino, to the Canal Street Ferry and the Moonwalk area.

As the sunset behind us, we walked down the Mississippi and then into the Riverwalk Mall to head back to our restaurant. Inside Riverwalk, all the shops had closed. As we looked for a way out, if felt as if we were in 'Dawn of the Dead.' The people wandering the closed mall all had strange, vacant looks in their eyes -- like us tourists, but unlike us in the mall not to cut through to a destination on the other side, but to make the row of ubiquitous chain stores their destination.

We finally managed to backtrack all the way to the entry near the Canal Street Ferry to leave. Dinner at Cuvee, the only reservation that wasn't booked prior to the trip, was inventive (though not the best meal) -- mostly because of the room's extremely low temperature, the music selection and the dishes themselves, which tended towards being a bit too sweet.

Our appetizers were a corn tasting (of which the corn soup was a highlight) and a lobster bisque. For entrees it was surf, turf and sun and a 'meatball' of cornmeal surrounding shrimp/crabmeat on spaghetti squash. Cuvee also gave us a complimentary anniversary bombe, as our hotel had made the arrangements.

As we left, we passed a formal reception in the building next to Cuvee's on Magazine street. Once again, live music in the Crescent City, this time from an ol' fashioned marching bland. Since there was some time before the show for which we had tickets would be starting, we took a break for cocktails at the W's garden courtyard in the french quarter. The flamelit fountain and lounge chairs were a perfect interlude before heading uptown.

Most locals would probably describe Tipitina's as the best music club in New Orleans. Located several miles outside of the French Quarter, Tipitina's was created in 1977 for local Jazz legnend Professor Longhair. Although it may look like a dive, many of the greats have graced this music hall.

We had bought gallery seating tickets for the Tipitina Foundation's musical benefit, which provides resources to preserve Louisana's rich music culture. The benefit was a tribute to Fats Domino who is called a walking legend in NOLA. Fats lived in the Lower 9th Ward, which was decimated by Katrina, and was rescued from his roof by helicopter after several days. Fats donated the rights from his songs to a tribute album that was released that night.

We were up on the balcony as Fats walked past. It was a stellar night of music with David Egan, Henry Butler, Irma Thomas, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Warren Storm. The album, "Going Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino," is an amazing album. Get it. Buy it today.

Having seen half of the evening's performers, we decided to head back to Frenchman's again to try to catch Coco in a performance. Back at the Apple Barrel, we arrived to hear a young blonde soulfully belting out the last songs of her set with Coco's band.

She was followed by "Uncle Al" a tiny, octogenarian in pinstrips, suspenders, spats and a hat for 3 songs. Of course, not only did all the musicians seem to be long time friends, but practically everyone in the bar seemed to know them as well.

Finally, it was Coco Robicheaux's time to perform. It was worth coming back to see him. Coco has the same bourbon-soaked voice of Tom Waits but plays soulful, straight ahead swamp blues. At 70 years old, Coco and his band, made up of two of the prior night's Claim Jumpers and a third lap steel player, rocked the house.

It was something out of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road."

Sometime past 2am, we tumbled into our beds.
]]> First Full Day — New Orleans, Louisiana, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1190988120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1190988120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1190988120/tpod.html Sun, 07 Oct 2007 13:54:54 -0400 10 year anniversary trip...
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

On the first morning of our visit to New Orleans, one of us awoke with a hangover. Perhaps it was something to do with the bottle of champagne from our Aunt and Uncle, the bottle of wine from Arnaud's, or their martini. Or, all of the above...

So the first order of business, when we finally managed to leave Loft 523 at about 11am Friday morning, was some good ol' southern fixins to soak up that alcohol. The first place we spotted was Mena's Restaurant, a neighborhood corner spot with a mix of locals and visitors.

With a spot at the window, we waited to order breakfast. But, as it turned out, Mena's stops serving breakfast at 11am; we had missed it by 15 minutes. Not to worry, while in Rome do as the Romans, and in New Orleans for this case, that meant ordering a gyro...chili, and steak fries. At first, it seemed like the catfish the postman was eating across from us would have been a more appropriate choice, but in the end - the gyro and chili were exactly what Peter's hangover needed, and both were quite good.

Before we left Mena's, the waitress let us in on the three factoids: the proprietors were Greek, she had a guest in town from New York; and Frenchman's street, just beyond the French Quarter, was the place to go see live, local music - including a gravel voiced gentleman named Coco Robicheaux.

The morning started in a small coffee shop, with an alleyway terrace, where we could escape the growing heat of the day with two lattes. But the remainder of the day was spent wandering the core of the French Quarter (six by thirteen block area that's the only intact French Colonial and Spanish settlement remaining in the United States), where we met the artists including Mark Bercier at Cafe Baby, gallery attendants or store owners of art galleries (galerie dalray) and antique shops. From the archival photography shop A Gallery with the half million dollar Diane Arbus print, to the dark, dusty and decrepit 'junk' stores, everyone we met was welcoming and curious.

Literally everybody we met were eager to not only give us recommendations on where to eat and what to do, but also to ask about us and our visit. Telling them that we were returning to New Orleans for our anniversary only made them even friendlier. Almost all of them had heartbreaking stories about Katrina. And for those that didn't have personal tragedies, there was the justified anger and frustration with the storm's aftermath, with the continuing tragedies of deceit, graft, and exploitation. While the news has reported that the French Quarter has come back, and indeed it has seen its phoenix rise again--there is much that remains laid waste.

We learned that while there were twice as many people displaced in LA/New Orleans than in Mississippi, more than 63% of the federal funds for disaster relief went to MI when we spoke with Betty at Regency House Antiques. We also found out that despite all the damage and desolation (not to mention the real estate/mortgage lending slump nationally), both properities AND rents in the city had gone up significantly, pushing working class/low income earners out of the local market.

But despite the continuing problems, the still rampant destruction in the Ninth Ward, and the more than 3,000 lives lost (1,800 fatalities and 2,300 still missing) as a result of the levees failing, New Orleans is striving to be a city on the mend. Everyone we talked to was fighting rebuild, and grateful to all the volunteers that have helped to relieve the suffering.

The French Quarter, and all the areas typically visited by tourists, escaped most the flooding. And even some areas like Metarie, which were devastated, are coming back. It's clear there's been a tremendous amount of progress, as we saw so few signs of the havoc during our walks here. And despite the distance between us and Los Angeles, we managed to stumble onto a set for K-Town. As with most sets, there was lots of excess equipment and production staff, general milling and waiting around for something to happen. But K-Town will bring much needed revenue into the city.

After a full day of walking the quarter, we headed back to hotel to get ready for dinner and a night out on Frenchman's street.

Before our trip, Peter had made dinner reservations at a newer restaurant - Bayona - for Friday. Thankfully, since the place was packed. It was a lovely setting with large floral arrangements and paneled mirrored walls in a series of connected rooms. Since the shows on Frenchman didn't start until 10pm, we had time for a long, leisurely dinner. Another martini for Peter, and since this was the French Quarter, I opted for a Kir Royal.

Dinner began with pickled cauliflower, cucumber, olives and garlic -- all with a kick. We shared a roasted quail and pear saladwith a molasses vinagrette dressing, while Peter had pork chop on a bed of kale, with bread pudding. I had pan-fried halibut on risotto, with root celery and cauliflower. We ended with home-made ice cream, blood orange with cinnamon clusters. All of it was insanely delicious.

After this amazing meal, we left to find Decatur, which eventually turns into Frenchman. Twenty minutes later we had arrived in the Fauborg-Mariny neighborhood. The street was lined with bars, clubs and restaurants catering to New Orleans' own revelers. The college-aged and those that qualified for social security all shared the same space-there were mambo lessons for the uninitiated, or hookas for the loungers.

We stumbled upon a young foursome playing with a banjo, guitar, violin and an upright bass made of an inverted garbage can, 1x2 and rough string. Dressed as if they had just walked of the set of 'O Brother Where Art Thou,' the band along with its soulful bull terrier made time stand still, filling the air with their Appalachian folk and bluesy melodies. Walking down a street and stumbling onto My Cemetary Paw, as they were called, is another reminder of why New Orleans continues to be such a unique reservoir of musical culture.

After a few more songs, we headed off to find Coco - in our first stop they referred us across the street. There at the Apple Barrel, they told us that he would be playing on Saturday night, but there was already a set wrapping, and another band - The Claim Jumpers - was going to be setting up. So, we found open seats at one of the 3 tables across from the six-stool bar that made up the entirety of this tiny shoebox of a club. The stage, next to the juke box, was really just a small four-inch raised shelf, about a foot and a half deep. And between us and that stage - well, just a column with a handwritten reminder that there was a 'one drink minimum per set'.

While Peter drank vodka and tonics, I started with Kahlua and cream, and then downgraded to ginger ale. As is often the case, Peter struck up conversation with one of the locals, a guy named Wes, who was at the bar. Wes was a contractor supporting the more than 3,000 oil rigs in the Gulf and commented the Gulf looked like a city if one were to fly over it.

This was followed by an exchange with a fellow from Cleveland, who was in town on his wife's convention dime. But, once The Claim Jumpers started, we were all ears for their amazing blues. This trio of electric bass, drums and guitar (with a lead singer that looked like Lee Marvin's brother), played and sang 'real' music, not the Disneyland pornography typically found blaring on Bourbon Street.

After a set, we headed back up Frenchman, stopping on the way for a bit of peach cobbler from the side of a catering truck. That was good peach cobbler, and the perfect ending to a great night out.
]]> NOLA Arrival — New Orleans, Louisiana, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1190889660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1190889660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nataliehb/new_orleans_07/1190889660/tpod.html Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:27:20 -0400 10 year anniversary trip...
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Returning to New Orleans after almost 11 and a half years is bittersweet; it is an occasion of celebration--marking our tenth wedding anniversary. But with all the images, news, stories and documentaries of Katrina, what will we find of the Crescent City this time? Fortunately for us, the drive into New Orleans by cab has alleviated much of the trepidation we had about visiting after Katrina. Signs of the flood damage are almost non-existent in the corridor from the airport, west of New Orleans to the Central Business District - where we are staying.

As we get closer to our destination, we tell our driver that we're going to an address on Gravier Street. He insists there's no hotel there, only a night club. Could make for an interesting stay...

When he drops us off in front of Le Phare, indeed, it is a nightclub -- but Loft 523 , our hotel, is adjacent - though much less visible then her sibling bar/lounge. We make our way in through the minimalist, but intimate lobby to check-in. Loft 523 has been here for six years, and did sustain damage to its penthouse units during Katrina, but those we learn will be reopening in a month or so. Greg in reception helps us fill our one dinner reservation that we didn't schedule in advance.

We take the converted warehouse elevator, wrapped in tin tile walls and still showing its original wood floors, up to our room. The room's door is covered in hammered copper, which makes for a beautiful and warm welcome, but means that entry requires a substantial effort(!)

The door leads into a short, human-scale entry hall. To the left are closets, to the right, just before the end of the hall, a pocket doorway to an expansive limestone-covered bathroom, with a floating tub and shower room. -- I would be jealous, if it weren't for the fact that I just completed a major bathroom renovation in our own home last year.

The entry hall opens onto a amazingly large, softly-lit loft space; we step into a soaring 20 foot room with windows, seating and workspace to the left, and a bed/entertainment center to the right. The concrete floors and warm, white-washed walls make the room feel like our own private gallery space.

We've just finished unpacking, when there's an unexpected knock. A hotel staff member has arrived with a bottle of champagne and well wishes from our Aunt Joan and Uncle Len. Peter pops the cork, and we toast with this portentious start to our stay in New Orleans...

Dinner tonight is at Arnaud's, one of New Orlean's most established Creole restaurants. On the night we met here for work year's ago, we were treated to dinner at Arnaud's. Coming back is a wonderful remembrance...we're seated in a corner of the large, white and green tile-floored and wood-paneled dining room, at a table towards the front leaded-glass windows of the restaurant. The room is a step back into time with its potted ferns and palms, ceiling fans, brass coat hooks, thonet chairs and supporting columns. The space is overlooked by portraits of the original proprietors, as well as frequent guests, whose tables have been permanently reserved for them with brass name plates on the paneled walls.

Sitting in a restaurant that dates to back to 1918 is a wonderful beginning to our visit in New Orleans, a place that so easily pulls its rich past and traditions into its present. Our first meal is a direct connection back in time with so many of the creole trademarks that make the city unique - fresh baked bread to be broken by hand, shrimp remoulade with a great horseradish kick (crawfish is out of season at this time, hence the choice for shrimp), quail stuffed with mousse, and an amazing pan-fried snapper. The meal ends with a delicious chocolate bread pudding, and an empty bottle of Cote du Rhone.

We slowly make our way back up Bienville and across Canal, to leave the French Quarter behind for our hotel. But, we'll be back to the "Vieux Carre" soon...
]]>