Southern Charm Remix Part 1

The blog is back! I’m back in the saddle and ready to fill you in on my adventures, from my perspective, both near and far. I haven’t spent the past two years living under a rock, so I plan to fill you in on some of my travels over the last 24 months.

Brian and I ended 2016 with a road trip from New Orleans to Atlanta. This post will be solely about the Nawlins part of our trip but stay tuned for more details about our road trip through Mississippi and Alabama.

Jackson Square named after President Jackson who led the U.S. to victory at the Battle of New Orleans

New Orleans

A little history…New Orleans defines the ultimate melting pot. Originally founded by the French, then ruled by the Spanish for approximately 40 years until President Jefferson signed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 cementing Louisiana’s place in the United States. Due to its location as a port city from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and its regime changes, New Orleans’ culture is unique. You’ll see it in the architecture throughout the neighborhoods, the sounds of music that waft through the air, the cuisine that you cannot find anywhere else and the people that you meet along the way.

Where to stay: New Orleans is a fairly large city, with many diverse neighborhoods. We chose to stay downtown in the Business District, as it is centrally located, next to the French Quarter but away from its crowded streets, and has an abundance of lodging options. We planned to visit many neighborhoods so easy access to the trolley was also a benefit.

 

On the famous streetcars along Charles Street

We stayed at The Intercontinental, as it was a good jumping off point and we got an excellent rate, including breakfast which made mornings easy. Ubers were readily available and we loved that the majority of our rides were in pickup trucks! I would recommend it as a no-frills place to rest your head at night. http://www.icneworleans.com/

 

Where to eat: New Orleans is chock full of amazing cuisine. My gluten-free diet limits me greatly in a city where beignets, po boys and muffalettas reign king (which reminds me to add King Cake to that list!). That being said we had no problem enjoying delicious meals in the Big Easy.

• Lilette: After our tour of the Garden District we were happy to sit down and enjoy a well-cooked meal. http://www.liletterestaurant.com/
• Commander’s Palace: A New Orleans institution with some old world flair, as men must wear collared shirts and a jacket. We went for dinner and the food was very good, but the right move is to actually go for lunch because the food is half the price and they feature 25 cent martinis! http://www.commanderspalace.com/
• Compere Lapin: We went for drinks and they were fabulous! It was a cool spot with wonderful bartenders, and you can stay for dinner.I just learned that it’s Top Chef Season 11 runner-up Nina Compton’s restaurant and wish we had the time to grab a seat. http://comperelapin.com/
• Shaya: Get the hummus with the soft boiled egg! It was the best hummus we’ve ever eaten and we’ve been to Israel! A delicious meal all around. http://www.shayarestaurant.com/ 

What to do: There are a ton of options but we were limited with our time. Also, Brian and I love rambling around new cities so we spent a lot of time walking around and just enjoying the sights!

Garden District Walking Tour: http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/new-orleans-tours/

Residents of New Orleans bury their dead above ground because the city is below sea level. On our tour, we learned about the culture surrounding cemeteries in the city.

• We took the Garden Tour because it brought us to a very interesting part of the city, with architectural highlights. The tour included the Lafayette Cemetery and homes of several celebrities, including Sandra Bullock and, Brian’s personal favorite, Eli Manning’s childhood home. There were a lot of people on the tour which didn’t make it very personal but we got a lot of history for free! 

Manning family home

Audubon Park and Tulane: https://audubonnatureinstitute.org/audubon-park

• We took the streetcar out to Audobon Park which is located in the western part of the city. We only had time to see part of the expansive park, which includes a zoo and golf course. While in this part of the city we walked to Tulane to check out the beautiful campus. Don’t forget to look up while you walk through the quad to see Mardi Gras beads still hanging from the trees.

French Quarter 

French Quarter architecture at its finest

• What can I say? It’s nearly exactly as I expected. Crowded, hot and rowdy…even at 11am! It’s not my scene but we spent just enough time there to imagine what a college night in the city could look like.

National World War II Museum: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

• The highlight of our trip. Plan to dedicate a lot of time here and expect crowds. There is so much to read and see that you simply can’t take it all in. It made me proud to be the granddaughter of two veterans who fought on the eastern and western fronts.

 

 

If we had visited in warmer weather we would have added a swamp tour to our itinerary. Also, wish we had time to visit the Chalmette Battlefield where the Battle of New Orleans was fought. Up next, New Orleans to Birmingham to Atlanta and some remarkable stops along the way.

Closer to the Cloisters

I love when friends visit me in New York and Ilana was no exception. We decided to take a trip to Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan to visit the Cloisters. I haven’t been to the Cloisters since the 11th grade and it’s been on my to do list ever since then! We drove 10 minutes from the upper west side and parked for free but you can take the A train to 190th street and walk to the museum.

Stained glass windows

Beautiful arched ceilings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cloisters are dedicated to Medieval art and architecture. George Grey Barnard (no relation to my favorite Barnard, Fredrick A.P.) acquired his first cloisters from France and opened them to the public in New York City in 1914. John D. Rockefeller, on behalf of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, generously paid for Barnard’s Cloisters. Additionally, he bought 56 acres of land which would become Fort Tryon and would house a new museum centered around the Cloisters. The building itself is an assemblage of Cloisters and Medieval buildings, such as cathedrals, that are pieced together with modern gallery spaces.

The Unicorn Tapestries are a highlight of the museum. They were created in the later Reniassance, around 1495 and they are rife with Christian symbolism. Even if you couldn’t identify the symbols, they are stunning to look at because of their size and details.

We took the 3pm tour which was lead by a Ph.D. candidate who was knowledgeable and energetic. The first thing I wanted to know was, what is a cloister? A cloister is a 4 sided arcade with a garden in the middle. He went on to explain that the focus of the museum was specifically the Gothic and Romanesque periods within Medieval times  and that they each have stylistic qualities that distinguish them from one another. The guide pointed out how the image of Christ changed, how the structure of arched ceilings evolved and why monasteries were essential to the Medieval Ages.

We enjoyed the tour and I highly recommend taking a tour if you have limited knowledge of the time period. Admission is suggested and the tours are free. Your admission also gets you into the main branch of the Met on 5th Avenue. You can enjoy lunch at their cafe or bring you lunch and blanket and sit outside overlooking the Hudson River. Even if you only have an hour or two, head uptown and enjoy this unique museum.

Ilana inside the central Cloister!

Lost and Found in Central Park

I finally convinced Jaclyn to visit the Big Apple from the City of Brotherly Love. Because Jaclyn has spent limited time in the city I thought it would be fun to take a free tour of Central Park offered by the Central Park Conservancy. http://www.centralparknyc.org/tours/guided-tours/ There are so many options to choose from but based on our date and time we opted for the North Woods tour. Central Park is one of my favorite places in NYC but I have spent little time north of 96th. We were delighted to spend 75 minutes in the wilderness in the middle of Manhattan. Here’s what we learned that you’ll love to know:

Harlem Meer, looking south from the Dana Center. Meer is the Dutch word for pond.

– The tour began at the Dana Discovery Center inside the park at 110th street between 5th and Lenox Avenues. Arrive about 20 minutes early and go inside the center to sign up for the tour and check out the exhibit, Ponds, Pipes and People: Water in Central Park. It was informative and introduced us to some of the sights we would see along the tour.

– Sarah Miller, Central Park’s historian, has been known to say that Central Park was America’s first theme park and the theme is nature. The Park is completely man made and designed by Olmsted and Vaux. It’s northern border was originally at 106th street but the area where the  Harlem Meer currently sits was marshland and considered unsuitable for building so the plans were changed to include the marsh and pushed the border to 110th Street.

North Woods starts at Huddlestone Arch. The arch has no mortar and was created by stacking the boulders upon each other and allowing gravity and a keystone do all the work.

– The plants are generally not native to New York nor the Northeast. Olmsted and Vaux cared more that they were beautiful rather than native.

Jaclyn inside Huddlestone Arch

– The North Woods is one of three woodlands in the Park, the other two being The Ramble (in the midwest section of the park) and Hallett Nature Sanctuary (the southeast corner of the park). You can distinguish these areas from the rest of the park because you truly feel transported from the metropolis of NYC to upstate New York. Other sections of the Park, like the Great Lawn, would be considered pastoral in comparison to the woodlands.

– There are 36 unique bridges and arches in Central Park. They are all functional but also aesthetically pleasing. Olmsted’s goal was to use them as picture frames that lure the walker to see what is beyond. They also serve as portals between environs.

Waterfalls can be found throughout the North Woods. They act as a natural sound barrier to the melodies of the city. They also attract birds to the park by letting them know that there is a water source in the area.

– Olmsted and Vaux hated the grid system of New York City streets that many of us natives love. They designed the Park with as minimal lines as possible so as to allow patrons to amble, slow down and enjoy the scenery. They wanted to contrast the busy, business obsessed streets to the relaxing, curving paths of the Park.

– Did you know there was more gunpowder used to construct Central Park than in the Battle of Gettysburg? Our guide, Alan, was exceedingly knowledgeable and provided us with tons of fun facts.

– The land for Central Park cost 5 million dollars and the city used eminent domain to stake claim to the property. The original budget was just over $1 million but when everything was said and done it took $17 million to construct the park. The annual budget to maintain the park is $58 million and the Conservancy has raised over $700 million since its inception in 1980. Although some of the tours are free, consider becoming a member to the Conservancy. Your donation goes directly towards maintaining the beauty of Central Park.

The most amazing tip I learned will leave all my New York friends speechless. Have you ever been walking through the park and had no idea what cross street you are closest to? It happens to me all the time and I have to try to figure out where I am by staring at the buildings. Next time you get lost take a look at the lamp posts and you’ll notice rectangular metal placards. The first two numbers tell you the closest cross street and if the last number is odd you’re closer to the west side; if it’s even you’re closer to east side. So this lamp post is telling us that we are closest to 102nd street on the west side. Who knew?!

It was a hot day in the city but we absolutely loved learning about the intricacies of Central Park. I highly recommend taking a tour and I plan on taking many many more!

We dined at Pearl and Ash, http://www.pearlandash.com/, for dinner the night before. It was fabulous!! I highly recommend.

Birthday Books and Stars

I was one lucky birthday girl this year. Here’s how I celebrated my 29th with two great free NYC activities:

New York Public Library with mom…

In front of Fortitude, one of the two lions that welcome visitors to the New York Public Library, on 42nd and 5th Avenue

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendack comes to life inside the exhibition.

After a delicious lunch at Todd English Food Hall at the Plaza, mom and I took the bus down to one of my favorite buildings in Manhattan, the New York Public Library. Every day, Monday-Saturday, you can join a docent-led tour of the flagship location at either 11am or 2pm. You should arrive 30 minutes before the tour because tours are limited to 25 people and are available on a first come first served basis. The best part is that the tour is free but if you enjoy your time, you can leave a donation for the library on the way out.

We had about 30 minutes to kill before the tour so we wandered through a special exhibition, The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter. As an elementary school teacher, I was predisposed to love the exhibition but my mom and I agreed that it went above and beyond a simple overview of the history of children’s literature. You’ll enjoy original manuscripts, commentary about the importance of the novels and illustrations of your favorite childhood stories. There are tours of the exhibition Monday – Saturday at 12:30 and 2:30 but it will be closing September 7th.

Ludwig Bemelman’s illustrations from Madeline.

The original stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh.

Unfortunately, our tour of the library was cancelled because the docent never showed up! We were very upset but we greatly enjoyed the children’s book exhibit. We’re going to try to find another time to head down to 42nd street and go on the tour.

Stargazing on the High Line with Brian…

Telescopes before sundown at 14th and the High Line. If you have extra time, enjoy the view and pick up some gelato.

In the evening, Brian met me for dinner at Chelsea Market and we enjoyed a delicious meal at Cull and Pistol. Then we walked up to the High Line. Every Tuesday evening in the summer, the Amateur Astronomer’s Association brings out their telescopes and teaches the public about the stars in our sky. You need to check the High Line’s twitter page for updates and to be sure that the weather is suitable for stargazing. At sundown, you can wait on lines for each of the high powered telescopes and you’ll be amazed at what you can see. I was shocked to see Saturn and Mars. I could even make out the rings of Saturn and the red tint of Mars. The lines move quickly so don’t let them deter you from waiting. As a New Yorker, it was a welcome treat to take a break and look to the skies and actually see stars!

Here’s a screen shot of the information you get each Tuesday. The twitter feed will tell you what you can expect to see and what the sky conditions are.

Here I am, looking at Mars!

 

 

 

 

 

It was a wonderful 29th birthday and I feel so lucky to have heard from close family and friends on my special day. Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes!!

 

http://www.theplazany.com/dining/todd-english-food-hall/

http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/abc-it

http://cullandpistol.com/

http://www.thehighline.org/events/free/2014/4/every-tuesday-stargazing-on-the-high-line