Thursday, October 7, 2010

Forever Young

I think all of you know about my deep and abiding love for children's and YA literature. Family and friends tease me, ("Just wait until you start reading grown-up books!") but I persevere. I've even managed to get some of you cynical-adult-types to read a few of the fantastic books that are being published for teens now. I just read this article in the New York Times Sunday Book Review and it expressed (far better than I can) exactly why I read "kids books" and why you should too.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The City of New Orleans*

I'm back from my weekend in New Orleans! (Or in my mom's words, "the big...speak easy") We celebrated Anna and Lydia's birthdays, visited some of Lydia's favorite haunts from her time as a native and did some touristy-type things as it was my first visit to the city!

Seriously, who doesn't love Spanish Moss? (Minus the chiggers, obviously.)
Spanish Moss dangling from a live oak** just is the south.


The New Orleans Botanical Gardens were a beautiful start to our trip.
In addition to the trees and flowers, the statuary throughout makes everything seem kind of magical, like a story book.



Anna and Lydia as zoo animals...or jailbirds.

I loved this tree so much. I think I took ten pictures of it from all over the gardens.

One of the cool things about the New Orleans Botanical Gardens was that you could really explore and get up close to the plants. Many of the gardens I've been to in the past require that you stay on a specific path and not wander in among the flowers. These gardens had swings dangling from the trees, benches in the middle of an explosion of flowers, trains... This sounds incredibly dumb, but it was a really interactive garden!

Lydia, Me and Anna on a yellow swing.

Lydia and Kate on a green swing.

Dinner @ Jacques-Imo's

Lydia's favorite restaurant was where we headed for dinner our first official night in town.
These pictures are of a truck parked in front of the restaurant. A table for two was set up in the flat-bed.

The front of the truck.

Jacque-Imo's mixes Creole and Cajun styles of cooking to create something that is just...delicious. The restaurant itself is decorated wildly, with framed paintings on the ceilings, mismatched patterned vinyl tablecloths and electric colors everywhere. Upon being seated the waiters bring a plate piled high with the most delicious cornbread in the world, sweet and savory and garlicky...it's fantastic. We ordered the Alligator Sausage Cheesecake as our appetizer which was pretty yummy. This is followed by a spinach salad and then our main courses. The picture is of my order, Godzilla Meets Fried Green Tomatoes aka, soft shell crab over fried green tomatoes with a spicy hollandaise sauce. It was completely amazing. We also had mini-cheesecakes and coconut bread pudding in honor of the birthday girls and pretty much had to be rolled out of there.

The French Quarter & Bourbon Street

Since I was in tourist-mode, Lydia said we should walk down Bourbon Street. I was...amazed. I saw a strip club next door to a strip club across the street from another strip club!! I have to wonder, is that really necessary?

I wanted to see a Voodoo shop. But I was too afraid to go inside. (I saw The Princess and the Frog, I know what can happen!!)

I had two objectives in the French Quarter: pralines and beignets.

After sitting on the waterfront for a while, listening to middle school-aged kids playing music on their trumpets and trombones, we wandered into Jackson Square. I wanted to buy a Christmas Ornament to commemorate the trip but couldn't find one I liked. So I got my palm read instead! Patricia, "Psychic of the Stars" did my reading.

Apparently I have a very long life line, a strong love line, good health, will have success in goals that I set over the next 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year and will have two children. Patricia, "Psychic of the Stars" asked if had any question but I'd gotten really distracted because the guy in the tent beside us started playing this Harry Chapin song that I love so I looked to Anna for suggestions. Anna asked if I was going to publish a book. Patricia, "Psychic of the Stars" looked at my palm (because that's where the answers are) and said that I would publish a book in 6 months. I think she must've meant that I would sell a book in 6 months because the whole publishing process takes about 2 years.

A trip to Cafe Du Monde for Beignets!!

So yummy! While eating we were serenaded by another brass band.

Magazine Street
After another stroll down Bourbon (at night the scary people come out), escaping our stalker, a streetcar ride and making funny faces with the little boy sitting across from me we had a final dinner for the birthday girls! We sat outside and enjoyed more live music--this time bongo drums and a keyboard. Not quite as fun as the brass band, but still better than no live music at all.
A fun trip, I'm definitely looking forward to a return visit!

*I had Arlo Guthrie's cover of this song running through my head all weekend long, hence the title of this post.

**I've always wondered why live oaks are called live oaks rather than just oaks. This weekend, thanks to Kate, I learned the answer: A live oak is a different species of tree than a regular oak. A live oak is in the evergreen family and is called "live" because it is green in winter while the regular oak is dormant in winter. (Cue "The More You Know" theme music.)

Friday, October 1, 2010

Wishin' and Hopin'

CNN Fires Rick Sanchez
Now if they'll just get rid of Tony Harris I'll be able to get my cable-news-fix in peace...