New Orleans
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Going Down Easy
For me, arriving in New Orleans is like arriving at home. I suppose it’s getting a bit like the package holidays some families take to the same places every year. But if you like a place that much, where’s the problem? And there’s never a problem in finding something different on Frenchman Street. At the…
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When The Saints Go Marching In
There’s an old joke that nobody ever travels by train in America. And outside the commuting zones of the big cities it’s largely true. Yet as I arrive at Memphis’ Central Station at just after 0530 on a Sunday morning, there a handful of people are already lining up to board the service South to…
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A Date With Death
Everyone knows that they do funerals with style in New Orleans. The jazz cortège leading a parade through the street and all the showbiz that goes with it. And they may be gone, but they’re certainly not forgotten, as illustrated by the elaborate headstones in Lafitte Cemetery. Some of these memorials aren’t that old, but…
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D-Day, Popeye and Satchmo
Louisiana, and in particular New Orleans, might not seem the obvious place to locate America’s National World War 2 Musuem, but there’s a good reason for it. The D-Day landing craft – known as the Higgins Boats – were designed, built and tested here. So it’s little surprise to see one taking pride of place…
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Keeping It Real
The word authentic is often overused, especially in big tourist destinations. Businesses vie for a claim to be the “original”, the “first” or the “unique” and rarely are. So to search for the “authentic” side of New Orleans, breakfast is a good place to start. And the often overlooked humble beignet. Think of a doughnut…
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Bonjour, Frenchman Street
On a corner of Frenchman Street is the reason I keep coming back to New Orleans. A live jazz band is in full swing, drawing a large crowd and generally blocking the traffic. But the cab drivers don’t react by honking their horns or shouting at them to get out the way. This is everyday…
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Welcome Home!
“Don’t ever become old and boring, Kev. See the world.” I like Tim. I’ve known him for about 10 years and we share a love of beer and travel. Yet he seemed perplexed when I said I was going to New Orleans for a third time, followed by Nashville and New York for a second…
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Go West
It’s Wednesday, and almost time to bid farewell to New Orleans. But first, what did I get up to last night? “It’s all so frickin crazy round here! I’m Glenda. How you doin’? You swinging with both fists?” This isn’t an expression I’m familiar with, and I quickly start to wonder where this is going.…
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Heavens to Betsy!
Monday night ends with a bar hop across the city. First, the Circle Bar in the shadow of the Robert E Lee statue. Among the modern buildings and plush hotels, the Circle is a ramshackle Victorian style building which would look more in place in a Scooby Doo episode than in downtown New Orleans. It’s…
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Happy Mondays
It’s springtime in the States, and boy, do the starlings know it. At around 6am they flock to the courtyard of the hotel for a morning chorus. The low set trees and high walls create a noisy amphitheatre and an early wake up call for the residents. That said, it wasn’t a late night. An…
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