Louisiana

definitely going to New Orleans in the next two years, if my buddies and i can ever get our spring breaks to sync.

 

Katrina, Wack rappers, Creole, Jambalaya, cool music/atmosphere, Chris Paul...

 

A sportmans paradise, a cultural gumbo, home of the most European city in America, ecologically ravaged, culinary gifted, 2009 college baseball world series champions...dat who...

 

a place i have always wanted to go...but never been

 

Pan Louisiana cuisine is among the finest in the world.

Birth place of the greatest art form in the world! An American invention, Jazz!

Love-hate New Orleans.

Love marigny, algiers and most of the French quarter. Love the history, culture, the acme oyster house, paul prudomne, court of two sisters used to love masperos. Love New Orleans in the day time the art and the culture and the bookstores.

Hate the crime, pandering, con men and drunk tourists. Hate bourbon street with it's strip shows and cheesy jazz. Loved the old masperos.

Baton rouge is almost as big as New Orleans now and is vastly underrated for the food and entertainment. Certainly not as touristy.

LSU my 3rd favorite college team and one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. Location of my first authentic Louisiana meal. Spicy chili con carne over rice!

 

Oh man, I really don't have time for all that there is to say.

Jazz Fest, beats the heck out of Bonnaroo. Two weekends, and you can go home and shower at the end of the day, then catch a private show after an amazing dinner. Always the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. This should be anyone's trip instead of Mardi Gras or Spring Break.

Brennan's Restaurant @ 417 Royal Street in the French Quarter. Ralph Brennan invented Bannas Foster there for his friend Richard Foster. An easy dessert to impress your friends if you're having a fancy dinner party. They also have a great three course breakfast that usually involves 4 or more drinks.

Tulane University, Audubon Society Zoo, St. Charles Ave (which I believe to be one of the most beautiful streets in the country), John Besh (amazing chef, with four separate restaurants in the city), and tons of local music.

An amazing place, you just have to know where to look.

I agree with Rolltide's feelings on Bourbon St, it's become the fake touristy New Orleans that only idiots care about. However, just around the corner there are amazing things.

 

Writer Lyle Saxon played a big role in the preservation of the French Quarter. In his day(1920s) it was a hole and basically a glorified slum. He saw it's value historically and as a creative place where artists and writers could congregate and share ideas.

He bought the property at 536 Royal St. and that became the center for culrural life in the Quarter and despite the fact he never had much money of his own he was always willing to help out antone who needed help. He was friends with a young William Faulkner and sherwood anderson among other well known writers.

He was placed in charge of the Louisiana writers project a federally funded depression era program which produced many books and pamplets dealing with Louisiana history and culture as well as gidebooks for tourists.

Saxon himself wrote or co-wrote 3 wonderful books as a part of this projects. "Fabulous New Orleans", "Gumbo YaYa" and "Old Louisiana". Histories, story telling and culture al woven together and i highly recommend them.

Saxon though a city lover who also lived briefly in New York and Chicago had a very sentimental view of the plantation life he grew up in. He had a place in northern LA along the Cane river that he would visit for peace and quiet and did most of his best writing there including his best known novel "Children of Strangers" and his first novel "Cane River".

Some people will go so far as to credit Saxon with saving the French Quarter. If you want to know more about Louisiana and especially New Orleans you might want to learn more about him.

 

Why some people always got to hate on Bonnaroo?....why hate peace and love...?