Nola on my mind... and in my heart

As my profile states, I love extraordinary, experiential, change your life travel and I crave memorable experiences that are uniquely mine.  What this usually means is taking a trip to somewhere I’ve never been and experiencing a culture that is new to me – new people, new foods, new customs, etc.  I typically return from these experiences changed and hopeful … and just a little bit tired. 😏 So, I am also a big believer in returning to my favorite places year after year. I like to dig a bit deeper each time I come back and see a familiar face with fresh eyes and new discoveries. For me, there are two places that fit this description and are dear to my heart – Maine and New Orleans. I am lucky enough to visit both of these places each year and each time is as memorable as the first.  And each time I visit I walk away with a deeper understanding of the place. 

We try to visit New Orleans in the spring or the fall when the humidity is a bit less of a concern. We just returned from our most recent trip to the Crescent City.  We stayed in a fantastic Airbnb near the corner of Esplanade and Royal.  I think this may have been the best location we have stayed in yet!  We were close to the shopping and restaurants in the Quarter, and also very close to the late night entertainment of Frenchman St.  People who know me are often surprised when I tell them how much I enjoy New Orleans as I am not much of a partier – but Nola is so much more than that. In fact, I barely cross Bourbon Street when I am there. But what I do love is the people, the music, the art, the architecture, the vibe – and of course the food!

We have our regular haunts that we visit while in town like Coop’s for jambalaya and fried chicken, Tujague’s for gumbo and a Pimm’s cup, Port of Call for a burger, or the Red Truck Art Gallery. But we also try to get further afield to experience some new spots too – like Miss Linda’s Yakamein, Stein’s Market & Deli on Magazine Street, or Pho Tau Bay near Tulane.  As for entertainment, it goes without saying that the live music scene in New Orleans can’t be beat. We’ve been lucky enough to catch Trombone Shorty, Kermit Ruffin, and the Rebirth Brass Brand live.  We get just as excited to see some of our lesser known favorites too – like Corey Henry, Lynn Drury, and Chris Christy.  They are all unbelievably talented, and it feels so special to see them perform live because you can’t believe more people don’t know how incredible they are. 

It’s hard to describe how New Orleans captured a piece of my heart, but it’s the whole package...  I love the grittiness of the city. I love the old world feel of the architecture. I love how Nola seems to support all things quirky and creative. I love the unparalleled talent in their kitchens and their music venues. They embrace life and celebrate each moment with gusto – whether it is tossing actual heads of cabbage in a St. Patrick’s Day parade, a second line celebrating life and death, or one of a million music or food festivals. It is a come as you are kind of place.  And that ethos overflows into the streets and permeates their people and how they welcome visitors.  You always feel welcome – and I just feel like I “fit” there. 

Even though I just returned… I can’t wait to go back.

Puerto Rican Paradise

My husband and I just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  As we often do, we try to see how many anniversary celebrations we can recall - where did we go, what did we eat? Our recollections seem to get fuzzier as the years go by... We spent our first anniversary in Niagara Falls.  As residents of upstate NY at the time, it wasn't a long-distance trip, but certainly a memorable one. We traveled to Puerto Rico for our 2nd anniversary. It was a great opportunity as I was out of work at the time, but the Puerto Rican Tourism Department was running a promotion to kick-start tourism after the general downturn in all travel after 9/11.  I saw the promotion on the Today Show, called the number on the screen, was on hold for a looooong time, and bought ourselves a very affordable trip to the island!  Time well spent! 

It was our first trip to the island, but we had a little inside intel as my dad used to live on the base there when he was a kid.  We decided to stay a bit off the beaten path in the town of Rincon on the west coast. The area has beautiful beaches and as it turns out Rincon is a pretty big surfing destination. My husband and I are SCUBA divers, so that was our water activity of choice.  We stayed in a sweet inn, the Lazy Parrot. The staff there could not have been any more accommodating throughout our visit.  We really enjoyed our stay there. We went on several boat dives during our time in Rincon and not only did we see some amazing sites - tropical fish and all - but we met some amazing people. We also enjoyed some pretty fantastic fresh seafood. 
 
We also had the opportunity to take some field trips around the island.  We saw the sleeping giant of Puerto Rico, Gigante Dormido. We drove out to Aguadilla to film the former Ramey Air Force base for my dad.  We also visited the island's tropical rainforest, El Yunque. That was a phenomenal experience that I have not forgotten 15 years later. The hike through the forest was otherworldly.  We saw so many lizards and birds.  It was hot and humid.  And then there would be a break in the trees, and you would come across beautiful waterfalls.  They were a welcome - and refreshing - reprieve from the tropical heat. Swimming in and under these falls was an amazing experience and a lovely memory to this day. 

Another unforgettable experience was our boat dives out of La Parguera. We were able to go on a couple of trips out from there, and the visibility and marine life were great. On one of our trips, we did an evening dive in the bioluminescent bay.  What a completely surreal and unforgettable experience.  The people we met there were also pretty incredible, so kind and friendly.  We even went diving with a local dignitary from San Juan. On the way back from one of our dives we encountered a nighttime street festival where we enjoyed delicious seafood, live music, and beautiful people. 

We did enjoy a couple of days in San Juan before we headed home.  I loved the historic feel and vibrancy of the city.  On our last night, we had our anniversary dinner on a rooftop deck that we had all to ourselves. Oddly enough, I remember having my very first plantain during this meal - and history was made.  I pretty much always order them now when I see them on a menu. The view was magnificent, the food was delicious, and my company was perfect. 

It has been a month since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.  They are still experiencing widespread devastation on the island.  Please consider donating to help their cause.  And when they're ready, please consider visiting this island treasure and boosting their tourism industry once again. They need our support.

Taking it Slow

Italy has been on my mind lately - really since my last post. Looking back, I think our Italy trip was a turning point in how I prefer to travel.  We had certainly traveled to quite a few places before Italy, but those trips seemed more like a race to fill our highlights reel before we had to head home. It was more about seeing as much as we could, and less about gaining an understanding of our hosts.  We traveled for breadth, rather than depth...

The Amalfi Coast was the first time we stayed in one place for most of our trip, and seven years later, our memories are all the richer for it. We became travelers and not just tourists. We got to know the people of Praiano, their rhythm and even the stray dog, Luca, who waited for the local bus with us each day. We spent time just sitting in the square watching children play football after school.  We paid multiple visits to the same restaurants, giving us a chance to explore not just the menu, but the area's cuisine. We had a favorite bartender, Enzo, who made our favorite drink -- even learning that the reason our drinks were so good was that the mint in Italy is a bit milder than what we grow in the U.S.

We spent our mornings sleeping in because there was no rush to get through the day's planned itinerary and we spent our evenings staying up late, enjoying beverages and the companionship of the locals. And in between, we had time to slow way down and actually relax on our vacation.  We were able to soak up not just that beautiful Mediterranean sun, but the incredibly friendly and welcoming residents. We still saw the local sites, the beaches, the shops, the islands, the precious towns clustered along the mountainsides - but what we really saw was a group of people that appreciate the true essence of life and what it offers each of us.

The downside to a vacation such as this is that it makes leaving all the harder.  You know what you will be missing when you leave -- and you leave a piece of you behind. I think Greg put it best when he said, "When you stay in one place for a week and a half, you put down a few roots, and even small roots are hard to tear up when it's time to leave."