CRYSTALLIZED

One of the things I love most about travel is the opportunity to try new foods and tastes. That's one of the reasons the blog and associated websites are moving towards a newer focus on not only places we go, but the foods and drink that go along with those places.

Last year's mega-Road Trip - "Nineteen Days, 25 States, 6000 Miles" - was no exception. We sampled wines in Missouri and Virginia, down-home cooking' in North Carolina, seafood in Pensacola and quite a few other regionalized dishes.

One of the more enduring discoveries was this stuff: Crystal Hot Sauce.

We ran across it in New Orleans, where sauces are pretty much legendary and obligatory. It was sitting on a table with Tabasco and Cholula, the industry titans. So we sampled the Crystal after a local assured us it was "Better'n Tabasco".

It's a completely different taste and experience. Crystal, which seems to be available much more widely than I had anticipated, is perfect for eggs, Mexican food, sauces and much, much more. It's a more subtle Louisiana spiciness versus the vinegar heat of Tabasco. 

A bit of New Orleans in your cupboard.

(This is not a sponsored post, BTW. I just love the stuff and discovered it while traveling. Enjoy.)

LIFE IN THE BAYOU

The Louisiana bayous are the stuff of legend. From tales of pirates and treasures to the culture of the creole and cajun people that live back amongst the trees and swamps, it's a distinct and almost magical lifestyle.

For many of us it conjures up an image of the lone fisherman, or croc hunter in our most imaginative moments, living in a ramshackle house out amongst the mangroves.

Or of a voodoo priestess practicing her magic as the campfire light dances across the waters of the swamp.

And while there are people who live that way, life in the bayou isn't as harsh or isolationist as the casual visitor might expect.

A recent visit to New Orleans was highlighted by a tour around one of the neighboring bayous. Airboat, such as you might find in the Florida Everglades.  It's the perfect craft for navigating the swamps. Captain Mitch is your local guide. And Kermin is your host for a pleasant afternoon relaxing in the bayou.

You can find out more at Ultimate Swamp Adventures.

Our host Kermin

Kermin's "driveway" and front walk

Mitch working to free a trapped snake 

Captain Mitch discussing life on the bayou

MUSICLAND

Music lies at the heart of so many cities and cultures that it, at times, defines that place.

Manhattan and San Francisco claim the underground music scene, particularly when it came to the 1960s. Nashville of course is Country, though even now it expands its musical borders to nearly every field. Los Angeles has both film music and rock and roll. Honolulu is Hawaii. Seattle is grunge. St Louis, the Blues.

And New Orleans is jazz. Dixieland and, increasingly, straight ahead and Blues fusion.

Music defines us and our culture. 

Live music is a way to get to know a place, get to the city beneath the streets, if you will.

Give a listen next time you're in town.

Fat Catz Music Club in New Orleans' French Quarter

AMERICAN HISTORY - THE VIEUX CARRE

Of all American cities very few can lay claim to a more individual character than can New Orleans.

A product of mixed cultures; a swashbuckling history of treasures, piracy and voodoo; and a musical tradition of experimentation and joy combine to give New Orleans a personality all its own. (Even Disney features mockups of the city as a "land" in several of their theme parks).

And if New Orleans is an entity unto itself, the Vieux Carre, or French Quarter, is its beating heart.

The French Quarter, so named for its French heritage and architecture, is a fascinating place full of history and mystery in equal amounts. Here voodoo and rum reign supreme, though in separate houses of course. Donuts have been elevated to a high art and coffee is a mainstay for mornings.

Walk through the streets at night, particularly on Bourbon Street, and you'll hear New Orleans' own brand of jazz and the blues from nearly every bar. Food is a fixture, and many of the earliest "celebrity chefs" had their starts in this town. Culinary excellence is everywhere.

We all know the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but New Orleans has picked itself up by the bootstraps and carried on. It's not yet fully recovered even now, but six months after Katrina the city's unofficial motto "laissez les bons temps rouler" (let the good times roll) already filled the streets.

New Orleans is that part of America exemplifying both the best, and the worst, of ourselves. 

Perhaps it's the urban and historic manifestation of our national Id?

NEW ORLEANS, LA - WAITING AT THE CAFE DU MONDE

It's a rainy and dark Wednesday morning here at the Thumbnail Traveler, and our wistful thoughts understandably turn to a favorite topic: Coffee.

The Cafe du Monde, in New Orleans' historic Vieux Carre, serves up justifiably famous coffee and beignets. Just the right way to wake up in the morning.

WEEKEND ESCAPE

Time for a little traditional French roast cafe' and beignets?

Take a few moments and relax on the patio at the Cafe du Monde, New Orleans.

(Arrive early, before the tourists do.)

THE DAILY ESCAPE: DECISIONS, DECISIONS

There are days I go to put up a post when I have no idea what I'm going to use as my photograph. I simply go into the archives until something catches my eye.

Other days, it's completely planned out.

This one is in the middle. I wasn't sure what I was going to post this morning until I remembered having been editing this shot a day or so ago. My wife and I are going through a bit of a rough time courtesy health and Mr Murphy, who has a law of which you might not want to run afoul.

So we have to find humor where we can. In this shot -- one which initially doesn't seem to betray any potential for humor -- it kind of snuck up on me.

This is from New Orleans' St Louis Cemetery #1, just adjacent to the French Quarter.

If you scan the items below you will find a few things that would only be found in a Big Easy graveyard: Feathers, Beads and Bacardi.

Laissez les bons temps rouler, y'all. 

THE DAILY ESCAPE: ISABELLA'S FAIRY DUST

Royal Street, New Orleans. 

Six months after Katrina devastated the rest of the city, the French Quarter remained largely quiet once you wandered off of Bourbon Street.

The Court of Two Sisters, across the street on the right, is one of my favorite New Orleans restaurants. 

And I will admit: I've never been inside Isabella's Fairy Dust (the watermelon-looking sign on the left of the photo). I just could not resist using that for today's title. It's now reportedly closed.

THE DAILY ESCAPE: Carriage Ride, New Orleans

A lazy afternoon in the Vieux Carre.

THE DAILY ESCAPE: Above Ground Resting Place

New Orleans Cemetery Number 1.

Pic of the Day: Resting Place?

New Orleans' cemeteries are build above ground due to the city's topology and water saturation. Ten years after Katrina it seems like the city's forebears knew what they were doing.

In this neighborhood, if you hear someone knocking it's best not to open the door.