December 2022
By the time I hit Louisiana, the day to day traveling and my trying to maximize each hour was catching up. I arrived in Louisiana before intended as my last stop at a nature preserve south of Houston was inundated with mosquitos, quashing my camping plans. So, I drove east and thought perhaps I would camp in the Lake Charles area, knowing little about the town other than a high school classmate had made it his home. Turns out the mosquitos were just as bad at the campground where I thought I might stay, and it was a little sketch, so I found a room on AirBnb which started a wonderful creative journey in Lake Charles and then Lafayette before making my way through more of the State. I also now know why so many people smoke in Louisiana (and Texas and Florida for that matter) – it helps keep the mosquitos away as they are relentless. Although Louisiana itself is not as picturesque as say Utah and the dichotomy between wealth and poverty is more apparent, my most scenic day trip in Louisiana being to Natchez in Mississippi, it makes up for it with the people, the music and the food. It may be that I was just lucky enough to meet the right folks, but mostly I found people to be welcoming and open. There is some picturesque landscape if you search, but it is a bit harder to find and intermixed with the same oil economy that is so visible in lower Texas. One other thing you will find in Louisiana, especially in Lake Charles, there are a lot, I mean A LOT of police. It seems I could not turn a corner or drive down a street without one pulling in behind me. I have become accustomed to having police follow me which I attribute to my California plates, but this was next level. I was considering moving to Nebraska for a day just to get new plates.
LAKE CHARLES. I was so lucky to have stumbled across Dee who owns Common House. Dee is such a gracious host, overall cool person, and now a friend. Her home is a welcoming spot where she has built this wonderful community, the women especially. Many hours were spent in the backyard where folks gathered to chat and drink a lot of coffee, on one day we practiced yoga, and one evening sat around the fire. Here I was able to meet all five progressives in the area and learned why it felt like I was constantly being followed by a police vehicle – the department is one of the largest employers in the area along with government. There is also a large nursing school here churning out new nurses every year and from what I could find, depressing wages (and probably means best not to end up in the hospital as guessing you are more likely to have an inexperienced person tending to you). I opted not to take the advice from Dee’s contractor / friend and coffee group member of what to do when I made it to Mississippi, which was to “drive through”. I intended to stay one night but was enjoying everyone’s company so much that I extended. I can’t say that I saw a lot of Lake Charles outside of Common House though I did try out Steamboat Bill’s on the Lake for dinner where I tried a sampler of some cajun stews and stopped in at Stellar Beans Coffee House where I enjoyed coffee and fresh beignets. I also borrowed a bike from Dee to ride around the lake and check out the lake houses decorated up for the holidays. It was odd to see the dichotomy of these large beautiful estates on one side and the oil rigs on the other (that being their view). On my way out of town I stopped in at the free art and science exhibits at the town center which were worth the visit.
AVERY ISLAND / TABASCO. Avery Island is both where Tabasco is made (and founded) as well as a nature preserve with beautiful grounds and rookeries. And, lots of crocodiles. I thought it would be fun to walk the grounds rather than drive like everyone else there that day. And so I ended up doing more of a walk/jog, occasional run swatting at the mosquitos and trying to avoid the visible crocs, one of which was just lying across the road blocking my path. I did not venture far into the waterway areas to see the birds as my fear of being eaten both be crocs and mosquitos won out but the tour of the factory was fun as was tasting the Tabasco varieties and the infused coke and soft serve ice cream before going on my way.
LAFAYETTE. Dee connected me with Renda Ruiz, a fabulous singer and caterer (check her out at Kindred Kitchen Y at the Lafayette Saturday farmer’s market or music on Spotify), with whom I stayed while in Lafayette. Renda was gracious enough to invite me into her world during my stay and unsurprising for a friend of Dee, is connected into an eclectic and welcoming community – though this set a bit younger – more in their 30s. Throughout my time here I felt like I was floating in and out of the experience, alternating between participating and observing. Shortly after arriving we headed out into the country to a recording party / jam session. The destination ended up being this cool old cabin down some dirt roads with only a few outlets and no stove other than the camping stove out front. Musicians and friends joined in jamming and visiting and the evening culminated with an amazing mushroom stew made from oyster mushrooms which the hosts forested from the woods around their place. The raw mushrooms were huge and delicious and smelled slightly of fennel and I got over my fears of their possibly being poisonous (not uncommon where I come from in California where newly arrived families occasionally die from forested fungi). There was an additional variety of locally grown mushrooms being passed around which I did not try, putting me in a slightly different space from the others (that and my being the elder as highlighted when the one 60+ man who arrived toward the end of the farm jam session asked if I was the host’s (who was gorgeous so I guess a compliment) mother. Ouch! The next night, after a day trip through various towns and up to Natchez, Mississippi (lovely and haunting given the slave trade history and something to write about when I get back to and finish Mississippi travels) I ate a mediocre dinner in town – tip, don’t order a Korean dish in Louisiana, especially in Lafayette which is known for creole and Cajun cuisine, followed by some great ice cream at Bordens, a must visit. With belly full I drove over to watch the full band from the jam session perform at Ascend Wellness. Not exactly my style of music yet still a great time as the band members were all very good musicians and were so joyous (some alternative substances helped). I wish I had the time to make it to a yoga class or some other type of service at Ascend but I had big plans for the next day on my drive to Baton Rouge.
BREAUX BRIDGE. I came here primarily to attend the Buck and Johnny’s Zydeco weekend breakfast and then the farmer’s market on my way from Lafayette to Baton Rouge, but I moved too slowly to attend either. I did get to explore their downtown which looked like a tired and smaller, but still charming, downtown Pleasanton where I am from so comfortably familiar. Worth a stop if nearby.
BATON ROUGE. I think this is a place where you need to stay awhile to discover things. It is a large and heavily populated city, having taken in many New Orleans folks following Hurricane Katrina. I opted to get my Covid booster shot here in preparation for my return to San Francisco for the holidays so explored a bit less than I would have liked. It did not help that the weather had turned so it was gray and drizzly. There are a lot of different neighborhoods, covering urban to suburban, so you really do need to explore to find your place. Downtown is the tourist area and looks like other tourist areas. One place I wish I had taken the time to return to is the Capitol building, the tallest in the nation, so I could go up the tower to see the incredible views. I learned on an unofficial weekend tour that there are two legislative houses there and the one that controls entry to the tower and they don’t work weekends. I also learned a bit about and saw the spot (and bullet fragments in the wall) where the assassination of Huey Long (a champion of the people and the less privileged who sought to weed out corruption and increase democracy in Louisiana) by Dr. Carl Weiss took place in 1935. I would not have known about this or him had I not had the chance to stumble into a room with a personable and knowledgeable volunteer talking to a visiting family. Chance encounters. So I guess the take away is check out the Capitol Building (on a weekday if you can to go up the tower), drive around, and definitely go to French Truck coffee as their drip was sooo tasty, check out nearby Elsie’s Plate and Pie, and find the places I didn’t.
OPELOUSAS and ALEXANDRIA. I took a day trip to Natchez and went through many small towns, including Opelousas and then the larger Alexandria. On this drive you see great poverty and great abundance, run down structures which pass for homes, junk yards, and then farms and some large newer homes. I learned after going that Opelousa is a great music and food town if you know where to go. Most of the towns I saw are a bit rundown but still remain some charm. Alexandria looked like it could be fun on a weekend but on my visit they were setting up for a festival so not the time to explore.
NEW ORLEANS. Most of you have probably been here but if you haven’t (or even if you have and only went to touristy Bourbon Street), this is a very walkable city – just don’t do it in flip flops. I walked from my hotel which was next to Audubon park through various neighborhoods, stopped for a very tasty sandwich at St. James Cheese Company and continued on to the Garden District before returning along St. Charles Avenue to view the large estate houses which are lovely but would not be my choice for living given the air quality destroyed by all the traffic, four lanes worth. I splurged and spent my first night at the Parkview on S. Charles Avenue, at the corner at Audubon Park which was great since people were walking and running and biking in the evening and the morning so I was able to venture about even after dusk. In addition to walking trails, they have a little rookery with pink billed ducks, so cute. The hotel where I stayed is a restored Victorian and has a few great features, including a nice breakfast with the first real cup of coffee I had enjoyed at a hotel during my travels and they have a small downstairs bar and the stay included a complimentary drink (and any drink, not some crappy well alcohol concoction). I tried their signature pear cocktail and it was very tasty and even better was that a number of the guests showed up so I met all sorts of fun people, including the entertaining college kid tending bar – this of course led to a second drink accompanied by a dinner of Spicy Cajun Zapp’s potato chips – wow they are addicting. I also confirmed my choice not to go to Shreveport, having met a family at the bar who confirmed that while they love it there and feel it is a great place to raise a family, probably not worth a visit. The next night I went more budget at the Hilton Troubadour in the warehouse area where I could walk to Bourbon Street and reaffirm that I would rather be back in the Garden District or near the park, but I felt I should make the obligatory French Quarter visit. My last day in New Orleans was spent prepping my car for storage, including a solid wash and learning how to disconnect the battery. Just hope I can figure out how to reconnect everything and if not, there is always AAA.
