Down South

Well, we did it, a week long road trip from New Orleans to Charleston with many stops along the way. It was fun, I learned a lot, and I'm pretty sure it will take me a few weeks to recover. I don't think my body can handle being on the move quite so much (pretty much a new city/hotel every night complete with hauling too much luggage), but we made it, so that is something.

The journey started when I hopped on a train from New York to Philly so Mom and I could catch a plane together. I had one suitcase, though a little on the large side, but with wheels that made it pretty manageable. Mom had a similar suitcase plus lots of little bags to be checked or carried on. They were heavy and I often had to carry them. She also forgot that she had an enormous aerosol hairspray can in her carry-on. Mom and I have very different styles of packing.

We arrived in New Orleans in the evening on Feb. 17 and our friendly driver, Tillman agreed to take us downtown after we dropped our bags at the hotel. He got us pretty close to the French Quarter and we grabbed a bite to eat at a Landry's before heading into the Mardi Gras fray. We both got huge hurricanes (Mom had a few sips and I drank mine like it was going out of style). I got some gumbo and we both had tons of fried seafood. They had these little crab claws that were delish.

After eating, we looked through some shops and made our way over to Bourbon Street where chaos ensued. Tons of drunk revelers, most looking suspiciously under aged packed the street and the balconies. Everyone was on a mission for beads and we joined in. We did nothing naughty, but there were a few ladies on the balconies showing off their wares.

The next day we headed to the French Market and seeing that the line for beignets at Cafe du Monde was outrageous, decided to have lunch across the street at the River's Edge Bar and Restaurant. Mom got a muffaletta sandwich (Italian meats and cheeses) which she loved and I got a shrimp po' boy which was just okay. Afterwards, we walked through the market, bought souvenirs and tried on tons of Mardi Gras masks. Then we had the yummy beignets (fried dough with powdered sugar) and chicory coffee. Already my belt was loosening. The plan was to head to the Garden District, but we kept stopping in shops and never quite made it.

We found the uptown parade route (pretty much the only route right now because of Katrina damage) but decided to try our luck in Harrah's first. Mom and I headed to the Wheel of Fortune slots and both won! What a great day!

We headed back out and caught the tale end of the Thoth Krewe's parade and the bead quest was back on again. My mother is officially a bead whore. I think she would have taken down a little kid if it meant she could get more. The parade floats were cool, but the more elaborate ones were to come later in the evening at the Bacchus Krewe's parade. We also saw some of the Mid-City parade.

We took a break in between and had dinner at the Palace Cafe on Canal Street. Let me tell you we were eating well. Crab claws in garlic, blue cheese salad, pecan crusted fish for me and lamb chops for mom, all topped off with not one, but two sinful desserts - an apple cobbler and a kiwi souffle. We were gluttonous.

Afterwards we were tired, but I had heard the Bacchus parade would be better so we stuck around for a bit and we weren't disappointed. James Gandolfini was the Grand Marshall (and he didn't look so thrilled to be there) and the floats were definitely a higher quality. Mom was once again energetically going after beads. We made friends with a mother and son who were following the high school bands and even the son started giving my mom more beads. We left with a good haul, and even found a cab though everyone looked at us like we were crazy to think we would be able to. I really had a good time.

All of the cab drivers we had talked a bit about the Katrina devastation. They pointed out watermarks, damaged homes and told us about the corrupt rebuilding process. Though we had never been to New Orleans before, we were really glad we came, and it seemed like Mardi Gras was back in full swing. There was a real feeling of community as well, and I think we met more locals than people visiting which was encouraging.

The next day, Monday the 19th, we headed back to the airport to pick up our rental car for the road trip. Mom dragged all her beads with - boy were they heavy! We noticed the night before that the triptik Mom had gotten from AAA was wrong, so we decided to get a car with a GPS - such a lifesaver which I definitely recommend for any road trip. You can plug in an address, a point of interest or even ask for restaurant recommendations. Genius.

We left Louisiana and entered New Orleans where we grabbed a late breakfast at a Waffle House (I never realized you could get so many toppings on hash browns...the possibilities are endless!). After eating, we headed to Biloxi where we lost most of what we won the day before at one of the casinos. Easy come, easy go!

We spent the rest of the day driving to Montgomery, Alabama, arriving for a late dinner. The place was called La Jolla Restaurant & Bar and was located in the shops at EastChase. You may sense a theme when I say it was another great meal. By this point though, I began to feel like I was coming down with a cold.

On Tuesday morning after a really bad, but free hotel breakfast, we went to Old Alabama Town, a historic recreation of an old settlement in Alabama using houses taken and preserved from all around the state. Costumed interpreters tell you about daily life. Kind of interesting to learn a little bit about weaving cotton into yarn, but not enough to keep me there all day. We then drove to Birmingham. We got a little lesson on roasting peanuts at the Peanut Depot (as well as a snack) and then went to the Civil Rights Institute where we spent the rest of the afternoon. It was fascinating and I highly recommend it. There is so much information to ingest, a lot of it completely outrageous and hard to accept, but well worth the time.

We had yet another great dinner in the Five Points South area at a place called Bottega. There is apparently a low key part to this restaurant that is less expensive, but of course we ended up at the more upscale part. Again it was delicious, but my budget was crumbling from another meal over $100!

Wednesday morning we left for Atlanta and hit traffic. Plus, we ended up losing an hour because Georgia was the changeover back to Eastern time. Needless to say, we didn't have time for much sightseeing that day. We went to the World of Coca-Cola which was kitchy and fun, but I was feeling really sick by that point and really didn't want to sit around while mom spent 45 minutes in the gift shop and then bought nothing!

by that time everything was closing, so we strolled through the Underground Atlanta shops and then went to the hotel, a Marriott Marquis that was nice, but under construction. They were also playing host to a southern women's sorority, and it was kind of cute to see them all wearing their pink and green scarves and outfits.

That night, we had dinner at Pittypat's Porch, a southern restaurant with a Gone With the Wind theme. It was tasty, and I got to try a mint julep, which is way strong! There was so much food, and the waiter was entertaining (a 40-something exotic dancer who wanted to tell us all about it).

On Thursday, since we hadn't done much the day before, we stayed in Atlanta a little longer. Plus, we had forgotten to book a hotel in Savannah, so we decided we would drive on to Hilton Head Island and spend two nights there instead of one. It was hard changing hotels every night.

We went to the Margaret Mitchell House & Museum and learned all about the feisty writer of Gone with the Wind. She was very cool. Then we went to Roswell outside the city for a tour of the Archibald Smith Plantation House. It was interesting to see how well the family artifacts were preserved and a very educational look at life on a southern plantation.

We wanted to grab a bite before the long drive to Hilton Head, so we stopped at a place in Roswell called Brickhouse Pizza. Oh my god, it was so good, and our cheapest meal of the trip! They had garlic rolls that were drowning in oil, and the pizza was amazing.

We got into Hilton Head after 10 and I was pretty much done. Mom wanted to get a drink at the bar of the hotel (a lovely Weston resort that would probably be a fortune during the peak season) and I was a little crabby with her. My cold was really doing me in and I just wanted to sleep. We grabbed a quick drink at the Turtle Bay bar and then I went to bed.

While I was sad we didn't make it to Savannah, I was also relieved to have a more relaxing day. We had a late breakfast at a place called Skillets in Coligny Plaza (lots of touristy shops) and then went into the Seas Pines area to walk around Harbor Town which is quaint and on the water. It was a pretty day. we went back to the hotel and I found a nice spot to read my book (Heat) for a few hours.

Then we had another wonderful dinner at Charley's Crabs. I had this great she-crab soup and crab legs. So good!

On Saturday morning, we did our last drive to Charleston where we walked around the Battery area and saw all the historical houses. They were really lovely. Then we checked into our hotel and had a drink/snack at the bar to tide us over until our late dinner at a place called Langdon's that two women in Hilton Head recommended.

We strolled around the stores at King and Market Streets for a bit, then headed to Mount Pleasant to Langdon's. It was another great meal to cap off the trip. Our GPS had been stellar the entire trip, but for some reason decided to have a brain freeze when we were going to Mount Pleasant. I think route 17 must have changed recently. We found our way there and back, but we had to do a little backtracking to figure out the malfunction.

As always happens, the weather was gorgeous on Sunday when we left for the airport. Back at home, they were calling for a snow storm, so we were particularly sad to leave. despite total, utter fatigue and a dozy of a cold, I had a great time. Mom was a fun travel partner.

Once I upload all the pics I will post the link.

and we're off

T-minus one day and counting! I still have to pack, but I'll do that tonight. Tomorrow, I'll head to Philadelphia and hook up with mom, and we'll be flying out to New Orleans in the afternoon.

There will be radio silence for a bit cause I don't feel like lugging my old, old, 5 pound laptop, but I will post a detailed trip account in a few weeks.

Wish us luck!

All is "Lost"

So I think I may have made a really big mistake, or rather, Nien may have accidentally started something. I have successfully avoided the show "Lost" for the last three years, but last week we caught the end of an episode and it didn't seem to be on an island, which we thought it was, so we were intrigued. Last night we watched the two episodes that aired. Today I am on the show website. I really don't want to be sucked into another show, but I am feeling the itch. I hope I don't do something rash like buying all the DVDs and watching them in one weekend.

I went to a screening of "Volver" yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had really liked Almodovar's film, "Talk to Her." The characters really stayed with me, and I am experiencing the same thing with "Volver." Both films take dark subjects and find a way to twist the stories so that you leave with a sense of well-being and forgiveness. I'm kind of surprised it only got a best actress nomination, and nothing more. I definitely recommend it.

I'm realizing that I never finished my thoughts on "Suite Francaise." Like I said, I recommend the book (along with everyone else at this point - it is pretty popular on the book club scene and was sold out when I tried to buy it at Barnes & Noble) and though it has flaws, it is a great record of the time and an interesting perspective. What was published were two sections of a planned 5-part novel along with two appendices.

One appendix had the author's notes regarding character development, her plans for the rest of the book and the general themes she was trying to bring forward. The two completed sections are enhanced by this appendix. The first section has so many characters and points-of-view that I feel pretty certain that if she had had the chance to edit it, Nemirovsky would have done so extensively so as to make her vision clearer. This first appendix suggests that the story going forward would focus more on the characters highlighted in the second section, a much more cohesive narrative. I don't want to suggest I didn't like the first part though. The writing was strong and the picture painted of the exodus from Paris is fascinating. I just had trouble keeping up with the characters and also felt that the author scorned the upper classes and only found goodness in the poorest characters. I would have liked a little more variation. Also, given Nemirovsky's situation, which I'll get to in a bit, I would have liked to hear about the experiences of the Jews in France.

The second appendix is a record of all the correspondence exchanged between Nemirovsky's circle (her husband, publishers, friends, government officials, etc.) as they attempted to free her after she was arrested and eventually sent to a concentration camp. These letters were heartbreaking; we learn that Nemirovsky and her husband both are killed in Auschwitz, but her daughters are kept hidden for years and it is the girls who eventually ensure the future of the book.

The very last section of the book is Nemirovsky's biography. Throughout her short life, Irene experienced persecution from all corners, and her writing, which she started at a young age, seems like it was a kind of escape. What an amazing woman - I'm so glad I was introduced to her.

Busy Bee

As often happens, the week before I am headed out for vacation it seems like my work load has tripled. I really hope everything gets done before we're off. I once made the mistake of going away and telling my co-workers that I was reachable by cell. Three time zones away in Seattle I kept getting 7am calls until I finally said no. I work in TV...this is not brain surgery, and since I am a pretty much a pion at that, there is certainly no need for anyone to be calling me on my precious vacay.

Other than the annoying calls, the Seattle trip was awesome. We stayed at this really cozy hotel on the waterfront called the Edgewater and they were having this Beatlemania fest because the Beatles had stayed there 25 years before. The bartenders wore Sgt. Pepper's uniforms and the muzak in the elevators was all Beatles all the time. I love that!

We went to the Music Experience Museum, had Starbucks at the top of the Space Needle (and practically everywhere else in the city), went to the botanical garden, tooled around Pike Place Market and took a ferry out to Bainbridge Island where we walked along the highway to this vineyard where a crazy woman tried to sell us wine. There were just a lot of weird, awkward pauses - can't really explain it much further. Ah, good times.

Then we drove along the coast of Washington down to Portland, Oregon so I could visit Powell's Books - my favorite book store! Along the way we visited Mount St. Helens, and when we unwittingly asked a park ranger if it was the tallest peak in Washington he pretty much looked at us like we were retarded. Oh well, we weren't from around there.

For some strange reason, we decided to hit up Las Vegas on the way back, but instead of staying for a day or two, we were there for three days. Let me tell you, that is WAY too long for anyone to be in Vegas. By day two I was spending half my time spotting fat people. If anyone ever questions whether America has an obesity problem he or she need only go to Vegas to see for themselves.

Did the groundhog see his shadow?

I know I keep harping on the weather, but Mom and I leave for our southern road trip in almost a week now and I want it to get a little warmer so we touristas are more comfortable wandering around. In my deluded brain I thought our trip might present the opportunity of dipping my feet into a pool, but I think I am jumping the gun just a bit. Sad, but we will have an awesome time nonetheless.

All flights, transportation and hotels are booked. Spots of interest are researched - there are a lot to choose from, but as long as I get a few good meals, see some ocean, experience a little Mardi Gras (don't expect me or Mom to come back with any beads, we are ladies) and have at least one mint julep, all will be well. Things I could probably live without but would really be super fun include the F. Scott Fitgerald house in Alabama (I'm a fan), Coca-Cola Headquarters (oh the kitch) and the Margaret Mitchell House (love me some Scarlett and Rhett). I think Mom found a place where we can ride horses on Hilton Head too!

I forgot that the Oscar's are on the 25th, the day I am getting back, so I've got to decide whether we should have people over or not. I had so much fun watching with my friends last year and definitely kicked some butt in the pool (if we do it again you guys are going down) so I hope we can work it out. DVR may have to come into play.

I don't think I've mentioned it previously, but I've been wanting to join a book club, and as luck would have it, I just joined 2! The first one meets this Sunday, and we've been reading a book called "Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky, and I highly recommend it. Though it was one of the first books written about World War II (particularly about the German occupation of France), it wasn't published until recently because it's author was arrested during the war and died in a concentration camp. Her children safeguarded the novel for many years. Nemirovsky had planned it to be a 5-part epic, but only 2 sections were completed, though there are notes on the other parts. I still have about 30 pages to go so I'll hold my comments until I finish.

The other book club already had it's first meeting so I'm joining in on the second book "Heat" by Bill Buford. I am psyched about that one (about his time in the kitchen of Mario Batali's Babbo) because I had been wanting to read it for a while. I love food, and though I am a little over the whole "celebrity chef" worship, I've had a few memorable meals at Batali restaurants (Babbo, Otto Enoteca, Esca).

Winter Fun

Nien and I headed up to Vermont for the weekend. We haven't gone on vacation where it was just the two of us for a while, so it was a really nice time. The drive up was crazy long (5.5 hours from New York to Sugarbush) and we didn't get in until 3 a.m. because our rented Garmin GPS system doesn't account for roads that are closed for the winter. They might want to look into that.

I skied and Nien snowboarded, as per usual. Of course, when I say "usual" I mean since we started going last year. Though I am pretty much a brand new skier, I am getting the hang of it and it no longer makes me feel ill when I approach the lift. I actually thought "this is fun" a few times.

We stayed at the Sugarbush Inn (which has a great free breakfast, but sadly no hot tub on the premises), went to the Ben & Jerry's factory (yummy) and saw "Dreamgirls" at a cute little movie theater. All in all, we had a great time!

It definitely beats our first ski trip last year. we went to Okemo, VT. Not a bad place, but very little to do after the skiing. Plus, our motel, Happy Trails, was a little more ghetto and the weather was rainy one day and frigid the next. We did get to see the Budweiser Clydesdales on that trip though...it was a big moment in my life.

A few random thoughts on Vermont - It is cool how everyone seems to know each other and is very friendly, the names of places are very quaint, I saw tons of gazebos in town squares just like on "Gilmore Girls," people seem to really care about the environment and quality of life and the cheese is truly awesome.