Lagniappe... my blog comes to a close.

From Wikipedia: A lagniappe (LAN-yap) is a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase (such as a 13th doughnut when buying a dozen), or more broadly, "something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure." The word entered English from Louisiana French, in turn derived from the American Spanish phrase la ñapa ('something that is added' ). The term has been traced back to the Quechua word yapay ('to increase; to add'). In Andean markets it is still customary to ask for a yapa when making a purchase. The seller usually responds by throwing in a little extra. Although this is an old custom, it is still widely practiced today in Louisiana. Street vendors, especially vegetable vendors, are expected to throw in a few green chillies or a small bunch of cilantro with a purchase. The word is chiefly used in the Gulf Coast of the United States, but the concept is practiced in many places, such as Southeast Asia, North Africa, rural France, and Holland

In this case, since I'm now home from New Orleans after a 12 hour drive yesterday, "lagniappe" refers to the odds and ends and "extras" that didn't make it into any other blog entries... a mixed bag for sure. Enjoy!

A cool sign with wrought iron...



One of my favorite New Orleans souvenirs, besides chicory coffee... a voodoo doll. I can only think of one person rotten enough to warrant the "black pin" treatment. ;-)

Another great restaurant, this one Cuban, and the sign hanging from a very old porch ceiling with ornate architectural columns...

New Orleans has some beautiful judicial buildings downtown ...

This is my friend Brent's lovely, historic home on St. Mary Street... only a few blocks from where I stayed at St. Vincent's (a.k.a. "Motel 6")

The New Orleans Board of Trade, below, has a history of service dating back to 1880 when it was founded as a non-profit membership organization comprised of key leaders in the business community. Over the course of its history, it would be deemed the foremost authority on the River, on commodity commerce, with a specialty in coffee importation.

Lower Magazine Street... downtown. Another cool sign and shop...

A really pretty historic home, in disrepair, with an ornate iron fence and balconies.

One of my favorite pics... a row of 4 houses with identical porch ceiling detail.

This is the produce guy... he drives through the streets uptown with a megaphone saying, "I have oranges and bananas... I have maaaaaaaaangos! There are crates of fresh veggies in the back.... reminded me of Greece!

A tiny, narrow little shotgun house... shotgun houses were most popular before widespread ownership of the automobile allowed people to live farther from businesses and other destinations. Building lots were kept small out of necessity, 30 feet wide at most. An influx of people to cities, both from rural areas in America and from foreign countries, all looking to fill emerging manufacturing jobs, created the high demand for housing in cities. Shotgun houses were thus built to fulfill the same need as  rowhouses in Northeastern cities. Several were usually built at a time by a single builder, contributing to their relatively similar appearance

View of the clock tower at St. Vincent's, with the downtown skyline and the Superdome in the background:

Below is a shotgun camel back house...note the 2nd floor tucked onto the back. The New Orleans old tax structure encouraged this design in the region. The shotgun utilized minimal street frontage, and adding the second story to the rear of the house meant the square footage was not taxed. The tax laws were later amended to include the number of rooms, which equalized the taxation per square footage within a property. Consequently, neither design contains closets or hallways, which were counted as rooms. Interesting, no?

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Another nice view from St Vincent's.... towards downtown.

An old photo of the St. Vincent's nuns giving haircuts to the yellow fever orphans in the late 1800s. Look at that pointy white habit she's wearing! Reminds me of the Flying Nun TV show ;-)

Kind of dark, but another cool old photo of the St. Vincent's babies...so cute ;-)

Pitcher at the New Orleans Zephyrs game I went to...

Near the World War II Museum and Chef John Besh's award winning restaurant American Sector...there is a big urban garden that is explained below, in relation to WWII... interesting!

I love the street names in New Orleans, many of mythological deities or French names, and most completely mispronounced in modern times!

A French Quarter souvenir shop with coffee, sauces, bayou, cajun, creole and even voodoo items!

 My last day in town, I had a Hard Rock Cafe mystery shop, including bar, food and gift shop reimbursements plus $20 for my "trouble." I had been to the original Hard Rock in London when I was 19 and was not overly impressed. The one in New Orleans did nothing to change my opinion... just basic American food and mediocre service, but I did get to bring home two nice logo margarita glasses as part of my loot. Nice way to end the trip!



And now we have reached the end..... hope you enjoyed my little blog, which BARELY scratched the surface of this fascinating city.

A zoo day ;-)

Most people know that I'm a mystery shopper in addition to doing my online stock trading, although it doesn't pay a lot. Most shops pay $10-$50 OR just include a nice product, event or meal reimbursement. The best shops offer both. I've stayed really busy in New Orleans mystery shopping high-end restaurants and coffee shops, but yesterday was different... I found a shop for the Audubon Zoo! It paid $40, PLUS 2 meals, zoo admission, a $15 gift shop purchase and a zoo train ticket. I spent four hours there, taking copious notes for my lengthy survey but it was well worth it. I have been on safari in Kenya, but zoos still bring a smile to my face. Prior to yesterday, the National Zoo in DC was my favorite.

Audubon Zoo is a New Orleans landmark and a living museum filled with some of the rarest and most beautiful creatures of nature. There have been animals at this site since the 1884 World Exposition in Audubon Park. Today, Audubon Zoo is 58 acres of animals in their natural habitats. The Zoo consistently ranks among this country’s best. It has a New Orleans "flavor" and lots of impressive 100-year old oak trees. This beautiful peacock strutted and posed for pictures near the cafe.

Animal favorites include elephants Jean and Panya, the Komodo dragon and the rare white Bengal tiger brothers from California, named King Rex and King Zulu.

There are also bears, monkeys, snakes, orangutans, elks and more exotic animals than you can imagine. The orangutan family was in full play more during my visit and the baby was swinging, sliding and frolicking all over their habitat. In the reptile exhibit, there is a two-headed snake which was donated by actor and local, Nicholas Cage.

I learned that giraffe hearts are 2 feet long and weigh 25 pounds.They are the only animal capable of licking their own ears, and like humans, they have only 7 bones in their loooong necks.

The zoo has a compost area for "zoo poo" and a garden where employees and volunteers plant veggies and food that they use to feed the animals.

I came across the panel below in the Asia section of the zoo... wow! As a Year of the Tiger girl, it is dead on ;-)

At 80 years old, the turtle below is older than any of my living relatives! ;-)

Much of the zoo dates from early in the 20th century. The sea lion pool was constructed in 1928. Its graceful columns mark one of Audubon Zoo’s most romantic spots. Monkey Hill was built by Works Progress Administration workers to show the children of New Orleans what a hill looks like! At 28 feet, it’s the legendary “highest topographical point in New Orleans.” and the only spot not below sea level here. Today it boasts wading pools, a rope bridge and a safari trail.

One of the day's highlights was the Louisiana Swamp exhibit. I strolled through a real swamp right in the middle of uptown New Orleans. The exhibit has received national acclaim for the innovative portrayal of Louisiana culture. One of the most popular attractions in the history of the Zoo, it explores the relationships between the Cajun people, plants and animals of the swamp, in food, industry and daily life. Although swamps are found elsewhere in the United States, south Louisiana is unique in that a distinct culture developed in this environment.

Audubon chose to highlight the Cajun culture in this exhibit because it is a perfect example of a balanced life within a habitat. The Cajun people only caught what they could eat and learned from the Native American Indians in Southern Louisiana how to economically use the earth’s natural resources. It wasn’t until the 1940s when more people began relying on the swamp’s resources that the balance was threatened and need for conservation arose. To teach visitors about conservation in the Louisiana Swamp, Audubon uses animal exhibits—from black bears to blue crabs, from water snakes to red foxes—educational presentations, and graphics.

 A real Cajun houseboat on a lagoon full of 14-foot alligators faces a pair of playful black bears. A raccoon defies the laws of physics by snoozing on a narrow twig at the top of a tree. At the baby animal nursery, naturalists show visitors baby nutria, explaining why that innocent-looking fuzzy creature is jeopardizing the very existence of the swamps. Further on, the world-famous and rare white alligators float in an exhibit constructed especially for them. Rocking chairs throughout the swamp exhibit invite visitors to slow down and take in the ambiance of the swamp. There was also an interesting section with cypress trees detailing the wood's durability and near "extinction" due to excessive logging. For those of you who dislike Walmart, know that they refuse to sell cypress mulch here because of this situation. Go Walmart!

My phone/camera battery died about an hour into my 4 hour visit, so I only got a few photos ;-( There were SO many more great photo ops, but oh well. The zoo train transported visitors around the zoo, and the driver gave excellent commentary on animals, exhibits and habitats. Wonder if he knew I was "mystery shopping" him. ha-ha

My mystery shop instructions dictated that I evaluate the gift shop and make a $15 purchase. I found this awesome book, "Why New Orleans Matters"... a perfect souvenir to take with me after an amazing month in this magical city! On the way home, I passed Tee Eva's little store front on Magazine Street and finally got a chance to buy some hot, fresh pralines, pronounced "praw-leens" by locals. Positively delicious! Another great day in the Big easy...

New Orleans Sno-Balls...

First things first: a New Orleans sno-ball is not a snow cone, a pre-frozen, rock-hard concoction like those sold from ice cream trucks and concession stands elsewhere. As each of our New Orleans Sno-Balls oral history subjects attest, New Orleans sno is a product of locally made, carefully stored, and expertly shaved-to-order ice. The sugary syrups that color and flavor a New Orleans sno-ball are equally important to the final product, and each sno-ball maker protects his own syrup recipes. In fact, a majority of the recipes at Hansen’s Sno-Bliz in Uptown, Williams Plum Street Snowballs near Riverbend, and Sal’s Sno-Balls in Old Metairie have survived several generations of stand ownership.

As you might expect to find in a subtropical city, New Orleans’ flavored ice tradition dates back to a time when vendors shaved the ice by hand and carried just a small selection of flavorings. “Tee Eva” Perry remembers choosing between just strawberry, spearmint, and pineapple syrups to flavor the coarse scraped ice at her neighborhood stand. Then, in the 1930s, two sno-ball pioneers—George Ortolano and Ernest Hansen—independently built the city’s first electric ice-shaving machines. While a version of the Ortolano machine is still produced and sold by George’s descendents at the company SnoWizard, Ernest Hansen built his machines primarily for personal use. His legacy is in the family sno-ball stand, still run today by his granddaughter, Ashley Hansen.

Ortolano, Hansen, Eisenmann and Dennery were all tied to New Orleans’ first sno-ball machines and extracts. They are the people who helped turn New Orleans into what Bubby Wendling at Southern Snow Manufacturing calls the world’s sno-ball Mecca. In spite of the sno-ball’s nostalgic appeal, flavor innovation is rampant. You’ll hear Claude and Donna Black talking about concocting Plum Street’s new king cake flavor. Steven Bel’s customers at Sal’s are stuffing orange dreamsicle sno-balls (a recent addition) with soft-serve ice cream. Bubby Wendling makes a novelty buttered popcorn extract. And Dylan Williams goes entirely new-school by flavoring his sno with minimally sweetened fresh-fruit juices. New Orleans’ sno-ball culture is as varied and deep as the city’s neighborhoods.

Monday? That means red beans and rice in New Orleans...

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In most places, Monday is the dreaded day when the weekend has ended and the work week has begun. In New Orleans, locals know they can always look forward to one very tasty Monday tradition – Red Beans and Rice.



Almost everyone eats red beans and rice here on Mondays! Mondays used to be the traditional “wash day” of the week. Traditionally, women of the house would put on a pot of red beans to cook all day while they tended to the laundry, since the meal required little hands-on attention. The beans were largely seasoned by the leftover hambone from the previous night’s dinner. While Mondays may not be laundry day anymore and hams may not be served every Sunday night, Red Beans and Rice still appears on most menus and in many homes every Monday and is usually accompanied by sausage or pork chops on the side.

Every New Orleanian has their favorite place to go for Red Beans, whether it is from their mama’s house or the kitchen of a famed New Orleans chef. Its such a local favorite, you won’t have a terribly hard time finding yourself a plate of red beans, even if its not Monday. And if you find yourself back in your hometown wishing you could cure your Monday blues with some delicious red beans, here is a recipe to fill your cravings and impress your friends and family – though feel free to spice it up to your taste because everyone has their own way of preparing this Crescent City comfort staple.

Red Beans and Rice Recipe

• 1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over
• 3 tablespoons bacon grease
• 1/4 cup chopped tasso, or chopped ham
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound smoked ham hocks
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 10 cups chicken stock, or water
• 4 cups cooked white rice
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, garnish

Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside. In a large pot, heat the bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add the tasso and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers to the grease in the pot. Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and ham hocks, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage and ham hocks, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and stock or water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about 1/4 cup at a time.) Remove from the heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

Get your "Magazine" on... Magazine Street, that is.

Magazine Street is a major thoroughfare in  New Orleans. Like Tchoupitoulas St., St. Charles and Claiborne Avenues, it reflects the curving course of the Mississippi River. Six miles or so in length, Magazine Street offers an amazing array of businesses. Noteworthy, but not necessarily photo-worthy were a hardware store, animal clinic, tattoo parlor, countless upscale antique and clothing stores, attorneys offices, lighting and fabric stores, silver shops, art galleries and more! Here are a few images from my 6 mile walk this morning: (Yes, I'm hoofing it in the heat now that I'm bikeless)

A gelateria for those hot days!

Great bar with an outdoor patio!

 Fresh seafood anyone? Only a few more weeks of crawfish season...

Best known as a destination for shopping, this popular street is also home to museums, art galleries, bars and restaurants. Starting at Canal Street in the Central Business District and extending all the way upriver through the Garden District and Uptown, Magazine Street takes you through some of New Orleans' most vibrant neighborhoods peppered with delightfully diverse commercial pockets.






                            Have you had your teeth cleaned in a 150 year old house lately? ;-)

This cute place has a little bit of everything... sno-cones (no "w") are very popular down here, probably because of the heat!

An interior decorating shop that shares a "shotgun double" with the yoga studio I go to...

Named after an ammunition magazine-or warehouse-that was built on the street in the late eighteenth century, the lower part of Magazine was initially used as a storage area for commercial and industrial goods. Today the street is a thriving place of commerce, adorned with countless restaurants, pubs and boutiques. And with its small-town, main street charm, it's hard to believe that you are only minutes from downtown.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most impressive attractions Magazine has to offer is the National World War II Museum. Located in the Warehouse District neighborhood at the corner of Andrew Higgins Drive, the museum presents a remarkable collection of artifacts and exhibits, as well as featured documentaries about the Second World War.

The Warehouse District is also home to many of the city's best art galleries, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and upscale restaurants - all within walking distance from the Magazine thoroughfare. Just upriver from the Warehouse District, the shopping Magazine Street is known for begins. Antiques, clothing, jewelry, shoes, cigars, home furnishings, formal wear, toys, beauty supplies and more can all be found along the six miles of Magazine Street. Dense retail begins at the intersection of Magazine and Felicity known as "Lower Magazine," again at Washington and Magazine and again at Jefferson and Magazine.

   Get your shoes or Gucci/Louis Vuitton bags mended here! That's a boot hanging from the sign...

Lots of people spend the day on Magazine, stopping for lunch at one of the many restaurants along the street. Magazine is also home to quaint coffee shops, cozy pubs and sweet shops, all perfect places for recharging and relaxing throughout the day.

Cigars and smoke products offered here.. with a consignment store and nail salon just beyond...

                                                    I love this tiny little LSU dive bar ;-)

And a little more upscale, we have an amazing aroma coming from...

You can pick up a pastry while you get your Mercedes serviced...

This place, Les Bon Temps Roule', (Let the Good Times Roll) is awesome... free oysters at happy hour during the season, great bands and a piano.

On Magazine Street, you can dine al fresco at a French bistro or buy a po-boy with food stamps....

And then there's the "not to be missed" Tee Eva's pies and pralines! You've just got to read this little blurb about her life: http://www.wwoz.org/programs/new-orleans-all-way-live/teeevas-red-beans

Featured in countless magazine, TV and newspaper articles, Eva Perry and her food are legendary.

Just off Magazine you'll find striking examples of the local architecture like the ones below, in addition to the many exquisite mansions scattered throughout the Garden District area. Continuing Uptown, Magazine Street will lead you directly into Audubon Park or to see the rare white tigers and albino alligators at the Audubon Zoo. Magazine is a great destination for those looking to catch a glimpse of another side of New Orleans. It offers one-of-a-kind shopping, great restaurants and classic New Orleans architecture in a relaxed, local atmosphere.

Just look at this tiny cottage with its curved entry and beautiful garden! And a few blocks down on Camp Street, this lovely manse...

And finally, a one story cttage with lace curtains, a pretty porch, front door and a real gas lantern...