tournee

I have been out of town for a bit & thankfully missed the cold temperatures that Chicago had last week. I went to Memphis, Louisiana, and Mississippi with my father, so that we could take one of my parents' dogs with us while the other recovered from a leg amputation.

It was a good time, but I was very surprised with how un-crowded both Beale Street & New Orleans were. However, I guess I did get to experience the party side of New Orleans when one urinal was over flowing, the other urinal was full of vomit, and there was a sole toilet that was getting much abuse in the bathroom at a bar.

I did eat quite well in the city, Cajun Country, and some very good BBQ places. I highly recommend Cochon, Stella, Interstate Bar-B-Que, and Goldie's Trail Bar-B-Que (in Vicksburg, MI). I recommend Bayona, Commander's Palace, and any of the numerous little corner Cajun eateries with a crowd or full parking lot out front.

I was able to see some very nice Antebellum and pre-Victorian architecture during the trip. Plus, I was able to get a broader understanding of historical facts at the Vicksburg National Military Park, which had impressive remnants of the Civil War battles & siege. I was also able to get a wider variety of information along the Natchez Trace Parkway, which was originally an old Indian trail but was taken over upon settlement in the region(It connected Natchez, MI to Nashville, TN). The parkway had various places to stop, learn, and look around at history, Indian Mounds, Nature, and Trace remnants.