Photo Essay: Bourbon Street by Night | New Orleans, Louisiana

I'm well aware of the stigma that is synonymous with Bourbon St. It has a seedy reputation for reasons that are readily apparent once you've seen so for yourself. The wacky and weird are everyday occurrences on Bourbon St., so be prepared to witness the odd and outrageous. Some things will make you laugh while others will make you gasp.

My first trip down the strip was rather alarming to say the least. A homebody like me felt extremely out-of-place with the party people at first, but I quickly came around. The electric energy was impossible to resist mingling with no matter how hard I tried.

Day or night, the streets are teeming with bead wearing, oversize drink toting pedestrians who are ready to PAR-TAY! It also seems as though no matter what day of the week you venture to this non-stop party spot, it's always Fat Tuesday. 

Strolling down the strip flanked by the blazing glow of neon lights along with the flooded streets and balconies overflowing with fellow party goers was a lot to take in at times. And I was told on many occasions that what I experienced was nothing compared to Mardi Gras. Seriously, I can't image.

It's no wonder that nightlife fanatics from all over are flocking to New Orleans to let loose. After all, the city was named the #1 destination for nightlife in the world by tripadvisor.com. Not to mention the fact that they pretty much invented the cocktail. Bourbon Street is most definitely a tourist attraction on its own with numerous bars, restaurants & night clubs to keep you occupied.

While it's wildly popular among tourists it's pretty much loathed by the locals. And I can't really blame them. Tourists can be obnoxious, especially when large quantities of alcohol are added to the mix. Bourbon St. is an anything goes kind of place with no laws regarding open containers, which allows people to walk around the streets with cocktails. Even the bars don't have specific closing times that they must adhere to. They can stay open until 2am or 5am, it just depends on whether or not people are still drinking. With barely any rules, things can get out of hand, people start acting like fools. That's why locals don't step foot on that strip.

 

I was warned, but I went against my better judgment and took my chances. And it was fun while it lasted.  Maybe even too much fun! There were only two nights during my trip that we braved Bourbon St. After the second night, I declared that I'd had enough. There is much more to New Orleans than Bourbon St. and I still had a lot left to explore. But staying up till all hours of the night made that an extremely difficult task to undertake. It was an experience that I won't soon forget even if I'm not ready to repeat it any time in the near future!

Related Links:

• Pigging Out @ The Oak St. Po-Boy Festival
• Postcard from New Orleans | Ending a Sugar Strike in Style @ Cafe du Monde

NC State Fair in Raleigh, NC

I nearly forgot what it felt like to walk through the gates of a fair. It's been so long since I've been to one, it's no wonder. The lights.....the smells....the sounds. They all compound to cultivate an evening filled with good times and lasting memories! It's almost too much to take in since everything hits you all at once, kicking your sensory overload into hyperdrive. I swear that I was on the brink of explosion as I attempted to take it all in.



Aside from making our minds up about what we wanted to do first, there was also the dilemma of trying to gain your bearings in a land where every corner looks exactly the same as the last one you passed. We were completely overwhelmed by the amount of options they had available. Between the food, rides & other fun stuff, everywhere you turn is a sea of potential gluttony just waiting for you to give in. Giving in to your whims in this place is unavoidable!



The NC State Fair in Raleigh, NC is supposedly the biggest and best fair in the state. While I haven't been to many, I can definitely say that this fair takes the "deep-fried cake". It was positively massive! We walked all over the place, and got a pretty good workout, before finally making a decision on what we would do to jump start our evening .



Since the best place to survey the entire grounds would be from the air, what better place to get a grand view than from a ride on the Ferris Wheel! I was hoping that we would get stuck at the top for a moment or two so I could take a photo, but we didn't. And to think, we almost waited until daylight hours on Sunday for our fair fun. I'm glad we didn't because I am a huge fan of all the lights, it's much more dazzling in the evening.



After our ferris wheel foray, we elected to get some grub. Good thing our insatiable appetites are only met with these indulgences occasionally. Otherwise, those deep-fried delectables would greatly lower a persons life expectancy!



Our pattern seemed to be ride,



food,



ride,



food.....you get the idea. At first, our reasoning was that we didn't want to eat too much all at once or else we would get sick when it was time to be thrashed around on a ride. Thankfully, our tummies were tame and didn't disagree with any of the tasty tidbits we were consuming. You know, to have as many vendors and food options as we did, we were quite subdued compared to our normal ravenous natures.



Our favorite fodder was most definitely the deep-fried pecan pie! Yep, you heard right....deep-fried pecan pie! They deep-fried just about everything in this place, mac & cheese, pickles, butter (?!?!), candy bars, it was pure ridiculousness!



The only reason I can come up with as to why we didn't have anything more than a foot-long corn dog, slice of pepperoni pizza, roasted corn & cotton candy (for the road) was that we were off our game, or maybe just spending wisely, or perhaps we were just crippled by indecision, which might explain why I didn't get my sausage with onions & peppers and why Cody didn't get his giant turkey leg?! Who knows.

Make no mistake, though, no matter how wisely you try to spend your money in this place, it is expensive! But it was well worth the expense to experience "A Whole Lotta Happy" because I was sporting a perma-grin the entire night! I can't wait to go back next year :D

N.C. State Fair Website: http://www.ncstatefair.org/2009/

Moments : Shooting the Moon

Illuminated



it cast a haunting glimmer



everlasting light

The night sky is a miracle of infinitude.
~Noelani Day~

Etc.

• The prompt for this weeks haiku: Never-ending.
  
• My intent was to go to Bass Lake to get some fall color shots last week.
• We didn't make it before the sun started going down.
• We stayed to shoot the moon because of a suggestion from another photographer.
• I was glad that I took the strangers advice - even if it was cold & I was hungry.
• I need to practice night shots more, I don't do them enough.
• The days are getting shorter. I barely make it home in time for good light.
  
• Maybe I need to make a lightbox so that I can take photos inside!
  
• Speaking of inside, we have gutted our laundry room, it looks so much better.
• I forgot how big that room was......it was so cluttered. Now, it's a brand new space!
• I will work on more excursions this weekend, so look forward to some fresh outings!!
  

I hope you all have a terrific weekend!

Posted in
Haiku Friday , One Single Impression , Photo Friday & Sky Watch Friday

Music on the Mountain Festival Boone, NC

Normally, I am not one for festivals, but Music on the Mountain was different.
For starters, it was just a one-day event instead of the usual two or three day events which have become so popular.

It took place at the old fairgrounds here in Boone, NC, and they started it with the intention of raising awareness on ecological issues that directly affect our environment. (I have a specific organization in mind that I want to talk about more this week, so be sure to check back.)

Something I didn't expect was a different stage. Last summer, we went to the App Roots Festival in the same locale, but they used an old wooden stage. This time, they were set-up with a state-of-the-art solar-powered sound and light system built specifically for outdoor concerts. It pumped some roaring sustainable sound waves!

The other stage wasn't anywhere near as fancy, but it kept us equally entertained. I really liked that once one band was done playing, the other stage was ready to keep the crowd stirring.

The only disappointing aspect of this festival was the lack of food variety! We came ready to consume, but alas, they had minimal options that were only slightly appealing. I mean, we still had to eat, but it just wasn't as much. We particularly fancied the 'roasted corn'. I was intrigued when I saw folks walking around with an entire ear of corn that still had the husks in tact. So, naturally, we had to try it out for ourselves.

By two or three o'clock the buzz began to hum a little louder in the valley. One band that is internationally known (not really, but kind of) for getting people out of their seats, is 'Your Momma's Big Fat Booty Band'. Hey, don't tell me, I didn't name them! The handful of bands that played before 'YMBFBB' took the stage didn't attract very many people to the 'dance floor'.

It was a sad sight (see above photo), but I suppose you have to loosen people up first! As usual, 'YMBFBB' did a great job of getting the party started. They can be a rather raunchy bunch, but for the sake of the family feel that this event had, I guess they decided to keep it clean.

The real commotion was created by the national acts the festival brought. Aside from Perpetual Groove - which I told you about in the last post, they delivered Jerry Douglas, and Sam Bush. As the night progressed, the makeshift 'dance floor' never emptied. I even got up and bounced around myself from time to time.

Watching the day fade into night while nestled in the valley was magical.



The colors of the sky and the wispy clouds made for a lovely transition into darkness.

My favorite part of the entire night was when Perpetual Groove went on stage.
By this point, I realized that if I wanted to get better shots, I had to get closer.

Brock Butler, P-Grooves front man, was the only one I could manage to get clearly.

After doing a little digging on the band, I found out that their most recent album
was produced with renewable energy, and is also being released by a
'green' label called Tree Leaf Music. Taking it one step further, they even purchase energy credit to offset the emissions their tour bus generates while touring!
Let's hope that their environmental initiatives cause others to follow suit.

Sometime after midnight, the show was over. It really was a great day. I like that I felt out of my element, it's good to mix it up a bit. However, I do know that we will be eagerly awaiting the second annual "Music on the Mountain" festival in Boone.

And then, summer was over......

Weekend Snippet

Brock Butler of Perpetual Groove


This is a shot from the first annual "Music on the Mountain" festival.
It was an all-day event that had us exhausted by the days end.
We have spent the entire day recuperating!

I want to share more photos from the event with you,
but for now, here's my favorite from the bunch.
I really lucked out here because taking photos while in the crowd was no easy feat.
I got elbowed, bumped into, and mowed over by Deviled Eggs, AND a dude with a bear hat!
Yeah, I know.....What?!....don't ask!

Anyhow, we enjoyed ourselves immensely,
and will be looking forward to the second annual "Music on the Mountain" festival.

I hope you all have had a terrific weekend!

Here is a live recording of "Perpetual Groove" from Saturday.
Have a listen if you are so inclined.

Quick Getaway : Gatlinburg, TN

Friday evening we packed up the car and headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Instead of staying in a hotel, like normal tourist, we opted to camp out in the Great Smokey Mountains. This was somewhat of a special little trip for me because I have been to the town once, but that was when I was 12. From what I do recall, the Great Smokey Mountain National Park was not a part of those memories, which was one reason why I wanted to stay there.

I made reservations through the website a few days prior to the trip since I read that July was one of the busiest months of the year. After a few hold ups, mainly traffic related, we made our way to the Elkmont Campground. As late arrivals we skipped checking in and headed toward our campsite. Elkmont is the biggest campground in the park with 220 sites, however, we managed to find our plot of earth.

You would think that after setting up our tent, and a 3 hour drive, we would be ready to relax.......but nooooo.....I was ready to head straight to the action! I never imagined exactly how much traffic we were in for, but I hardly cared because I was thrilled to be there. Has there ever been a time when you were happy to be in bumper to bumper traffic?! It's sick. Speaking of traffic, at any given time, whether walking or driving, you were constantly surrounded by 360° of chaos. Not that I don't pay close attention usually, but you had to be on high alert to get around that town.



Walking the strip reminded me so much of our Las Vegas vacation last year.
I have my mind made up that Gatlinburg, TN is like the Hillbilly Las Vegas.
Not that I didn't have a great time, but if it walks like a duck......
We didn't pay to do the space needle, but it reminded me of the Stratosphere where we had dinner at the "Top of the World Restaurant".
Although, the Stratosphere was 5 times as tall.



Saturday evening took us on a ride up the mountain on the Sky Lift.
The view was spectacular!



Walking through the souvenir shops was about the only other thing we did while we were in town.
The Village was a set of shops that were tucked in a nook off the main road.
The different shops were all done in various styles of architecture,
the Bavarian styled building was my favorite, but I didn't really get a good photo to share.



For dinner, I wanted a soft pretzel......so that's what I had!
It was delicious :)



Aside from the plethora of airbrushed t-shirt stores, olde tyme photo huts,
and pancake houses, candy stores were also plentiful.
We bought a 1 lb. box of Aunt Mahalia's Salt Water Taffy.
The box of taffy has been hit pretty hard, it's almost gone!
It's Cody's fault, he eats 2 to my 1......don't lie, you know you do :o)





I'll leave you with this cause it makes me laugh.
Giddy up!

Moon Paralyzed

We may go to the moon, but that's not very far. The greatest distance we have to cover still lies within us.

Charles de Gaulle (1890 - 1970)