Plantation Tour

I was lucky enough to be able to go to the fabulous Laura Plantation with a few fellow students and a professor. I had this expectation of the grand white house with pillars, very “Gone With The Wind” feeling. Upon arriving, we found out that this was a Creole Plantation, so it would be a little different than others.  When we drove up to the plantation, I was so excited, I could not contain myself!! This was the first time I had ever been to a plantation and I have always wanted to go to one. We were a little late for the tour, but it was cool to be able to see the plantation for myself without a tour guide telling me the history. I am one that likes to observe, take in the place and then hear the information. This house was gorgeous!!  A very traditional Creole house. It was yellow and had mint and red accents. There was also a double staircase leading into the top and main level of the house. One thing that I found very interesting was that there was no front door. There was a door on the left side and on the right side. If you were there to see the woman of the house, you entered the right side, and if you were there to see the man of the house, you entered from the left. I found that so fascinating. The inside of the house was as beautiful and as perfect as I imagined it to be. All of the stories that we heard were so interesting and kept the group very involved. Our tour guide was fantastic!!!! He was able to keep the group intrigued, which made for a more active group. He was also really good at leeway’s. He would give half of a fact and then pose a question that would make us want more. We would follow him to the next destination where he would finish the fact and then tell us more interesting things about the plantation.

The one place that was very intense to see was the Slaves Quarters. Traditionally, they were out about 3 miles into the sugar plantations, but the Laura staff was nice enough to bring them nice and close. When I first saw it, I could not believe that it was real. I felt like I was in a movie and that they were just facades. I just could not process that people actually lived there. It was a very humbling moment.

After the tour we went to the gift shop. They had many different things, but the one item that stuck out was their homemade candles. I never knew candles could smell so good!! After that we went to Oak Alley Plantation just for a second to take a picture in front of the house. We could not go right in front of the house so we had to pullover and take one in front of the gate. This was a very traditional style Plantation home, which gave us perspective on the different types of homes there are. It was such a great experience and I completely suggest everyone to go on a Plantation tour, especially Laura’s Plantation.

Below, a picture of a couple of us at Oak Alley Plantation!!

The Voodoo Museum

For some reason, I have always had a weird fascination with ghosts, spirits, and things regarding things once you pass over on the other side. Even though, I have never seen a ghost myself (and I totally want to, so not seeing one has not been by choice) when researching about New Orleans before I came here, focused on the supernatural. The first time I came to New Orleans, I bought one of the good vibe voodoo dolls and I don’t know if I am just crazy or it actually worked, but I felt better when I had it with me. And yes, I brought it to school and showed my friends back home. They really thought something was wrong with me, but when I moved into my dorm, I bought another one and I have it up and see it everyday. I am also one that tries to not make fun of any type of voodoo practices or anything involving ghosts. I do not know why, but all I can think about is this one line from The Princess and the Frog.” The Voodoo Man says he has friends on the other side. So I thought, “Do I?” So in case anyone who has passed away can hear me, I want to respect them and the life the lived. So naturally when it was brought up in class that we were going to go to The Voodoo Museum, I was more than stoked to go. I was ready to go experience what New Orleans Voodoo was and see it in a different perspective then I was use to.

When we went I could not contain my excitement. I was ready to learn about something I had been interested in, but did not know a lot about. The museum itself is quirky and has an eclectic feeling to it. It definitely was not what I was expecting, but I’m glad it wasn’t. I had pictured a very fancy and proper museum. I don’t know why I thought this was going to be like every other museum I had been to before, but I’m so happy it wasn’t. It was an organized mess of stuff and it was perfect!! Naturally, I wanted to buy something, so I did. I bought two bags of Gris Gris and a book about ghosts in New Orleans. One of the bags of Gris Gris is suppose to bring me good fortune and the other is supposed to bring me good luck. I have no idea if they actually worked, but what’s the harm of following the directions and seeing what happens? Going to the Voodoo Museum has been one of my favorite things that I have done since I have been in New Orleans. It is something that everyone should try to go to.  Even though a lot if people do not believe in the practice of voodoo, it is part of New Orleans history that cannot be forgotten and should be embraced. It is a once in a lifetime situation to experience the authentic version of voodoo. I’m so happy I went and I hope more people will go and experience voodoo.

The Boot v.s. Bourbon Street

While I was thinking of topics to write about, one analogy came into my mind. To college students, The Boot is what Bourbon Street is to tourists. The first weekend of school, so many freshmen rush over to The Boot hoping to get drunk and have a great time. It is a place where college students go because they have heard of it and they will actually let 18 year olds into a bar. Well, if you think about it, what are tourists first stop when they get into New Orleans? Bourbon Street. They go down to the Quarter and want to go to Bourbon because of everything they have heard about it. Bourbon is a crazy street where people tend to get a little rowdy to say the least. The Boot serves the same purpose for college students. It the place that makes you feel like an “adult” because you can actually get into a bar. I have been to The Boot and Bourbon Street. I have been to The Boot once and I will never go back. It was disgusting. I honestly do not get what the big deal about The Boot is. I have been to Bourbon Street and it is a really fun place. It is not a place I go often because it tends to get too rowdy for me, but it definitely is a fun place. I think most locals do not like it because of how big of a tourist attraction it really is. It is a place where people don’t think about what they are doing. It is a place to be free and just have fun. Well, when they don’t have a care in sight and aren’t worrying about anything, they tend to make the streets disgusting. I have noticed from talking to people, their feelings for each place are about the same. You will have people that absolutely love The Boot and go every weekend or there are people (like me) who hate it and will never go back. The same goes with Bourbon, people either love or hate it. Both places are very different and they help make New Orleans the city it is.

Audubon Park

I walk in Audubon Park every weekend and it is the one thing that I always look forward to. First of all, it is one of the prettiest parks I have ever been in. I was not anticipating that at all. I was expecting a very normal park, a few trees and a little pond or stream, but when I saw the huge pond with ducks and swans, I didn’t know how to react. Then when I made it to the golf course, I was completely shocked. Over the last couple of months, I have made sure to pay attention to the people that were in the park. I wanted to see if there was a common trend between the people, whether it be race, social status, if they were locals, or any other patterns. I was able to pick up on some trends, but very few. There are a lot of college students that walk/run there and about half are people walking for a workout and the other half are just enjoying all the park has to offer. I felt that the park represented the city of New Orleans to a tee. It gave a sense of the diversity of New Orleans. You had people from all walks of life, all different backgrounds, in a neutral place where you could see how the actual people act. It broke the stereotype of New Orleans being all about the Quarter.

In other words, the park is all mighty equalizer. There, it doesn’t matter what neighborhood you come from, what is your race, and all together it doesn’t matter who or what you are usually defined as. The population there really represents who New Orleanians truly are. The park is such a wonderful and romantic place. I really hope the other parks in New Orleans are as great as Audubon is!

How to Spot a Tourist

       One day I was riding the streetcar back to school from Downtown, just listening to my iPod and minding my own business. Many different groups of people got on the trolley. It was really easy to tell who were the tourists and who were the locals, just by their behavior on the trolley. You have the locals that always look a little annoyed by the visitor’s overzealous attitudes, but seem to enjoy the scenic ride through their great city. You also have the family-oriented travelers who keep their activities a little more PG. They were most likely heading Uptrown to avoid the more risqué visitors in the Quarter. And lastly, we have the always-lovely drunks who are pretty entertaining to watch. They are the ones who talk so loud that you can’t even hear your music playing and make it impossible for other people not to listen to them. They also are most likely wearing beads and carrying one of the souvenir cups.  Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing an entertaining group of drunks, but I think they should start to try to blend in to locals just so they don’t stand out like a sore thumb.
        After I had seen how easy it was to spot a tourist, I decided to do some research on crime rate towards visitors. Well, there is not a lot of crime as in killing and being held at gunpoint. Rather it is pick pocketing and con artists that get the best of the tourists. Thanks to USA Today, I found 4 pretty solid pieces of advice when traveling to New Orleans. 1. Travel Light, 2. Don’t Travel Alone, 3. Avoid Con Games, and 4. Don’t Visit Cemeteries Alone. These tips are great to know not only if you are going to New Orleans, but also when are traveling anywhere. These are also helpful for other college students to know. We might think we know New Orleans very well, but you never know what can happen. The other one I would add to the list is to act like you know where you are and that you belong. Head up, shoulders back. Confidence makes you look less vulnerable, which is what people look for when they want to jump someone. Note to tourists getting on the streetcar, don’t try to stand out that much; you are just putting a target on your back. Now get out in the city and enjoy!!

Below is the link to the USA Today website with traveling tips!!

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/tourist-safety-new-orleans-104704.html