pcurrytravels
The Travels of P
Just a humble writer, who wants to see the world.
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Update: On Hiatus
Update: On Hiatus #travelwriter #blacktraveler
So, I already elaborated on this a little bit here, but long story short, I’ve been fairly busy lately and have also come to the realization it really wasn’t working in my favor to have different blogs for every topic of interest (especially if I want to upgrade to a paid account).
That being said, while anything I have to say about music or entertainment will be relegated to my upcoming blog, Wo…
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Thoughts: Seattle (Part I)
Thoughts: Seattle (Part I) #Seattle #SpaceNeedle #PacificNW #Belltown #TravelWriters #BlackTravel #PCurryTravels
I don’t know what it was about that night/morning, but I wasn’t able to sleep a wink no matter how hard I tried. Tried to nap in the airport and on the plane, but it was no use. After a two and a half hour plane ride that felt like twelve and a half hours, I just groaned as I looked out the window only to be treated to an explosion of green scenery. We got off the plane, picked up our bags,…
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Mini-Guide: Seattle
Mini-Guide: Seattle #seattle #blacktravel #travelblogger #travelwriter #pacificnw #washingtonstate
On a series of isthmuses, peninsulas and islands in the Pacific Northwest, decked out in green, and surrounded on all sides by two collections of dormant volcanoes beautiful mountain ranges known as the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, respectively, lies the city of Seattle. The true Emerald City (Sorry Dorothy), whenever mentioned in conversation, usually the things that come to mind are these:…
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Update 04-05-19
Update 04-05-19 #seattle #pacificnw #travelbloggers #travelwriters #blacktravel
Well then, I see it’s been a minute since I’ve even touched this blog. Well, as you all already know, I’m a travel writer who never goes anywhere, so I simply haven’t had anything to talk about really. On top of focusing more time on my other blogs, my novel and matters in my personal life, I simply haven’t made much time to update this thing.
BUT that’s soon to change. Tomorrow, I embark on my…
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Update: 11-17-2018
Update: 11-17-2018 #travelbloggers #blacktravel #calliopeofatalan
*Cross-posted to Musical Healing by P and The Screens by P
I apologize for my distance everyone. I’ve been very busy with a number of matters, mainly working two jobs, focusing on self-care, getting my mental wellness in order and promoting my books.
Oh, why yes, I have two books now. The first is a chapbook of two short horror stories called The Tell-Tale Pie and The Figure In The Darkwhich can…
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Las Vegas - A Love/Hate Thang (Chapter V - A Power Imbalance Between Fantasy and Reality)
Las Vegas - A Love/Hate Thang (Chapter V - A Power Imbalance Between Fantasy and Reality) #lasvegas #thevegaswhisper #DTLV #vegasbloggers #travelwriters #travelbloggers #instabloggers #blacktravel #blackwriters
So, here we are in 2018 and the city of Las Vegas has long been one of the fastest growing metros in both the United States and the entire world. People from all over have been flocking here. Amazon and Tesla are currently building warehouses here. There have been numerous actors, musicians and other entertainers and/or artists from here who have made it big in recent years. Everyone seems to…
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Author Tony Bowers's Excursion to New Orleans: An Interview
Author Tony Bowers's Excursion to New Orleans: An Interview #travelbloggers #blacktravel #instabloggers #wordpress #NOLA
So, as you all know, I recently took and trip to New Orleans and I LOVED it. I had to tell everyone all about it, and lo and behold, one of my fellow authors at Vital Narrative, Tony Bowers, was also visiting soon. Naturally, I gave him my guide posts and I asked to hear all about it when he was done. Here’s what he had to say:
So what made you want to visit New Orleans?
The reputation of NOLA…
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#historical sites#Interviews#louisiana#new orleans#shameless plugs#southern u.s.#st. louis cemetery no. 1#u.s. gulf coast
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A DJ In SE Asia: An Interview
A DJ In SE Asia: An Interview #worldtravel #travelinterviews #malaysia #singapore #SEasia #travelwriters
Good morning, everyone! So, seeing that I won’t be going anywhere for a while, I’ve decided to continue with my interview series! I recently talked with a personal friend of mine, DJ Lenny “Love” Alfonzo, over his recent trip to Malaysia and Singapore. These are two places that I’ve always been curious about, so naturally I wanted to know more. Here’s what he had to say:
I get the vibe you’re a…
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Miss Dartanya of French Quarter Phantoms: An Interview
Miss Dartanya of French Quarter Phantoms: An Interview
Good afternoon everyone! Welcome to the first post of my interview series. When it comes to travel, be it everyday Joes who take trips to India on a whim, social media influencers whose platform revolves around travel, or people who work in the industry, I always meet and encounter inspiring people in this area. So why not talk to them? Today, I’ll kick off this series by interviewing Miss…
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#cemeteries#french quarter phantoms#historical sites#history#Interviews#louisiana#new orleans#southern u.s.#st. louis cemetery no. 1#tours#u.s. gulf coast
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Introduction
So, we’re launching…..kinda sorta.
Anyway, some of you may know me from The Travels of P on Tumblr. However, I have decided to uproot that blog over to WordPress, due to WP simply being a better platform.
Now, currently, I have several interviews in the works; specifically with other frequent fliers and/or people who work in travel/tourism-related industries. I also have an upcoming trip to Los…
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MOVING TO WORDPRESS
Okay so, after doing some research, I have come to the conclusion that that WordPress would be a much better platform by far for this sort of blog. I am already working on the page and it should be up within the next week or so. I’ll be sure to provide a link when it’s finished.
Now granted, I do plan on keeping this page up (let me see you try and move blog posts over), but only for archival purposes. I may stop by to reblog things every once and a while, but I really do think this decision is for the best.
I sincerely thank everyone for their support and hope you all will follow when the new page is up.
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Why yes, I have indeed started a music blog. Take a look everyone.
Welcome
Now, come inside and take a look around at my beautiful collection of sweet music……okay, you can’t see it here (nor does it even actually exist given that I listen to nearly all of my music through Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube and the like these days), but this is only the first post.
Well, it’s me again, P Curry. If you don’t know me in real life and/or couldn’t tell from my travel blog, there’s a number of areas and topics in which I am well-read, highly knowledgeable and quite passionate about. Music is one of them. So, naturally, I decided to start a music blog.
In addition to sharing tracks and videos, it is here where I’ll also offer a wealth of thoughts and opinions surrounding the musical history and culture. It will also likely be updated more often than my travel blog, just saying.
As always, I suggest you all stay soon. Some great things are coming.
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Mini-Guides
It’s always challenging to plan a trip and research a destination; I’m here to make the task just a little bit easier.
The U.S.A.:
Los Angeles
New Orleans
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Why trying to speak the local language when you’re travelling matters
It’s a matter of courtesy.
It shows you
a) recognize that not all countries speak your language and you respect their language and cultural identity
b) aren’t so arrogant or imperialistic as to expect them to speak your language when you don’t speak theirs
c) consider the other person’s comfort important and are putting their ease above your own (which is particularly important if you’re asking someone for a favour like directions or local tips; if they’re taking the time to help you the least you can do is try to give them the least amount of work possible)
Even if you totally butcher the language and they take pity on you and switch to your language, the fact that you even bothered to try makes a world of difference
It takes a lot more courage to try speaking a language you don’t know at all than speaking in one you’re vaguely familiar with, so if anything, the fact you suck at the language but put yourself out there anyway gains you extra points, not less.
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Thoughts and Experiences
You’ve seen the guides, now here’s how I really feel.
Los Angeles (July 2017 trip):
- Part I (Arrival, Carlyle Inn, Pico-Robertson and Kosher Mexican Food)
- Part II (Venice Beach and Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles)
- Part III (Hollywood, The Grove, Fairfax and Canter’s Deli)
New Orleans (May/June 2018 trip):
- Part I (Arrival, Wyndham Garden Baronne Plaza, Harrah’s, CBD and Canal Street)
- Part II (The French Quarter, Jackson Square, Hand Grenades and Daisy Dukes)
- Part III (St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, Marie Laveau, Congo Square, Iberville and Storyville)
- Part IV (Mardi Gras World, JAX Brewery and Cafe Beignet)
- Part V (PJ’s Coffee, National World War II Museum, Colonial Louisiana history, Hurricane Katrina, 1850 House and a cruise down the Mississippi)
- Part VI (The ghosts and horrors of the French Quarter, Bourbon Street nightlife, Delphine LaLaurie, Jean Laffite, Cafe Maspero and the most boring aquarium ever)
- Part VII (Marigny, the Garden District, St. Charles Streetcar, the French Market, Hurricanes, a house tour, crepes and fried chicken from a corner store)
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Thoughts: New Orleans (Part VII)
Well, here we are. My last day in New Orleans, and my last series of thoughts on the place. As long and arduous a process this was (I DID have a lot to say after all), I assure you all, I had a lot of fun sharing my experience with you all. Almost as much fun as I had visiting the place, really. Let us begin, shall we?
The day began with another morning walk and breakfast. My mom, ever so boring, just stopped by McDonald’s on Canal, but I, as the more adventurous traveler, decided to stop by this little spot a block away from our hotel named Merchant. A café largely aimed at the office workers in the area, this unusually modern space for New Orleans is one of fairly large number of places in the city which specialize in crepes. And I love crepes. They’re also a bit of a rarity in my city, so yes, having a crepe while I was in town was definitely one of my must-dos.
Tangent: Okay, the French and Spanish were colonizing, oppressive bastards, don’t get me wrong (although, given all I learned about French and/or Spanish colonial and slavery policies and practices during my trip, I must note that they were lenient to the point of being almost fair in comparison to their British and American counterparts), but one positive aspect of their legacy is a city that KNOWS how to cook. Of course, West Africans, Southerners from outside Louisiana, Italians, Haitians, Cubans and the Native Americans of the region must all be thanked as well. It may not have been kumbayah, but they all did come together for one thing and that is a unique and utterly delicious gastronomic identity! Bravo, New Orleans, bravo! /tangent over
Anyway, I ordered a cookies and cream crepe, made with Biscoff cookie butter (only one of my favorite things in the world) and French cream. One of the baristas suggested I add raspberries and I went for it, though I must say I kind of regret that decision. The crepe was good but it ultimately felt like there was a little bit too much going on. While I sat and ate, I also talked to the baristas who all gave me some more restaurant suggestions (New Orleanians really LOVE doing that, I’ve noticed), with two of the suggestions being, curiously, Popeye’s and Brother’s Food Mart for fried chicken. I decided to take them up on their word at the end of the day, so more on that later.
After relaxing in the room for another hour or so, we then embarked to Canal once more; first taking the Canal line of the streetcar to the Riverwalk before hopping on the Riverwalk line and taking it all the way down to Esplanade. Upon getting off, I had to kick myself as we walked past Louisiana’s Old U.S. Mint, now currently serving as the Jazz Museum, i.e. another place included in the Power Pass that I promised myself I would do but didn’t get around to. It’s a nice Greek Revival building though.
Well, given that our two-day limit on the Power Pass was up, we decided to use our last day to explore more of the city beyond the French Quarter. I walked up Esplanade Avenue, and looked down at the French Quarter for a moment, only to look in the other direction at Marigny.
Up until the early 1800’s, New Orleans was almost entirely limited to the French Quarter, but it began to rapidly expand after the purchase. Where Canal was the border that separated the Creoles from the American domains of Ste. Marie (now known as the CBD) and Lafayette (now known as the Garden District), across Esplanade was a faubourg that was more or less an extension of the French Quarter. The streets are lined with numerous Creole cottages and townhomes, many of these homes being where French Creole men would hide house their black and/or mixed-race mistresses and offspring. In some ways an archaic master-planned development, it was established by a wealthy politician known as Bernard de Marigny in 1806. Bernard was also known to be quite eccentric during his life, so it only figures that the neighborhood he designed would go on to become NOLA’s bohemian district.
As I walked down Frenchmen St., I felt bizarrely reminded of San Francisco. It is here where you see less tourists and even more of the strange and unusual, with a lot of counterculture present (such as punk, goth, rockabilly, modern hippies, modern beatniks, LGBTQ and the like). It was also here where New Orleans felt even more like the “Northernmost Caribbean City” as it’s sometimes called; whether because of the higher abundance of palm trees in this area, the even brighter colors on the Spanish architecture or something else. Marigny overall just felt very curious to me, but I liked it.
After stopping in one of the bars (whose name I can’t remember for the life of me) to watch a man tap dance while a funk band played for a minute, we walked over to Washington Square Park just to kick back and relax for a moment. We had walked in on a community event and, thanks to the DJ playing Marvin Sapp, I was reminded that this was a Sunday. Just taking in the scenery, we then walked across Esplanade and back to the Quarter.
Now, I’m not entirely sure, but I get the feeling that any and every avenue with a wide median in the middle serves as the dividing point(s) for the neighborhoods a la Canal. After all, in the local lingo, such streets have come to be known as the “neutral ground,” as Canal was once called in reference to how it was the dividing line between Creoles and Americans. Esplanade is an obvious dividing point between Marigny and the Quarter, just Rampart does the same with Treme. As I explored more of the city on my last day, I noticed quite a bit of this, though I wasn’t as sure if the other medians served as neighborhood dividing points or not (Example: I assumed Poydras marked where the CBD ends and the Warehouse District begins, but apparently it’s not quite as clear cut in that case). Either way, they are a very useful way of figuring out where you are.
Walking back into the Quarter, and approaching Gov. Nicholls, I decided to stop by and take some more pictures of the LaLaurie House in the daytime. Now, the night before, I was standing in front of the house as the story was being recounted to me, so of course I got goosebumps, but upon revisiting it in the day, I didn’t feel much sinister energy at all, oddly enough. During the ghost tour, I actually found the townhouse on 823 Orleans, Hotel Provincial and the Voodoo Spiritual Temple all to be way more threatening and ominous honestly. As I was taking these pictures, I could have sworn I saw a spirit walk by in one of the windows and still didn’t feel frightened. If anything, it just felt sad.
I did some research on recent experiences at the home and had some interesting finds. In this account, a medium who had joined a ghost tour claimed to have only felt the spirits of children within. Some of them playful, some of them nervous, and others very sad. Also, all of the people who’ve owned the house ever since it foreclosed on Nicolas Cage would have a priest bless it before they would even enter. Even the most recent interior decorator never went to work without dousing herself in holy water. Given these circumstances, I get the feeling that the more volatile of the spirits haunt the home no longer; including Delphine. Instead, it’s just lost souls like the poor girl who jumped to her death from the roof. Sad as it may be, it does warm me up a little to get some assurance they no longer have to share the afterlife around such evil.
Moving on from there, we decided to just start browsing the stores on Royal. The sky already being covered with ominous, gray skies, after poking in and out of a few stores, we stepped outside only to notice that it started raining, and we left our umbrellas in the room. Ironic, seeing that I packed them in the first place after numerous weather reports told us to expect rain that week. Given that up until that point it hadn’t rained a single time, we decided to not even bother bringing them with us on the last day. How wrong we were.
I also must say that rain is a pretty scary situation in New Orleans. I may just have been shook after seeing a Hurricane Katrina exhibit, learning about the high underground water table and being outright told it was the beginning of hurricane season in the days prior, but still. The rain comes down VERY heavily, in turn causing the streets to flood pretty quickly. Standing beneath an awning to stay dry, I couldn’t help but to gulp as I heard the rain hit said awning with loud thuds, only for the streets to rapidly begin puddling up. And mind you, this was the French Quarter, i.e. the only part of the city to evade flooding entirely during Katrina, so one can only imagine the effect that rain would have elsewhere.
Thankfully, this only lasted a few minutes. I personally wanted to see the Voodoo Museum, but my mom was too frightened to take part and wanted to do another house tour instead, so begrudgingly, I walked over with her to the Historic New Orleans Collection. Composed of a number of attached buildings, I can only thank the lord we had a guide as I’m 100% sure we would have gotten lost if we just walked around by ourselves.
The building you walk into from Royal Street is known as the Merieult House; once the home of a prominent merchant in New Orleans during the early 1800’s, which largely serves as a store, gallery and reception area. Going directly from the main corridor, you are led to a large blue room which also serves as an exhibit; originally a warehouse for Merieult, it’s known as the counting house in regards to how it served as a bank for a time. Then you have a courtyard; on one side is a three-story Maisonette (that’s a fancy French word for duplex). At one point apartments, it now houses offices for the collection. At the back of said courtyard is a Creole townhouse known as the Williams Residence (more on that later) which leads to another courtyard, surrounded by another townhouse, the Louis Adam House (the attic of which once being rented out by noted playwright Tennessee Williams) and a Creole cottage, all of which also housing offices.
Yeah……pretty confusing. Anyway, after paying the $5.00 fare for the tour, we first watched a video in the lobby which told us about the history of the Historic Collection. Although officially established in 1966, it was more or less founded all the way back in the 1930’s. Hard as it may be to believe now, in the early 20th-century, the French Quarter had become a rundown, dangerous slum; widely dismissed by the city at large. With the ever-looming threat of the entire district being demolished, in 1937, the Vieux Carre Commission was formed with the mission of restoring, preserving and protecting the Quarter. Two members of this commission were a married couple known as General Kemper and Leila Williams. In addition to the VCC, the two of them also began to research, record and collect artifacts of the region’s history on their own time, culminating in the very organization of the Historic Collection.
After the video, we first toured the Counting Room…….and all I remember is that it had some paintings on the wall. Who or what they were about, I don’t remember (I might have just been grouchy that I was here instead of the Voodoo Museum but I digress); from there we were led into the courtyard and given a brief rundown of the architecture before the house tour began.
It’s widely referred to by locals as “The Hidden House,” and you can automatically see why. Originally a series of apartments built “shotgun” style, the Williams decided to convert it into an elegant urban mansion, and I still have to scratch my head over how they could live in such a place day in and day out without pulling their hair out. In Creole and/or general Southern tradition, the kitchen is at the back and/or bottom of the house, which from there leads into another courtyard. This is where the main entrance of the house was (……….that making no sense?), which leads into a foyer, said foyer being flanked by the living room on one side and the dining room on the other. We then took some stairs up into the previous courtyard which led to a drawing room and a…..boudoir I’m guessing (the tour guide herself said that no one seems to remember exactly what the room was used for) that led to Leila’s bedroom and bathroom (which I’ll note looked shockingly modern to be from the 1940’s). On the other side of the hall from the drawing room was Kemper’s office, library and bedroom in addition to a second kitchen.
Yeah, the whole layout of the place is very odd. This could just be a sign of how much I’ve been spoiled by living in a place as obsessively modern as Las Vegas (in spite of how much I detest that aspect at the end of the day), but much as I love older homes and architecture, in addition to my fascination with the repurposing of older homes and buildings, the Hidden House really did seem to be a bit much, lol. Lovely vintage furnishings and décor though (the house is furnished and decorated to a status almost verbatim to when the Williamses were living in it). Upon leaving, we headed down to the French Market.
The oldest remaining outdoor market in the entire United States, having been in operation since 1791, one can easily get all of their shopping done here. There are numerous suites and stalls, all offering a number of good including, but not limited to: fresh produce, meat and seafood, spices, sweets, clothing, arts and crafts, books, bootlegs and even more daiquiris. I proceeded to buy myself another daiquiri and snacked on some pralines from Praline Connection as I browsed the numerous booths and did some souvenir shopping.
Souvenirs in hand, we decided to take one more look around the Quarter, stopping by Big Easy Daiquiris so we could finally try the Hurricane. Strong and fruity, indeed. While sipping our Hurricanes, my mom and I then stopped by the Jean Lafitte Historical Park; a free exhibit on New Orleans history attached to a small courtyard. After doing this, it was time to leave. I couldn’t help but to sigh upon leaving the Quarter, but alas, I wanted to see the Garden District at least once before departing.
So we hopped on the St. Charles streetcar and rode it all the way down. Although we didn’t get off a single time, it was still wonderful just to take in the scenery of the Garden District, Audubon and the rest of Uptown New Orleans. New Orleans has such a unique character and identity, it can be easy to forget that normal, everyday life does indeed exist there. I’m also a weirdo who likes to go beyond the touristy parts of wherever it is I go and see how the locals live, so there’s that I guess.
It was a peaceful, serene experience to look upon all of the lovely Victorian and Greek Revival homes, bars, restaurants and other hangouts frequented by locals, the abundance of greenery, Audubon Park, the Tulane and Loyola university campuses and just the sight of life beyond the Quarter. It’s a shame it was getting late, as I would definitely have loved to explored these areas some more. Oh well, there’s always next time.
Anyway, the night ended with fried chicken from Brothers Food Mart, and people were not kidding about how good it was. Even as I write this, I’m still gripped with disbelief that chicken just as good as Popeye’s or Cane’s could be had at a corner store. Once again, bravo New Orleans, bravo.
After one more night at the bar, it was then that I went to sleep for the night before returning to Vegas. I truly did adore every minute I spent in New Orleans. Although I’m not too sure if it’s a place where I could live, it’s definitely a place I would love to visit all the time if I could. When I’ll return, I don’t know, but now I do understand what it means to miss New Orleans.
THE FINAL VERDICT:
Pros: Lots of history and culture, wonderful architecture, fantastic food and drink, highly exceptional music and nightlife scene, very easy to get around on foot, nice people, liberal, free-thinking attitude, cheap prices and an upbeat, festive atmosphere.
Cons: The humidity, the bugs, subpar public transit, urban blight, lingering signs of Hurricane Katrina, lingering signs of the antebellum and Jim Crow eras, weird smells throughout the city, lots of crime, can sometimes feel a little bit too old-fashioned and political corruption.
Return Factor: 11/10. For real.
#new orleans#marigny#french quarter#st charles streetcar#garden district#uptown new orleans#audubon park#loyola university#brothers food mart#crepes#hurricane#creole food#pralines#french market#the historic new orleans collection#louisiana#U.S. Gulf Coast#Southern U.S.#thoughts and experiences#washington square park#frenchmen street#delphine lalaurie
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Hm, I can get behind this one as well.
US divided by cultural identity.
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