2014: A Decent Traveling Year

Well, you all know I'm a travel freak; thus, I have to recap my year in terms of my travel adventures. There's no way I could ever top my fab year of travel in 2013, but 2014 actually wasn't too shabby in the travel realm! I certainly got to see a little more of the good ol' USA this time around, a trend I hope to continue.

Vegas in January

The year rang in with a freakin' bang in Las Vegas. Not my first time at the strip, but definitely a fun trip. January is the month to go to Las Vegas, in my opinion: not too hot, not too crowded, just a whole lotta fun. And tons of fireworks.

Tijuana in March

I caught a Mexican futbol game on a random Tuesday night trip over the border. For those of you that don't know, San Diego literally sits right on the border...it takes me all of 20 minutes to get to a whole other country. I also really like to advertise Mexico because I feel it unfairly gets bad press painting it as an unsafe, unworthy vacation spot. Pish posh! The Mexican people are a lively, endearing bunch and while Tijuana is not the most beautiful city I've seen, it's a worthy destination brimming full of culture and good food.

England & Scotland in July, August

It was back to ol' Blighty in the summer for graduation and an excursion to Scotland.

First off, London (my love). It was lovely to see my home away from home once again; I'd even call it therapeutic.

Catching up with my "mates" (I always got chastized for saying "friend"), riding the tube, eating sticky toffee pudding, and just being there made me smile from ear to ear. It was the best homecoming I could ask for, since London will always be another home for me. 

I certainly got my fill of London, so of course a side trip to Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland was in order. Man, Scotland is NOT to be skipped, let me tell you! 

Before leaving the U.K., I had one more day trip in the works: lovely Cambridge. 

 We toured the university by way of punting, totally worth it! 

Austin, Houston, and College Station in October

I went to Texas on a work trip, so it was three cities/towns in one go! It was nice to drive through the Texas countryside, which I found refreshing and beautiful. I also got to meet up with an old friend and a new (blog) friend. Of course, Austin still retained its charm from the last time I visited. 

Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson in November 

 Another work trip. It was all about those desert sunsets and (GORGEOUS) mountains in Arizona. I foolishly didn't know Flagstaff was so elevated and would be so freezing in November. Note to self: do not wear a dress without tights in 35-degree weather. 

New Orleans in December 

As you know, I ended the year in NOLA, which was as lively and eclectic as I hoped it would be (complete with an awesome trip to a southern plantation). 

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So there you are! I went to about 8 new cities/towns I hadn't been to before, and 6 overall trips. Not too shabby indeed. As you suspected, I've already booked my next trip for this month. I'll reveal soon where I'm off to (wink). 

Travel on, my fellow wanderlusters! 

New Orleans: Visiting a Southern Plantation

When Laura asked me if I wanted to visit a local Southern Plantation, I smiled real big. You see, visiting a plantation has been on my bucket list for quite some time. I'm fascinated by the grandeur of plantations, as well as the achingly sad history. We visited Houmas House, about a 45 minute drive from New Orleans. This place had over 1,000 slaves and grew sugar cane. 

 The land was surrounded by 300-year old oaks and Spanish Moss. 

The outside was magnificent, and the inside had so many trinkets and antiques original to the home--I was in history heaven!! 

 This map was found rolled up in the attic and plots out all of the plantations in the area.

 And yes, the inside looked like something out of Gone with the Wind, or Interview with the Vampire. Just as I imagined!

 This clock, once owned by Marie Antoinette, passed down ownership to this plantation. 

 The man who made the statue above also designed Mt. Rushmore!

Dueling pistols. 

 Above: Typical "medicines" of the 1800s. Below, the designer of the Confederate Flag once lived here.

 A vampire killing kit (what did I tell you about Interview with the Vampire???). 

 Above: A famous spiral staircase rumoured to be quite haunted. Below: An example of a bedroom.

 Above: A bathtub...we're spoiled now, right? Below: an old horse-hair wig. 

 Scenes from the kitchen...

And this...and old coffee roaster!! Can I have one?!? 

If you're in the New Orleans area, I highly recommend this tour. Houmas House is not the only plantation to choose from; Oak Alley, among others, are also close by. A tour will run you about $25, but if you're a history lover, it's soooooooooo worth it. 

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And with a last splash of history, thus concludes my New Orleans posts--in my opinion, a must-see city in the United States with some of the best food and music you could ever enjoy! "Geaux" to New Orleans! 

New Orleans: Venturing Outside the French Quarter

Painted map of New Orleans by Laura's friend Mary. Find her website here: MCRomaguera.com

When visiting New Orleans, it would be easy to get trapped inside the myriad of alleys in the French Quarter and just stay there; however, there's a lot more to see in this historic, gorgeous city. I was lucky to have a "tour guide" native to the area, who took me to family dinners and backyard hangouts. Here I'm showcasing three other areas of New Orleans that you might wanna see: Lakeview, St. Charles Ave., and Frenchmen. 

In Lakeview, a cute family area lined with trees, I got to see a tiny house in person (I'm totally fascinated with this!).

 Can I just live in one of these things?!?

 Derek, who built the house, had us stay for a few beers by the fire. He also made this fire pit, crafted out of a washing machine drum--gotta love the South and their crafty ways! 

Lakeview is clearly more residential, but gave me a good feel for how people in New Orleans live. When traveling, I love getting a sense of the real city, including taking a stroll in the local supermarket (Rouse's, in case you're curious). For this kind of traveling, Lakeview is a good spot to stop at. 

Moving on...I didn't take enough pictures of the "Uptown" area because I was too busy gawking out the window. Old money is apparent here, where houses got grander the longer you cruise down St. Charles Ave (seriously, just google St. Charles Ave and you'll see what I mean). We did grab brunch in East Riverside, which looked like this:

I was particularly fond of the Frenchmen area, complete with even more color and art than the French Quarter could provide. We went on Sunday night and there was an outdoor art market taking place:

Laura and I caught a spectacular free jazz concert at d.b.a., which I highly recommend. One of my most favorite things about New Orleans was the amount of good music played on every corner. In fact, If I were to pinpoint the feeling of New Orleans, I would say it's all about expression. The sheer amount of music, art, attitude, and flair this fair city has is admirable. Below, I thought I'd showcase a couple more of Mary's paintings to further prove my point: 

New Orleans has style! Hope you venture outside the French Quarter to see it (wink).