As you might have known from previous entries on my blog, I had been planning this epic trip to Chicago and in particular New Orleans, for an awfully long time! Taking the historic train ride, the City of New Orleans, cutting right through the country to be dropped off in New Orleans the following afternoon. This particular train route played a large role in the migration of former slaves from the South to the North, to Chicago, very fascinating stuff! In fact, one of the most famous companies to run the service from Chicago to New Orleans was the Pullman train company, and they were famous for their Pullman porters - black men who worked tirelessly as porters aboard these luxury trains. Well, these Pullman Porters worked so hard in their jobs and earned so much dignity and respect in their communities - they were even able to save their miniscule earnings to buy houses! Many feel these men were the beginning of the African American middle class. So there was that side of the train history, not to mention the beloved country song about this very train - it all added up to the point where I knew I needed to do this train trip!
When I left Seattle, I felt very weary. I was stuck in the routine of the job, the kids etc etc. However, as soon as I touched down in Chicago, I felt a lightness in my spirit. I couldn't stop smiling! I felt fully alive again! Oh how good it felt to be travelling again!
Chicago
I loved the vibe on the streets of Chicago!
When I got to downtown I was hungry for breakfast and hungry for adventure! I couldn't seem to find any cafes that caught my attention so I went to Dunkin Donuts instead (for the first time ever pretty much) and enjoyed a special treat breakfast! Then I loaded up my nexus with maps, plotted a course and set on my way (I have to say, having the Google nexus tablet has really changed the way I travel, its so handy, it's like having a world atlas in your pocket - and no, I wasn't paid to say that, although it would be nice if I was!).
First stop was Buckingham fountain. Apparently it looks amazing when its working, lights play on it, water shoots, etc.... Unfortunately it was off for the season o it was a big old empty pool in the middle of a square, but hey! I wasn't complaining, I was in Chicago and happy as can be! At the same square I found a statue of Lincoln and a few other hidden treasures (homeless men living in the bushes, etc). I carried on my journey and walked to the bank of Lake Michigan.
Lake Michigan
It is at this point where I have to explain the blessing and rarity of the weather - I was in Chicago in the middle of winter and it wasn't snowing, wasn't raining - it was actually pretty mild! Wow what a blessing! I certainly am not one who loves the cold, and snow is not my thing, so I was thrilled to enjoy this great, if not cloudy, weather!
I was trucking nicely through my mental 'to do list' and headed towards the famous Chicago Art Institute. I had not planned on going in because of the expensive ticket prices, but I decided 'how many times will I be in Chicago? I've got to go in!' So I did, and boy was it worth it. The art brought joy to my soul, my eyes were renewed just looking at all the colours and styles and creativity. But the real surprise came when I saw their Monet collection. I am a huge Monet fan, and saw a lot of his work in Europe, but ohhh to see the lily pads and paintings of his garden right there in Chicago, it took my breath away.
My favourite!
I also saw work by Picasso, Van Gogh, Cezanne and so much more. I also have to mention that there were so many people working in that gallery, it felt like half of Chicago worked there! It seemed as if there were four people working in every room, just walking around, monitoring the art and the crowd. It was the strangest feeling to have so many people around, all dapperly dressed in their work uniforms.
After a long time in the Art Institute, I tore myself away to see the rest of the city.
Millennium Park
I headed to famous Millennium park, an open space filled with interesting art sculptures and installations. It's the home of the Chicago bean - a giant stainless steel bean, large enough for a whole crowd of people to stand underneath. I don't know what it means or what it's significance is, but hey, it was fun to see everyone crowding around it and taking their pictures!
The famous Chicago bean
After the hysteria of the 'bean' I continued my journey to Navy Pier, a large pier that houses all these amusement rides and activities. Of course, typically, since I went in winter everything was closed, although I did get to wander down the hallways and see some beautiful stained glass!! Really breathtaking stained glass. A friend of mine had recommended that I walk to Navy Pier and then catch a water taxi up the river back to the downtown area. I had planned on doing this, and my feet were really killing me from all the walking around, so when I got to Navy Pier and saw that everything was closed (INCLUDING THE WATER TAXI!) I have to say that my hopes and dreams were shattered and I'm sure a small part of me died right there. Haha. The thought of having to walk alll the way back across town to get to the train station, with my poor feet, in my boots where I had lost the insoles so I was purely walking on the sole.... it was not fun. But, me being me, I picked myself up and told myself to pull it together and stop whining and I headed off with a spring in my step.
Chicago river
When I was back in the heart of the city and on my way to the train station I was able to stop in for some deep dish pizza from a restaurant recommended to me by my friend. It was so expensive I nearly had a heart attack. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a real cheapskate, and I know how to eat on the cheap when I am travelling! But I decided that I needed to try this pizza and so I tried to just swallow my horror and enjoy the pizza, and boy was it tasty!
Chicago deep dish pizza!
It's right about now when I have to tell you that right up until this moment when I was eating pizza, I still did not have a place to stay in New Orleans, and I was just about to board the train to go there! haha. I had wanted to couchsurf, but I hadn't got any replies so I had planned to book a hostel, but each time I went to book, something inside me stopped me and told me to wait. So I got to Chicago and still had not done anything! Then I checked my bank account to see if my pay had gone in, but it had not! Which meant I didn't have enough money in my account to be able to book something anyway! So I started praying, and I checked my couchsurfing page one more time and hey presto! I had received a reply and all of a sudden I had a place to stay! What a great relief! Also, I was able to call my host family and they put my pay in my account right away, phew, problems solved!
The City of New Orleans Train
So I finally boarded my gleaming silver train! I was so impressed by how comfortable and spacious it was! Certainly a step up from the trains I was used to! I settled in for the night and sleep very well, it was just so relaxing! The train passed right through the country, travelling through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. In the morning I ate my little packed breakfast and just relaxed, read books, napped, listened to music. It is just unheard of for me to relax like that. So for the entire 19 hours of this train, it was like I was in a bubble, in another world. It was wonderful! I didn't want to get off! haha.
On the train!!!
We arrived ahead of schedule, which was almost unheard of! I got off into warm streaming afternoon sunshine in New Orleans. My couchsurfer was waiting to pick me up from the train station, which was such a blessing! My adventure began!
New Orleans
Ahhh New Orleans! From the minute I stepped off the train into that golden afternoon sunshine, I knew it was going to be a wonderful place for me. The afternoon that I arrived, my couch surfer took me through the famous French Quarter, the oldest part of the city, bustling with people and music, food and shops, painters and other street performers - everything!
We walked a little then stopped at Cafe Du Monde for beignets - fluffy French style doughnuts covered (and I mean COVERED) in powdered sugar (icing sugar). They were so tasty and delicious, and Cafe Du Monde is quite an extraordinary place in itself - it was opened in 1862 and has been 'The Spot' in New Orleans ever since. There are only a couple of things on the menu - they know what they are good at, and they do it well!! It is always busy, and makes for great people watching!
After our beignets we walked around some more, up and down quaint charming alley ways and streets. Music poured and tumbled onto the street from every corner. Life, in all its forms, was happening all around me!
A street jazz band
That evening, my couchsurfer had been told about some exotic animal racing at the track - Zebras and ostriches! We headed over there and met up with some of his friends on the way. We sat through some horse races and then I watched in disbelief as these jockeys mounted these small zebras and raced them down the track. They were very slow and confused, hahah it was hilarious. Poor creatures.
Zebra racing!
The ostriches were livelier - to be perfectly honest, I didn't even expect them to go in a straight line, but they did! They were better than the zebras! (Did I really just compare zebra racing to ostrich racing? I think I spent too much time in New Orleans!)
Ostrich racing!
After the races we went out for dinner with a friend of my couchsurfer, it was a delicious meal at a local restaurant. It was the beginning of a whole vacation of excellent food! I had an eggplant dish (my favourite!) then we went to this extraordinarily beautiful mansion hotel and sat on the porch having a drink (of water haha).
The next morning I took a bus to the Garden District where all the historic mansions are. I had a lovely breakfast of banana bread, yoghurt and a hot chocolate in a local cafe, and then I went strolling. The mansions were absolutely charming. So homely and filled with character. The weather was warm and humid. It felt glorious.
I made my way to an historic cemetery. Since New Orleans is built below sea level, when they bury people, they bury them above ground in large tombs. It was so interesting walking through the cemetery. Actually, cemeteries are extremely dangerous places in New Orleans and they don't recommend anyone going to them alone - day or night. They are dens of sin and violence, muggings, attacks, and are in dangerous parts of the city. Most people I spoke to said to go only with a tour group because it was so dangerous. I took note of their warnings, but I was not afraid, and you know what I'm like! so I just bowled up by myself (in the day time! I am wise!) and I walked around that place like I owned it. I think people were scared of me, haha! It was very interesting to walk around the cemetery, the above-ground tombs made it like a maze, there was always something to step over or walk around. There were some voodoo graves as well - tombs where the person had some voodoo involvement or something and so current voodoo practitioners (witchdoctors) would go and put marks on the grave. All very interesting, and the tombs themselves had that ancient character about them, so rustic and crumbly - very beautiful in a reverent way. The cemeteries are one of the top attractions in New Orleans, and I'm glad I went by myself and not in a tour, I'm sure they exaggerate the risk factor. Or maybe I just underestimate every risk! haha.
After that, I walked around the nearby suburbs for hours on end, stopping in at interesting shops and trying lots of delicious local food (including a muffuletta - a sandwich crammed with meat and olives and a bit of cheese). Just when I thought my poor feet could not walk another step, I was able to catch a street car back downtown, Thank you New Orleans! Much better than my Chicago water taxi experience!
I went home after that and rested for a little bit. Then my couchsurfer arrived home and suggested we go out for a bite to eat and then to watch some swing dancing and live jazz! I was thrilled! We went all over the place, we ate exquisite food, listened to incredible music and watched all the dancers! We even got to hear a New Orleans legend, an old jazz singer by the name of Germaine Basil singing live at a bar we went to. I felt so spoiled to be experiencing the real heart of New Orleans!
Fabulous!
Bourbon Street - the centre of madness and crazy happenings in New Orleans... I didn't really see anything, but I believe the stories haha.
The next morning I had a bit of a sleep in (ahhh vacation!) and then headed to the French Quarter for another stroll, stopping at various cafes along the way for hot chocolate and other local food (Gumbo - a cajun soup). I also stopped in at a carousal bar - it was inside a hotel and it actually was like a mini circus carousal and would rotate as you sat at the bar and drank your drink! It's the little things :) Actually, I felt bad because I sat at the carousal for a while but I didn't order anything because they didn't have hot chocolate and that's all I felt like.
Pictures with the fabulous castle-like Catholic church at Jackson Square, French Quarter
I finally walked to the banks of the mighty Mississippi river. It was all foggy and misty, a little bit magical all the while! There was a homeless man down there, playing a harmonica. He was asking another passer-by for some breakfast - I reached into my bag and handed him one of my packed lunch sandwiches that I had been carrying around, in return he serenaded me with a song ("Thank you for the food, I love you") and a harmonica solo right there on the banks of the Mississippi. Something about the fact that I was serenaded on the banks of the Mississippi really put me in a good mood and I will always remember that!
Then I walked to the 'tough' part of town (yet again another 'no-no' which I disobeyed) to go and see the Louis Armstrong Park. In this park there is a square called Congo Square - it is extremely historically significant because this very place was where the slaves used to congregate on their day off on Sundays, and they would drum together and make music and dance. It was the birthplace of jazz and blues as we know it. The injustice of slavery and the way the African Americans have been treated in New Orleans is disgusting. It really struck home standing there at Congo Square. Even though I felt so much joy in the music and in the place, I also felt so much struggle, resistance, frustration, betrayal and mistreatment. It didn't feel right to take a picture of it, so I didn't. These pictures are from other parts of the park, it was a very beautiful park.
That evening, my courchsurfer and I went to a real authentic Nawlins' restaurant called Jacques-Imo's Cafe, normally you can't get into the place without a reservation much in advance, but we were lucky and managed to get a table without any wait! We tried all sorts of things - alligator, shrimp and sausage cheesecake (it was seriously delicious!), some kind of delicious eggplant, and then I had a deep fried po'boy. A po'boy is a famous New Orleans food, it's essentially a sandwich on French bread with all sorts of different things stuffed in it, meats, vegetables, etc. Having it deep fried and covered in gravy certainly gave it that Louisiana flavour! I read a great quote somewhere that said "The Louisiana diet will kill a man as surely as the sword" and it is so true! haha.
Deep fried po' boy
That night as we drove home, my couchsurfer showed me the street where a very young Louis Armstrong used to sell matches. Amazing history! Later on I helped my couchsurfer paint coconuts in preparation for Mardi Gras - he was going to be part of a parade float and apparently at Mardi Gras they always throw out coconuts!
The next morning was my last morning. I packed up my one daypack of things and headed out to the bus to get to the airport. New Orleans will always hold a place in my heart because it was exactly how I imagined it. I went there expecting to eat amazing food, listen to all sorts of music and experience the charm of the south. It met all my expectations and more!
