Besides the music, one of the delights of Jazz Fest, we have discovered, is the food. This is no normal fairground food. You will not find hot dogs, fries, or cotton candy. No greasy chicken fingers or hamburgers anywhere. Rather, local restaurants and catering companies come with the best food around, both traditional New Orleans cooking as well as other ethnic cuisines, including Mediterranean, Vietnamese, … Continue reading Jazz Fest Food
Sun protection is key at the Fest, and besides the ubiquitous straw fedoras and cowboy hats, many show off their particular style with headgear. Hat watching, therefore, is actually one of the fun elements of a day at the Fest. Here are just a few I was able to catch on camera. (I have to get better at my surreptitious picture taking!) And here’s a … Continue reading The Hats of Jazz Fest
As we pack for a long weekend in NOLA, I’m reminded again of how much we’ve streamlined our travel kit over the years. We’ve written before about the joys of packing light, and no matter where we’re headed–New Orleans for a few days, or Europe for a week and a half–we only travel with carry-on luggage. But there are a few items we never leave … Continue reading Travel kit essentials
The last time we visited London was in September 2007. September is a great time to visit, as the temps are usually mild but still warm, and with little rain. We chose London for that year’s vacation for a few reasons. First, neither of us could take much time off, really just a couple of days, so a long weekend was the most we could … Continue reading Southbank to St. Paul’s: three days in London
By far the most difficult part (at least so far) of planning our India trip is actually choosing where to go once we get there. A country as large as India, with as many culturally and historically significant cities, regions, and sights as she has, makes for lots and lots of discussion, research, and ultimately, compromise. If someone from another country was planning their very … Continue reading Decisions, decisions: mapping out our India itinerary
Since we started planning our trip to India later this year, our thoughts have turned frequently to our visit to Morocco in 2009. Prior to that trip we had only been to western Europe. As foreign as Paris can seem when trying to order lunch from a stoic French waiter, it’s nothing compared to getting off the plane on the tarmac at Marrakech Menara airport … Continue reading From the Rose City to the Pink City
When we first started traveling, online tools were nowhere near as advanced as they are now. In our early days we used Priceline a few times, which was great for saving money–we used the “name your price” feature–but not so great for controlling the times of the flights. We once ended up with a 7-hour layover in Milan, and a 4AM departure from Venice. Never … Continue reading All’s fair when booking airfare: tips for finding the best flight
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list. —Susan Sontag People sometimes ask why we do all of our travel planning–from flights, to hotels, to restaurants, to activities–ourselves, rather than book a package or use a travel agent. Why go to all the bother? Since we started traveling together in 1998–our first year of marriage–we realized we needed to figure out how to take … Continue reading Why should travel agents have all the fun?
This post is a bit overdue, considering we visited Nicaragua five months ago now, in October 2012. But with the snow falling heavy on Boston lately, it seemed a perfect time to revisit–at least mentally–a nice, warm place. What made us choose Nicaragua? A combination of factors. We had been to Belize the year before, and loved it. Belize pushed us out of our comfort … Continue reading Heaven’s gate & the mouth of hell: a visit to Nicaragua
Rob and I are fans of Rick Steves. We totally subscribe to his “packing light” philosophy, which we talked about here, as well as his belief that spending more money does not necessarily get you a better travel experience. His book, Travel as a Political Act, was an inspiring read on how to travel with more than your own comfort in mind. While we may … Continue reading Thoughtful Travel
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