I've posted this before, but summer's here and it's time to remind you of great places to stay on a NOLA vacay! I've guested at some lovely hotels in New Orleans, but I've also stayed in some flat-out dumps. During JazzFest a while ago, we found a burning cigarette and half-eaten brownie in our room - right after they cleaned it!! So it is with great relief I report that we have found a NOLA home away from home... Hotel Mazarin. I found it the way most of us find lodging thes

When I was twelve, my dad experienced some business setbacks. He worked in advertising, so this happened periodically. If you ever watched the series, Mad Men, that was pretty much my life growing up. I joke that my dad was Don Draper, if Draper had been Jewish and monogamous. Anyway, because of this crisis, my mother announced that we would no longer have a Christmas tree. She was too stressed to deal with it. (If you're wondering how "Jewish" and "Christmas tree" got in the

I’ve written before about some of the dear Louisiana friends who’ve inspired me. Jan Gilbert, the extraordinary artist. Gaynell Bourgeois Moore, an artist-singer-writer triple threat. And then there’s Charlotte Waguespack Allen. Dear, dear Charlotte. We met when I transferred to Tulane University, and even though the ensuing years separated us by thousands of miles, our affection for each has kept the flame of friendship burning. (Note how I have changed, but she looks exactl

On a recent trip to Louisiana's River Road , I learned some fascinating details about plantation life and saw how the tours have adapted to changing times and attitudes. But more on that in a future post. My tour bible whenever I explore this intriguing area is Mary Ann Sternberg's wonderful guide, Along the River Road: Past and Present on Louisiana's Historic Byway. I also love her recent book, River Road Rambler: A Curious Traveler Along Louisiana's Historic Byway. The fir