New Orleans, Louisiana. The name alone evokes so much for me - the dueling trumpets and trombones of a brass band second line. The crunch and subsequent snap of a fried shrimp po'boy. The ancient, creaking motion of the streetcar as it rumbles down St. Charles avenue. All are classic icons of New Orleans, or NOLA to the people who call it home. Since 2008, a brewery has been looking to add fresh craft beer to the list of New Orleans icons.
New Orleans was once the brewing mecca of the South - Dixie, Jax, Falstaff, and many others were once produced in the Crescent City and one by one, they fell...
Read more...
John’s Note: This post is in reference to a August 2008 trip I took to New Orleans just as Hurricane Gustav was bearing down on the Crescent City. Also, this post is a monster. To those of you who make it to the end, kudos. To those who don't want to read this whole post, I have some pretty pictures for you here and here.
The Story
August 25th, 2008 – On this morning, without fanfare, a small storm formed off the south eastern coast of Haiti. Feeding off the warm waters, it plowed across the Caribbean Sea and steadily grew in strength. Within 24 hours, this small storm was a full fledged...
Read more...
Plantation. For me, the word evokes many images. Opulent mansions on grand estates dripping with more southern charm than the KFC Colonel himself; the products of a simpler, bygone antebellum era. But also, I generally associate the word with slavery, the barbaric American practice that wasn't ended until the Civil War nearly tore the country in two. It is hard for me to separate the ideas of the two, as they will be forever inextricably linked.
After the war and the abolition of slavery, it became near impossible for many of these plantations to remain open and many fell into disrepair or were...
Read more...
There are many images that come to mind when I hear the New Orleans mentioned. Great music, great food, and a city that seeks pleasure like none other all come to mind.
But a national museum dedicated to the memory of the most devastating war this planet has ever seen never really struck me as something that belonged in New Orleans.
Here in the middle of a city full of smiling, dancing, happy people sits a somber reminder to the tragedies of war. Before my visit, I thought a museum like this would have belonged in Washington DC next to our monuments or maybe in Honolulu, the only American city...
Read more...
(John's note: Due to the torrential downpour that I experienced during this event, I did not dare remove my camera from the safety of the dry car. Because of this, every picture in this post (with the exception of the header) is a creative commons picture from a generous photographer on Flickr. If you like what you see, do them a favor and go take a look at their pages - I've included links at the bottom of this post.)
I glanced at the clock on my work computer – 5:45 pm. It was time to go. After another day in the office, it was time to pack up for the day. But this day was different – there...
Read more...
