Ellen Byron's Blog, page 12
January 18, 2016
Secrets of Louisiana's Legendary River Road: An Interview with author and expert Mary Ann Sternberg
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 first book maps out a a
January 3, 2016
Hotel Heaven Replaces Hotel Hell
I've stayed in 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 these days - through an internet search. Then I I joined Stash Rewards to lower an already very good rate. Mazarin is part of The
December 11, 2015
Handmade Memories For a Christmas Tree
When I was in middle school, I developed a passion for needlework. Crewel, counted cross stitch, embroidery, needlepoint... I did it all. But there are only so many decorative pillows a teen - or her family - needs. So I found another outlet for my work: Christmas tree ornaments. My early attempts were rudimentary, with homemade finishing. As I got older, I got better. My initial subjects were pretty much all Christmas-themed. But then I realized that needlework was a wonderful way to
November 28, 2015
Hungry for Louisiana Home Cooking
In a recent newsletter, I recommended a wonderful new book, Hungry for Louisiana, by Maggie Heyn Richardson. I tracked down Maggie and got her to share some fun facts about Louisiana's amazing cuisine. (By the way, not only is Hungry for Louisiana a fun read, each chapter features delicious recipes.) ME: What's the difference between Cajun and Creole food? MAGGIE: In its purest sense, Creole food is a fusion of Old World and New World. We associate “Creole” with the immigrant wave that hit
October 31, 2015
A Real, Live Voodoo Priestess
Voodoo is an integral part of Louisiana culture, particularly in New Orleans. In fact, it's such a part of the zeitgeist that my ladylike sorority at Tulane University wooed potential members during Rush by singing a song about the legendary Voodoo queen, Marie Laveau. But it wasn't until I attended Jazzfest a few years after graduating college that I discovered a genuine voodoo priestess, and one who took credit cards, no less - Priestess Ava Kay Jones. The full name of Jazzfest is the New
October 4, 2015
An unwelcome visitor in my NOLA apartment...
I think it's fun to share anecodotes from my days in Louisiana. This one will not be accompanied by photos, and you'll understand why shortly. When I was a senior at Tulane, I moved into an apartment across the street that I shared with three other girls. (The address was 1022 Broadway, which gave me the chance to tell people I'd been "on Broadway," wink, wink.) In the middle of my first night in the apartment, I woke up with a start when I suddenly heard a rustling in my room. I flipped on
August 16, 2015
An Artist's Plantation Tour
As I was working on book two in my Cajun Country Mystery series (book one being my first novel, Plantation Shudders), I came across more wonderful renderings of Louisiana's historic plantations by multi-talented artist, Gaynell Bourgeois Moore. And I thought, why not turn them into a mini-tour? So buckle up your virtual seat belt, because we're going on a blog road trip! FIRST, THE EAST RIVER ROAD... We'll begin at Houmas House, where Gaynell once worked as a tour guide. Since I've posted
An Artist's Plantation Tour
As I was working on book two in my Cajun Country Mystery series (book one being my first novel, Plantation Shudders), I came across more wonderful renderings of Louisiana's historic plantations by multi-talented artist, Gaynell Bourgeois Moore. And I thought, why not turn them into a mini-tour? So buckle up your virtual seat belt, because we're going on a blog road trip! FIRST, THE EAST RIVER ROAD... We'll begin at Houmas House, where Gaynell once worked as a tour guide. Since I've posted
August 7, 2015
THE PLANTATION TOUR GUIDE WHO CHANGED MY LIFE
In the mid-1980s, I was visiting my friend Jan in New Orleans, and we decided to take a day trip up the River Road. We wandered around the grounds of a few plantations, and kept heading north. I suddenly yelled, “Stop!” Behind a chain link fence and an overgrown thicket of grass lay a derelict beauty of an antebellum home.The majesty of it was arresting despite its rundown condition. We noticed a small trailer on the side road next to the house, and a hand-painted sign advertising tours. Jan and
July 31, 2015
THE ART OF BEING A NEW ORLEANS ARTIST
I’ll never forget the day my friend, Jan Gilbert, a renowned New Orleans, called with terrible news. “I have stage four breast cancer,” she told me. I was terrified for her. But she survived that ordeal. She and her husband, documentary filmmaker Kevin McCaffrey, also survived almost losing their home to Hurricane Katrina. And thank God for it, because without them, New Orleans would be a much less interesting city. I met Jan on the Crescent City Amtrak train. I was going to my brother’s
