cemeteries and shuffleboard

Let me say right now that Janet kills me in shuffleboard. She's evil and uncanny in her ability to knock me out and deprive me of points. That being said, I am her Charlie Brown and will always endeavor to win, no matter how futile my chances. This infuriating skill of her's figures later on in our escapades on this particular day in New Orleans.

The day actually started well enough... we met Ally for a great breakfast as Camellia's grill on Chartres Street. It was a chance selection. We were opting for a place that was also on Chartres, but was no longer in business. Janet had seen this place while we waited for Ally and so we went for it. We got a place at the long, curving, amoeba-like counter that was all light and airy and glinting with polished chrome and the waiters scurried in white ill fitting tunics and sloshed dark strong coffee in our mugs. Eggs and sausages and grits and waffles and quick snippets of conversations with our waiter about everything and nothing and bottomless cups of coffee and every manner of woman, man and child sitting at the counter that meandered through the charming and thankfully inexpensive place. For about $20 not including the tip we had a good start on the day; our bellies filled and our spirits high.

Life goes on even when others are on vacation and both Ally and her boyfriend had to work this day. My daughter was a beatific vision with her green eyes and long blonde tresses flitting in the soft breeze as we walked back after breakfast to her boutique shop in a mall near the river. The looks certainly skipped a generation in the family. At the shop we met one of her co-workers who was aglow about our coming to New Orleans and eating at Port of Call the night before. She said she was extremely though playfully jealous of our meal and she and I bantered back and forth about different places to eat. She told us of Adolfo's, an Italian/Creole restaurant she was especially fond of in the Faubroug Marigny section of town. That's just outside the French Quarter and the restuarant is on Frenchmen Street across the street from a tattoo palor and above a bar with live music. This section of town brims with that sort of lifestyle and caters more to locals who like to party in the streets, but avoid the frat-boy antics on Bourbon. Upon her enthusiastic recommendation we altered our plans for the evening right there. But, as Ally had to work we left her at the mall and made our way along Canal Street with the idea to explore the cemeteries of New Orleans.

We had done no research, aside from knowing that because the water table is so near the surface people are interred in crypts and mausoleums, but we had ignored the brochures for cemetery tours that are offered all around New Orleans. Had we latched onto one, we would have seen some decrepit and spooky graves, including a voodoo queen's final resting place. Cemeteries give me the willies already, so that would have too much. Instead we had seen a cluster of cemeteries along the far end of Canal Street on the map and decided to start out for there. At first we walked along Canal. We had to weave to avoid all manner of strange local characters and tourists. There were a lot of stout people who lumbered down the sidewalk without looking where they were going. One man with a cane sang aloud in a beautiful voice some gospel tune, fist punching appreciative listeners as he slowly ambled along the busy street walkway.

The book, "A Confederacy of Dunces," written by the tragic author John Kennedy Toole, came up as we dodged other pedestrians and we tried to remember his main character's name. The story takes place in the late 60's New Orleans. We had both read it and we struggled with remembering the name of the main character. Well, as if a stroke of luck from god or Mr. Toole himself, we were suddenly standing nose-to-nose with a statue portraying Ignatius J. Reilly, complete with floppy hat, along with a placard of the opening lines from the book on a nearby wall of the former department store. He was standing beneath the clock peering out onto the Canal Street, bemused as he looked for "offenses against taste and decency". Later we discovered that Mr. Toole is interred at the very Greenwood cemetery that we visited and had probably passed his grave, but never made the connection.

A block after meeting Mr. Reilly we decided the day was too hot and the distance too long to walk all the way to the cemeteries, so we hopped onto the Canal Street trolley. They're red and wooden and airy and rattle and clang and buzz. It costs $1.25 exact change to ride and this line ends with Canal Street at City Park Avenue. Cemeteries surrounded us and I guess because there was a huge BPOE Elks monument at Greenwood we decided to meander through that one. It was quiet and well kept and many family crypts had separate vases for different people interred there so one may leave flowers specifically for Mom or Dad, etc. The grass was trimmed nice and there was a serenity there in the hot sun that even the noise of traffic on nearby Route 10 could not invade. We walked around, snapped a few pictures and then left, but that was it for our cemetery carousing. Instead, we crossed the tree lined Canal Boulevard after leaving Greenwood to get a beer at the Bulldog. They offered a fine selection of draft beers at $5.00 and this being Wednesday we got to keep the glasses after we drank our beers. I had a beer from Baton Rouge while Janet drank a weisse beer from Germany. We were going to sit outside in the little garden they offer, but that's when we discovered the shuffleboard.

It was ugly. She's evil I tell you.... always hitting my pieces off the board, depriving me of points and my pride. Later on when we told my daughter and her boyfriend, who fancies himself as a shuffleboard pro as well, he said that Janet would never beat him... I rolled my eyes with the hubris displayed, but we never had the opportunity to see if his dignity would remain intact. I'm sure somewhere down the line WWIII will be played out on a shuffleboard between these two.

I tell you... Janet's ability is uncanny...

Anyway, Bulldogs is worth the visit... http://www.bulldog.draftfreak.com/

Later that evening we ate at Adolfo's. There is a bar next door that was open to the street. The door to the restaurant had cheap stickers spelling out the name, but there were no other markings. You had to know it was there. The door also opened to the bar, so the band is right there as you walk up the listing stairs to the run down Adolfo's. Remember the old adage though, "Judge a book by its cover and you get a paper cut." The food was exceptional! We had an order or mussels in white wine for starters. The kids got pastas and shrimp while Janet had amberjack and I had grouper. Both were prepared with Adolfo's "ocean sauce". It was a white sauce with a creole kick and white shrimp and crawfish. It was very delicious. The waiter was a squirrelly little guy with a unibrow that kept sneaking peeks of Janet's cleavage, but he was pleasant and entertaining and we enjoyed our dinner and the music from downstairs though always heard never interrupted our conversations. Dinner for the four of us with just two drinks; Janet had to tell them how to make a Sea Breeze; was just $107, tip not included. They do not have a website, but they make up for it with the food!

We said our good-byes after dinner and opted to walk back to the hotel while the kids drove back to Meterie. Janet and I strolled arm-in-arm through the quiet sections of the French Quarter and even avoided Bourbon by walking along Dauphine to reach our hotel.

Thanks for reading....
greg

eating

Your favorite cheap traveling crewe (note the spelling) is spending money and loving it! We are in the middle of a four day soiree to New Orleans. It is our second trip to the frenetic and tasty Crescent City. There is no other place in the world, where food makes such an impression. While we are eating a meal, we are planning the next one. Conversations with strangers center around the restaurants we've graced with our appetities and nuggets of information about new destinations are culled. Yes, the city is wild and vibrant and insane and yummy, but it is also where my daughter, my first born, now lives. She's out in Meterie, a suburb of NOLA, living with a very nice guy and your illustrious VFH team has decided to travel to visit her finally.







My daughter, Ally, is an honorary member of the Vacation From Home team. She is a well traveled young lady and her trips started with a jaunt through Italy when she was just 5 weeks old (of course while on her father's hip). She possesses the same wanderlust as her old man. Over the past few days of reconnecting with my lovely daughter (for we haven't seen much of each other over the past 5 years) we realized that we have seen much of this world, together and apart. It is a unique connection between parent and child and especially now, to see her so very very happy in New Orleans, a place I wish I could live myself, is a dream come true for any parent.



So, the normal rules of the Vacations From Home credo don't really apply in this situation. To re-experience New Orleans and to be graced by my daughter's smile once again is enough to forget how life can be demanding for just a few days. This is not to say that we're going super extravagant here, but we have been looser. Of course, there will be no Galtoire's or Brennan's or Antoine's or Emiril's...No... sigh...


With a nod to finances, we planned the trip for mid-week, while Janet was on spring break. We left on Tuesday morning and will return Friday evening. Because of this we were able to get airfare and a room at the Inn on Bourbon Street, part of the Ramada family, for just $350 each. The hotel is central to the antics on Bourbon, but behind the closed doors there is a serenity that is devout. One needs to pay extra for the balcony rooms that open onto Bourbon where one can ogle the exotic dancers and hand grenade carriers and bead throwers, but we would rather look down on the pool in the courtyard.

Tuesday Ally picked us up at the airport and we toured the modest apartment she shares with her boyfriend and then went to visit him at work. We then drove down River Street with the levee looming overhead, passing the barn Ally has ridden out of, and might I add, for free. The owner's son is coached by Ally's boyfriend and she was able to barter this bit of enjoyment. (I told you my daughter was an honorary member of Vacations From Home!!!) We then picked up St. Charles and through the beautiful Garden District to our hotel in the French Quarter. We checked in and then immediately headed over to the Acme Oyster Bar, where we did not have to endure a line as we sat at the bar. We had a dozen fresh and a dozen chargrilled..................delicacies not found anywhere near New Jersey! The bill came to just 52 with the tip and drinks.

Later that evening we met her boyfriend at Port of Call, a hamburger joint on Esplanade, just on the very edge of the Vieux Carre. We had been wanting to go to this enigmatic place since we watched a man contort maniacally to cajun music at the Crawfish Festival a couple of years ago. We jumped and leaped and feinted and bobbed and twitched like a crazed person all the while brandishing a fly-swatter, and, wearing a Port of Call t-shirt. We resolved then that on our next visit to New Orleans we had to go.

Turns out that Port of Call is a well respected cheap eats place in town. Half pound hamburgers or steaks served with baked potatoes. There were a couple of items like salads listed on the menu as well, but it had mostly drinks on the placard with names like Monsoon........ Zagats actually lists it as the top burger joint in town. As we sat at the nautical motiff bar we watched a man in a Sheriff's outfit bring out burgers to people there; huge plates piled high with burgers dripping with melted cheddar and mushrooms. By the time the kids arrived we were drooling.


Burgers are roughly 12.50 depending on what you want on them and on your potato. Drinks were reasonable too, although for our walk home through the quieter section of Bourbon Street we splurged and each got a large Monsoon for $10 that leveled us by the time we reached the hotel. The kids in this case were much more responsible and as I sipped my torrid concoction I sighed as they walked to their car arm in arm.

march meandering in nyc

It has been a great opportunity to be working a solid couple of weeks in New York City. The money is appreciated and while on this particular job I've been staying in the city. It's a night shift and during the day I have had enough down time while here to rediscover the joy of meandering in one of the greatest cities in this world. I grew up close to New York in Harrison, NJ and the city was a short ride on the PATH. As a family my Dad had us walking around NY at an early age. I remember the gritty streets and the dangerous feeling that oozed out of Times Square. I remember marveling at the Horn and Hardart on 3rd and 42nd as we got our lunch from behind the little glass doors. Later, as a young man I would wile away the afternoons walking around Greenwich Village and then Soho when it became fashionable and later when bravery steeled me I explored the gritty streets of Loisaida or the Lower East Side. It was fun to window shop and hop around the galleries or linger in cafes with a coffee and newspaper or simply sit for awhile and watch the world pass by, and well in New York, the entire world seems to be on display at one time or another. When I worked at NBC during the nineties I explored a lot of midtown and that neck of the woods; in fact I often never had to leave the four square block area of Rockefeller Plaza for entertainment. But, work has taken me away from NYC or while there my only thought was to scurry for the train and the commute home. So, this has been rare for me to have idle time in New York and I've used it well these past two weeks. Blessed with some warm weather and a cigar, I delighted in strolling along through the different neighborhoods. It may seem odd to think of neighborhoods in a vast city like New York, but despite its sheer girth and the relative anonymity visitors may feel, it is rife with enclaves of familiarity. If you live or work in a certain area of the city you run into the same people everyday. Strangers are noticed, or better, ignored. The man who makes you your daily egg sandwich in the morning asks about the family. You know about his. You buy a lottery ticket from the same vendor and he's already punching up a Take 5 ticket before you ask, all the while wagging his head playfully, knowing you're not going to win. I used to spend a lot of time in NY and it was good to be back. I followed my cigar in whatever direction it decided to point. Daily I walked for miles and reveled in simply being on the streets with never a real destination in mind. I traipsed through Chelsea, the West and East Villages, Soho, Nolita (which is new to me... it means North of Little Italy), the Lower East Side, the Upper West Side, Grammercy Park, Tudor City and Turtle Bay. In Chelsea I lingered over coffee and a sticky bun at the Chelsea Market which is right near the Meatpacking District. I savored cafe con leche and a Cuban Sandwich in a lovely park on Greenwich Street in the Village. I walked through gentrified Alphabet City and marveled at the throngs of kids waiting patiently for brunch at popular restaurants seemingly unaware of how edgy this part of the city had once been. I strolled the length of the High Line, which is a park created from an abandoned elevated train tracks that was once used to deliver goods to the area businesses. There is an article about the High Line in the April 2011 issue of the National Geographic magazine. One day I went to the Museum of Modern Art, or MOMA. Of course I got in for free with my CBS badge. Each day I would just start walking. I was in NY for two straight weeks, for 5 day stretches and each day I headed in a different direction. One day I headed for a matinee movie another day I had lunch at the Heartland Brewery in Union Square. One day I basked in the sun on a chilly afternoon in Father Demo Square in Greenwich Village, tumbling over the chapter, Hollywood Heaven, from my first novel, Hi, How Are You? New York City is like that, you can always find a place that is reminiscent of some event or scene. It is historical and literary, beautiful and fun to just walk her streets. Well, today's entry in the blog is like my travels through New York these past weeks; a meandering jaunt through different neighborhoods and ideas with no destination. Sorry that there may be no useful information to fellow travelers, but if one thing to take from it, realize this is a walking town.

the great search

We here at VFH central are experiencing a dilemma. The conditions that neccesitated our conserving a rapidly dwindling supply of money have eased somewhat. What had been the genesis of our desperation as well as our inspiration, unemployment, or rather, underemployment, has changed recently. I've had several healthy months of filled calendars and clients and, well, the money supply is steadily flowing. At least for now. This is not to say that things will continue in this vein. As a freelancer I am usually at the mercy of the whim and wisdom of those who need my services, which can be as capricioius as a tornado and as tight fisted as a constipated clam. The rule then is to grab as much work as possible, because you never know when there will be a next day of work. There have been few times in my lengthy career that I've not worried when the next paycheck will float into my greasy little hands and because of my recent travails I look at each blank day on my calendar with trepidation.


But, fer goodness sake we can't be all doom and gloom if current events are indicative of better times and weightier wallets? Two years into a journey of slouching our way towards serendipitious opportunity, we have learned the necessities of mooching and will continue to do so... Why? Because we like being cheap. Why be frivilous with our newly filled coffers? We have discovered the joy of being frugal and extending and varying our experiences. But because of this recent influx of work we no longer have to limit our horizons to just our neighborhoods. So, then the VHF dilemma is a sweet one.


There are two excursions coming up this season for the team that are quite exciting, especially given our compartively dour travels the past two summers. They require spending money though, which eviserates the VFH credo, but they are necessary excursions. It is our duty as parents to take these two trips. And so with a heavy sigh and a crowbar we need pry open our wallets and part ways with some of our hard earned moola. Sadly there is no way around spending money because I have yet to perfect my teleportation device and airfare has to be purchased.


In April, team VFH travels to New Orleans for a four day eating soiree, offically under the pretense to visit my daughter. She moved there in September of last year and has asked me to visit. New Orleans is a great town. I am happy she's there and my stomach growls in rapt appreciation of the invite. During a more flush time, before the economic downtown begat Vacations From Home and its stingy approach to the day, your illustrious team had traveled to the Big Easy to gorge themselves at Galatoire's and Jacques Imo's and Mothers before galavanting through cajun country for two weeks. You can read about that trip at: http://www.cajuncountrytravels.blogspot.com/


The particulars of this upcoming trip are sketchy; we're not sure where we're eating as yet; but we are staying at the same hotel as last time. We were able to get a very favorable air/hotel combination at The Ramada Plaza Hotel The Inn on Bourbon Street, although we had to split our flights... Continental out and United Air on the return. A small price to pay for the pleasure of returning to the Crescent City.


Then, in July your favorite mooch crew has to fly to England for the second wedding of Janet's daughter....don't ask what that's all about it's far too complicated to explain.
A flight to Europe during the summer is usually too prohibitive for VFH to consider, but because this too is a family matter we are obligated to travel. Somehow we were able to get a direct flight, Newark to Manchester for under a thousand dollars....


Ugh....I didn't just write that did I? ugh.... At least it's not on Pterodactyl Airlines...ala Fred Flinstone.

There was a time when I traveled so much for work that I only had to cash in some frequent flyer miles if I wanted to vacation somewhere. Spain, Mexico, Hawaii, Barbados, Florida, Nevada, Jamaica were some of the destinations. Not no more.... ugh...


But, just want to let you know, your VFH team is a seasoned crew. She too has traveled the world and can regale you with as many varied tales from the road. The combined experiences we have amassed is impressive. We can put a lot of pushpins on that map of the world and we have traveled frugally throughout. Sadly, spending money is a necessity of traveling such great distances, so it is Vacation From Home's great search to take these necessary trips and spend as little as possible. Of course we'll have to eat in New Orleans, and when we travel to England the whole of Europe is available to us after the wedding. Nothing is finalized as yet, but preliminary ideas are for a trip to Scotland to sample single malts and to Belgium to drink beer. We have already read a lot about both places and have contacted distilleries in Scotland and a Belgian blogger who writes about beer and have gathered some useful information. As we finalize ideas we will let you know. Conversely, if you, fair reader, have any advice to offer, please pass it on.
Write me at: greg.dunaj@yahoo.com


Though we're not sure where we're going after the wedding, we are sure that we are staying at the in-laws' house in Nantwich. So, at least we're saving some money there. More details will follow as we complete our search for all things cheap and fun.


love,

greg

if pigs could fly they would drink la chouffe

So the new season of Vacations From Home begins, but before your favorite VFH team starts their never ending pursuit of all things fun and quick and on the cheap we must recite our credo and pledge our devotion to you our faithful readers.


1) We will go through any means necessary to save a buck.
2) We will not be embarrassed by our sometimes extreme efforts to pinch pennies.
3) We will mooch.
4) We will "depend on the kindness of strangers" and happily accept free drinks or other such contraband, (and not return in kind).
5) We shall quibble over paltry sums just to get the best price.
6) We will consider all things free unless forced to purchase.
7) We will find items of interest in the usually mundane.
8) We will find joy in the arcane and seek the off beaten path for new experiences.
9) We will share what we have learned with you, the reader, so that you too may
experience our good fortune... unless, of course, it's too good to share...

So, there you have it! Let the new season of mooching, couch surfing and travel begin!

Remember...you can always share your experiences too by either commenting here or sending an email: greg.dunaj@yahoo.com .

Also...check out my newest book on amazon. The Music Made Me Cry is now just .99 cents... and only available on the kindle or using a kindle app for your ipad, pc, etc.

La Chouffe is a favored beer out of Belgium and rare. To find it on tap and for just $5.00 is shocking. A recent sideways trip to Malvern, PA...not really on the Main Line (okay...if you'll buy us a drink we'll say it's on the Main Line) found us in the Flying Pig Saloon. A dive on the outside, but heaven within it's portals. There were almost too many beers on tap! The wings were good too. Just $7.25 for crunchy and spicy wings. We would have had to pay more, but some guy from across the bar, who looked like he regularly booes Santa Claus, bought us a round... we smiled politely and breathed easily when he lumbered out the door, probably to paint his face Eagle green.

thankgiving!

As a starving artist living in a middle class garret on Music Mountain I can not be more thankful than this approaching holiday. It means a free meal somewhere! Luckily your most favorite moocher has been invited into the home of Janet's mom and I'm looking forward to the day. I do have to work in the morning, but will be out in time to get a turkey dinner. I'm required to bring wine, but this is such a small price to pay for the spread and the company. Plus! As a devoted shopper to the Giant Supermarket chain, I've evidently garnered enough points for a free turkey. It's like I hit the lottery.

Everyone please enjoy this holiday in the company of family and friends. We all have so much to be thankful for in these difficult times.

love,
greg

work work work work

The driving force of this particular blog is unemployment or underemployment. For too long a while I had been making just enough money to barely pay my bills with little extra. The economy has been bad for everyone for a long time and Vacations From Home has now 2 years under its ever tightening belt. Though it is a fun challenge to explore cheaper avenues of entertainment, thoughts of Hawaiian beaches and cafes in Italian piazzas will forever invade my day. Such destinations farther afield are beyond VFH's reach...at this point. There are glimmers though of hope. At least there is a lot of work coming in for this freelancer and the rule of thumb for a person in my position is you take as much of it of you can, because there's no guarantee there will be any tomorrow. Regardless, we are far far far away from planning some a trip that involves plane rides or over night stays. Who loses in this particular situation are the faithful readers of this ponderous blog. Without time to explore and "vacation" there is nothing to write about. Or, if something occurs, like Octoberfest last weekend in Lambertville, there is little time to write about it. Be patient, fair readers. It all works out.
In the wait for more entries you can always visit my other blog. I am posting my second novel online chapter by chapter as time allows: http://www.themusicmademecry.blogspot.com/ could be a nice diversion until then.

BTW ... Octoberfest in Lambertville really is just a good excuse to drink beer at the River Horse Brewery. Situated down by the canal the owners block off an area, put up a temporary stage for some rock bands and sell their beer. Buy a commemorative 16 oz glass for $7.00 and $4.00 pints thereafter. It's worth it, except the walk back up the hill to my house can be dicey...ask Janet.
www.riverhorse.com

love to all... got to get to work!