Monthly Archives: July 2017

New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA)

24 Monday Jul 2017

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You either hate it or love it.  We love NOLA.  While Gary and I had previously been to NOLA a few times, Austin only heard the stories (or some of them anyway).  So when he asked us if we wanted to meet up with him and Nicki there, the answer was heck ya!

Our first stop was Acme Oyster House and a first for us was trying the charbroiled oysters.  Up until then we’ve only enjoyed them raw.  I know, some of you are going eeew.

Acme Oyster House

What happens in NOLA stays in NOLA so this post will be mostly pictures 🙂

Austin and Nicki with Gary strolling to his own beat down Canal Street.

The horse and carriage ride is a bit on the expensive side, but well worth it.

This is the St. Charles street car, which takes you down through the Garden District.  Definitely worth a trip to see the beautiful homes and visit a few of the breweries in the area.

They roll their own in this cigar shop.

Louis Armstrong Park is right on the edge of the French Quarter and has several statues in his honor.

The Roosevelt Hotel first opened in 1893 and is home to the Sazerac Bar.

Roosevelt Hotel

On our road trip from Georgia to NOLA we stayed in the Pensacola Grand Hotel for a night.  The lobby is part of the restored Louisville and Nashville passenger depot that was constructed in 1912.

Pensacola is home to the Old Hickory Whiskey Bar where we met one of the better bartenders we’ve ever had.  The bar is named after President Andrew Jackson nicknamed ‘Old Hickory’ who was also the first Territorial Governor of Florida.

So if you are wondering if Austin liked NOLA as much as we do.  Well let’s just say the apple does not fall far from the tree.

The Finger Lakes in New York State

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

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Gary’s parents had a popup trailer and they weren’t afraid to use it.  They spent a lot of time camping in New York state especially around the Finger Lakes.  My family didn’t venture out of New Jersey.  So looking to get out of the heat in Georgia and see what Gary has been talking about all these years, we rented a car and drove to Watkins Glen at the south tip of Seneca Lake one of the finger lakes.  While we arrived in rain, the next two days were clear blue skies.  The trailhead for Watkins Glen State Park begins right in town.  Be prepared for stairs and to get wet but the hike up to the highest falls is well worth it.

Watkins Glen State Park

Watkins Glen State Park

Gary getting wet

Me standing a little further away. But we had to pass behind in order to keep going up

We always seem to be close to the water. This one was right outside our hotel. We didn’t pay extra for the water view LOL.

Wanting to see more we headed over to Hammondsport on another finger lake called Keuka Lake.  Aviation buffs will know that as the home of Glenn H. Curtiss.  Curtiss developed engines and motorcycles and then went on to develop ‘flying machines’ at the same time as the Wright brothers.   There is a great museum by his name that not only displays his early motorcycles and planes but boats from that era as well as the precursor for the RV.

Glenn Curtiss Museum

Glenn Curtis Museum

Our third stop was Corning where we visited the Corning Museum.  If you like glass sculptures, this is the place.  We were able to squeeze in their glass blowing demonstration, which was awesome to watch.  Somehow they make it look so easy.

Somehow we only took this one picture in the Corning Museum. I guess we were in awe and forgot to snap any. That is a lynx made out of glass.

We learned a lot of things this trip including that we like Riesling wine.  The guy at Pompous  Ass Wine Company turned us on to it.

Photo courtesy of Ted Beck Jr.

Thank you Barb and Ted for your hospitality!

The Dad’s on Father’s Day enjoying one of the best Bloody Mary’s I’ve had in a long time

My sister Barb and brother-in-law Ted.

Enjoying Czig Meister Brewery in NJ. Thats our handsome nephew Andrew.