Natchez is a sleepy little town. Admittedly, we were there over Thanksgiving week, so it may have been more quiet than normal. The best thing we found to do in Natchez is to visit the photography collection of local historical photographer Henry C Norman, who was born in 1850 in Georgia and made his way to Natchez about 20 years later. A large collection of a couple of hundred of his photographs can be found in the Stratton Chapel of the First Presbyterian Church at the corner South Pearl and State Streets. A couple of hundred photos document pre- and post-Civil War Natchez. Natchez also has many historic homes in the downtown area, some of which are open to the public; and some are now B&Bs. For lunch we headed to the water from to an area known as Natchez under the Hill - a collection of restaurants and shops on a level lower than most of the town. We had burgers and the tacos sitting at the bar at The Camp - great local cuisine in a local watering no hole. We were staying at the Monmouth Historic Inn, an early 19th century antebellum mansion sitting on 26 acres of planned gardens, which has been converted to a 30 room bed and breakfast. And had dinner at the restaurant 1818 there in the Inn.
Road Trip through Mississippi - Day 2 - River Plantations
Today we drove from New Orleans to Natchez, MS. We drive via Baton Rouge up along the Mississippi River. It’s a very interesting drive. We stopped at Drestrehan Plantation about 25 miles outside of New Orleans. It was beautiful and we had an excellent tour of the building and learned a lot about plantation life. Built in 1787, it was a major producer of indigo and sugar cane. About a mile down the River Road we found large oil refineries which were an interesting juxtaposition to the antebellum homes. We continued toward Natchez and stopped at Oak Alley Plantation, perhaps the most photographed of all the Louisiana plantations. In Natchez, we stayed at the Monmouth Historic Inn and Gardens. More on that tomorrow.
Road trip through Mississippi - Day 1 - New Orleans
This is a trip we have been thinking about for a number of years. It’s a nine-full day driving tour to explore the historic and cultural heritage of Mississippi with stops in New Orleans and Memphis on either end. We’re starting in New Orleans, spending a full day sampling the sites, food and a little bit of music. It was a beautiful, not-a-cloud-in-the-sky kind of Fall day as we wandered around Jackson Square, listened to street and strolling musicians in restaurants, took the hour long St. Charles Street Car ride through the Garden District to Tulane and back. Food stops included Mr. B’s Bistro for lunch (with a strolling trio) and Restaurant R’evolution for an only-in-New-Orleans sumptuous dinner.
Back in Nice, France Part 1
We have been taking summer vacations in Nice, France for over 20 years now. This summer is no different, though this year we are spending six weeks in Nice, the longest time ever. Growing up in South Florida, I have always had a desire to be near the water and Nice is the perfect place to get plenty of sun and hang out around the beach.
Nice is the 5th largest town in France with close to 350,000 people. It is the largest city on the French Mediterranean coast after Marseilles. The climate is great – we have been here for one week and the temperature has remained in mid-70s. It’s likely to get hotter in July and even hotter in August but a warm coastal breeze makes it bearable. There is also plenty of sun in this part of France – artists including van Gogh and Matisse have been rumored to have commented on how conducive the bright sunshine is in this part of the world for their painting.
The food in this part of the world is pretty good too. Nice has been part of Italy at least two times in its past. In around 1860, it finally became part of France permanently following a referendum. So, Nice has a lot of Italian influence in its architecture, its food and its culture. Nice also has a large North Africa influence being just across the Mediterranean from Algeria, among other countries. France’s history with Algeria also has influence the culture of Nice.
Nice and the surrounding area has also been the home of many artists. Vincent van Gogh painted in Arles and there is museum dedicated to his work in St. Remy, about 350 miles west of Nice. Paul Cezanne was born in and died in Aix-in-Provence, a good-sized town about 100 miles west of Nice. A museum containing some of his paintings, Musee Granet, and his studio, are both open to the public in Aix. Pablo Picasso worked in Antibes, about 10 miles west of Nice, and there is a beautiful museum dedicated to his work there with a wonderful view of the Mediterranean. There is a museum devoted to the works of Ferdinand Leger in Biot, about 5 miles west of Nice. Nice has art museums dedicated to the works of Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall. Nice also has many other art museums including the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Musee des Beaux-Arts, and the Musee de la Photographie Charles Negre.
Nice had been modernizing its transportation system over the past ten years or so. In 2007, a five and half mile light rail tram that runs generally from the north part of town through the downtown area and to the eastern neighborhoods. Another tram line is being built now that will run from the port area jut east of downtown to the airport in the wet part of town with a number of stops accessible to downtown neighborhoods.
I will post more about food and transportation in future posts over the next 6 weeks. Nice is primarily a city for tourists wanting to worship the sun. The many restaurants and activities all cater to these tourists. I’ll post more about food and things to do here over the next few weeks also.
My last night in Nice will be the first anniversary of the July 14, 2016 when a truck driven through a Bastille Day celebration, killing 87 people. I will post more about that as that anniversary gets closer.
Road Trip to the West Coast of Florida
I grew up in Broward County, Florida on the east coast of the state. I hadn’t been over to the west coast in probably about 45 years. So I recently took a long weekend and went across the state to Naples and then further up to Anna Maria Island. We headed out around 9am on a sunny Saturday and headed across the state via Alligator Alley, picking it up in Fort Lauderdale about 45 minutes from home in Miami. Alligator Alley, or the old Route 84 and the now I-75, is a pretty easy trip across the state at a posted speed of 70 mph.
Traffic was pretty light on this Saturday morning and we arrived at our destination for lunch with a friend at Vanderbilt Beach in Naples in a little over 2 hours. Naples has turned into a beautiful lush town that seems to be significantly better off than I remember as a kid. Wide main streets with lots of palm trees and gated communities set back from the street hidden by large green hedges seemed to be the norm. Even the ubiquitous Florida strip malls were well designed and set back from the road. We had a great gulf-side lunch at the Turtle Club where Vanderbilt Beach Road meets Gulf Shore Drive. The Turtle Club is a old-timey small resort that has aged well over the years and now looks like new after a recent renovation, or as their website says, it ‘has come to represent perhaps the finest fusion of Olde Florida and New Florida in Naples’. Anyway it’s a nice place to have a relaxing lunch with a great view of the Gulf of Mexico.
Then on to Anna Maria Island just over the bridge west of Bradenton and just south of St. Petersburg – about a two hour drive north of Naples. The island is made up of three small towns - Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and at the most northern tip, Anna Maria, and can be accessed via bridges on the south side through the small fishing community of Cortez or on the north side directly from Bradenton. The three towns are densely packed with vacation rentals and houses, though I understand the tallest structure on the island is a mere six stories with a now newer height limit of only 37 feet or about 3 stories. These restrictions have given the area a cozy, comfortable feeling. Just to the south of Bradenton Beach is the more spread out, primarily residential Long Boat Key accessed by a bridge between the two islands.
Dinner one night was at the Waterfront Restaurant at the corner of North Bay Road and Pine Avenue in Anna Maria, a comfortable seafood house serving excellent fish. Directly across the street is the Anna Maria City Pier. Dinner the second night was at the more upscale Euphemia Haye restaurant on Long Boat Key. They have a great upstairs dessert room, with at least a dozen homemade desserts and along with live music is a great place to unwind after your large meal.
The next morning we headed back to Miami via the more southern Tamiami Trail. This is the road we probably took when we made the trip 45 years ago when I was a kid. The speed limit is 60 mph and is only two lanes for most of the trip. It’s a nice leisurely way to travel across the state with access to the Big Cypress National Preserve, camping sites and airboat rides.
