New Orleans Food, Oxford Ghosts, Memphis Blues

From Bourbon to Beale with Kids

New Orleans

Morning was the perfect time to visit the French Quarter with the kids. The crowd and heat hadn't kicked in, and for breakfast we love beignets from Cafe Du Monde, a short walk from the public parking on Decatur, which is easy to find from I-10. After shopping the French market and exploring St. Louis Cathedral, we ate po' boys and alligator before cruising Bourbon Street in the mini-van. At Ursulines we hung a left and then took Dauphine toward the Garden district, where we finished the trip by exploring Lafayette Cemetery.

Oxford

Demanding that your children read "A Rose for Emily" at bedtime may or may not be good parenting, but that's how I introduced Faulkner to my daughters before visiting Rowan Oak, on July 6th, the anniversary of his death. The girls were thinking of the story as they walked up the steps to the door and whispered, "This place looks haunted."  Our son reached the door first and knocked. When the door sprung open by itself all three mouths dropped.  For a moment we thought they were going to run. The attendant, who watched their approach, paused before stepping out from behind the door. He had the same mischievous eyes and smile as our son, and made us feel welcome. In the study, we examined plot diagrams on the walls, written for the books that rest on our living room bookshelf. In a photograph upstairs we searched  for the mysteries held in Caroline Barr's eyes. Outside we shared the grounds with the ghosts of Yoknapatawpha County.

Memphis
For our family, learning about Blues Music is an important window into American history. The Rock 'n' Soul Museum was a perfect classroom for all of us. Every minute we spent was a valuable investment of time. Feeling inspired, we crossed the street to the Gibson gift shop where I was able to grab an ax and pick a little.

The kids weren't impressed with my amateurish attempt, so we headed one block over to Beale where we met real blues men and enjoyed great ribs and live music at Flynn's. After lunch we made a quick visit to the ducks at the Peabody before jumping back in the van, which was parked just across the street on South Third.