A Streetcar Named...

Although the New Orleans streetcar line to Desire Street is no longer in service, the existing New Orleans Streetcar lines are an inexpensive and convenient way to navigate the city. Hurricane Katrina damaged most of the lines and many of the cars were flooded. At present, the system has returned to service but some of the cars are still being renovated and repaired. One line runs along the Mississippi River from the edge of Faubourg Marigny, past the French Quarter, to the Convention Center. A second line runs in the middle of Canal Street (see photos) from the river to several cemeteries near City Park that were originally at the edge of the city. A third line runs in the grassy median of St. Charles Avenue through the Garden District, past Tulane University and beyond.

Hansen's Sno-Bliz - New Orleans, LA

Hansen's Sno-Bliz (4801 Tchoupitoulas Street) has been serving up treats for nearly 70 years. The store is run by the granddaughter of the original owners and inventors. She made each Sno-Bliz shown in the picture. The one in the foreground is Cream of Ice Cream with with a sweetened condensed milk topping. The one in the background is Cream of Strawberry topped with crushed strawberries. The granddaughter told me her grandfather invented the machine to shave the ice (it is finer than a typical snow cone) and her grandmother created the flavored syrups that are poured over the ice.

The store is located a few blocks from Magazine Street (a major street running parallel to the Mississippi, going upriver from the French Quarter) in a residential and industrial area. There is no seating inside the store. I noticed a steady flow of people through the place from my seat across the street on the porch of a bookstore. In fact, at one point, a limo pulled up and a half dozen people piled out and all got a Sno-Bliz before getting back into the limo and pulling away.

This place is certainly off the beaten path but worth the trip for the tasty treats and a piece of nostalgia. The owner is extremely friendly and seemed excited to hear that people from a distance were visiting her shop.

Louisiana Superdome

(The Louisiana Superdome as viewed from the train.)

• Largest fixed dome structure in the world.
• Largest domed structure in the world when built.
• Structural steel frame covers 13 acres.
• 273 foot tall dome.
• Diameter of 680 feet.
• Maximum football seating capacity of 72,003.
• Maximum basketball seating capacity of 55,675.
• A 1980s Rolling Stones concert attracted over 87,500 spectators.
• Took four years to build (1971-1975).
• The dome has an interior space of 125,000,000 ft³.
• Construction cost $165 million (1975).
• Cost $193 million to repair and refurbish after Hurricane Katrina.
• Sheltered about 30,000 people during Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans Jazz

A visit to New Orleans would not be complete until you hear traditional New Orleans Jazz. On my recent visit I spent an evening at Preservation Hall listening to the Treme Brass Band. They opened with the unofficial theme song of the Crescent City, When the Saints Go Marching In. This was followed by several other selections and some requests.

Preservation Hall is a block off Bourbon Street and dates back to 1750. It is a family-friendly venue with no alcohol. Bottled water is sold from an insulated cooler - give the guy two bucks and go across the room to take a bottle. There is no air conditioning and the performance room is dimly lit with a few benches and the rest of the people standing in the remaining space. Several groups perform here but the Perservation Hall Jazz Band takes its name from the venue. You can see pictures of the hall and hear the type of music performed there by clicking here.

Muffuletta - Central Grocery, New Orleans

Lunch on one day of my trip to New Orleans was (part of) a Muffuletta from Central Grocery (923 Decatur Street). It's reported the sandwich was invented by the proprietor of the store in 1906 and has been a New Orleans tradition ever since. The muffuletta is about 10 inches in diameter. This is a description from Wikipedia:

A typical muffuletta consists of one muffuletta loaf, split horizontally. The loaf is then covered with a marinated olive salad, then layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler, and provolone. The olive salad is considered the heart of the sandwich, and consists primarily of olives, along with celery, cauliflower and carrot. The ingredients are combined, seasonings are added, covered in olive oil and allowed to combine for at least 24 hours.


The store (pictured above) is a neat little place with many interesting things to buy. (Based on the dust on some items, I'm not sure what the merchandise turnover really is!) This will probably be my one and only muffuletta dining experience, however, as I really didn't care for it.

St. Louis Cathedral - New Orleans, LA

On my recent visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, I stopped by St. Louis Cathedral, one of the landmarks of the city. The literature indicated it is the oldest operating cathedral in the present-day United States. It is neither the most ornate or largest cathedral I have visited, but it fits well in its setting. It is located across the street from Jackson Square.

Horse-drawn buggies and carts usually line the street in front of the square. Tourists can get tours and rides around the French Quarter and nearby cemetaries. A statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback is at the center of the square. Around the square are artists selling their paintings, buskers, fortune tellers, and others selling their wares or talents.

The interior of the cathedral is not as ornate or decorated as I had expected. There is an interesting painting on the ceiling and several stained glass windows. It does not have the extreme ornamentation I've seen in some other cathedrals.

Summer Music

Several songs have come across my radar this summer. I was familiar with some of them but hadn't listened to them for awhile. Others were new to me this summer. Take a listen and tell me what you think of them!

Complicated Life - Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Hello - Evanescence
If - Bread
Our Last Summer - ABBA
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Top of the World - The Carpenters
Viva La Vida - Coldplay

Sucre - Madison, WI

Sucre (20 W Mifflin St.) in Madison, WI, is a good place to satisfy your sweet tooth. I was first here for dessert and sampled both the Sacher Torte (almond sponge + apricot filling + ganache) and the White Chocolate Cloud (muroise cremeux + vanilla biscuit + berry garnish). Both of these were satisfactory. Later I went for lunch but was disappointed with the selection and quality of the sandwiches and pizzettes. The best thing going for the place is the decor. The hardwood floors, white walls, and orange floors contribute to a clean look, modern with a retro twist.

Food: *** (**** for Sweets & ** for Savories)
Ambience: ****
Service: ***
(out of 5 stars)

Doudna Fine Arts Center

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is nearing completion on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. It was designed by architect Antoine Predock, who designed other buildings I've seen in Minneapolis, Tacoma, and San Diego. More pictures of Doudna are available on Flickr. I am eager for it to be completed since I hope to attend several events there. For the last few several years, all events were held in an old gymnasium or a converted grocery store. The new facility will have a concert hall, recital halls, theatres, along with classrooms and offices. There is a lot of glass, copper, concrete, mirrors, and steel beams throughout the building.

City of New Orleans

I have travelled along this "southbound odessy" from Chicago to Mattoon, through Kankakee and rolled along past houses, farms, and fields. Now I've decided to continue the journey and ride the old Illinois Central tracks south to New Orleans. I will leave in three weeks and then spend a couple days in New Orleans. If you didn't know, you can get very cheap rooms in New Orleans in August when temps are in the 90s, humidity is high, and there's a chance of hurricanes! Check back later for pictures of the trip (if I make it back without melting!).

Ping Pong

Having walked by Ping Pong (3322 N. Broadway, Chicago) several times over the last few years, I finally had the opportunity to eat there. The interior is painted white with a very minimalist decor. It is fairly small and an additional half dozen tables are on the sidewalk. Floor to ceiling wide doors made the two feel connected. The young wait staff all wore striped clothes. There was a nice variety of Asian and Asian-inspired options on the menu. I ordered Pad Woon Sen (glass noodles and vegetables with chicken) which was adequate and expected. The clientele was varied with some older and some younger people. The ping pong connection was apparent when the check was delivered to the table (see picture). The food and service were worthy of a return visit but the music was so loud that conversation was difficult.

Food: ****
Ambience: *
Service: ****
(out of 5 stars)

North Shore

This weekend I explored some of the North Shore communities (Evanston, Wilmette, Skokie). One of the sites was the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette. There are nicely landscaped grounds and an architecturally interesting structure. There are many details on both the exterior and interior.

Nate's Word

I read about Nate's Word on in-forum and thought it was an interesting project. You might recognize some of the backgrounds!

Summer Reading

Perhaps I should add "Titles" to the name of this blog, too. Although I don't have copious free time this summer, I'm hoping to read or finish reading the following books. I've also included a couple I finished in the spring. Let me know what you think of these if you've read them.

The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)
When You are Engulfed in Flames (David Sedaris)
The Audacity of Hope (Barack Obama)
Don't Get Too Comfortable (David Rakoff)
Freakonomics (Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubnar)

Sun Singer Gourmet Deli - Champaign, IL

On the recommendation of a colleague, I visited the Sun Singer Gourmet Deli (1115 W. Windsor Rd., Champaign) tonight. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed my meal there. Shown above is half of a Grilled Cheese Supreme (fontina and cheddar cheese, sliced Granny Smith apples with fig jam on challah bread), Italian Style Wedding soup (selected over Gazpacho or Cream of Asparagus), and Terra Chips (mixture of taro, yuca, sweet potato, batata, and parsnip chips). Sun Singer serves food in a casual environment with the friendly bar tenders coming to your table to serve you. In addition to the bar/restaurant, the store has a large selection of wines, deli counter, and other gourmet food aisles. In the end, I took home an extra bag of the Terra Chips!

Food: ****

Ambience: **

Service: ***

(out of 5 stars)