Wine Art Music: New Orleans

New Orleans is a fantastic place to start and end any story. The culture, the history, and the people provide enough categorization to engage a nation. Settling on a few topics truly limits the perception of what happens down by the river, but wine/food, art and music also showcase the beauty and uniqueness of a city that just won't lay down.

Wine and food are highlights of this city. The delightful creole sustenance, the endless seafood cooked a thousand ways, and the fresh flavor New Orleans can put on something as simple as rice or a bun and call it gourmet. Louisiana has quite a few noted wineries and with an upcoming annual wine festival which takes place in the Quarter, locals and tourists alike can sample all New Orleans has to offer in true Louisiana form.
I found access to many off the beaten path eateries while visiting New Orleans and bars like Erin Rose(in the Quarter) and the Apple Barrel (on Frenchman St), house behind the scenes (but well known by locals) food joints.
Killer Po Boys, which is in the back room of Erin Rose has been named "Best of..."  by numerous periodicals including, He Said She said, and Playboy magazine.
Adolfo, upstairs and conveniently hiding, has had a waitlist every time I have visited, and you wouldnt even know it was there, as the customers wait patiently in the bar area of the Apple Barrel while live music draws in the street crowds with its intoxicating vibes.

Bring your cash for both these venues because both these local secrets are cash only my friends.

My friends enjoying the Art Market and it's famous local artists

While on Frenchman Street, if you happen to pass by the Frenchman St Art Market, be sure to stop in and talk to the artists. Let them share their city with you, as well as their history. There is nothing better than the wine and food except for the art, architecture and history of New Orleans.

And no one better to tell it than the NewOrleans locals themselves.


 

Artist Welmon Sharlhorn

 
Make sure you look for local artists such as Welmon Sharlhorn is a well known local talent who can be found sharing his famous pieces while lounging and telling his story on any given night. Not only a great story, full of New Orleans history, but a gifted talent, happy to share his musings.

I love a man with a smile and a story.






We are all aware of the live music of Frenchman Street, with fantastic music venues such as DBA and the Spotted Cat, who showcase local as well as national talents, but if you get the chance, check out Jazz in the Park at Armstrong Park. It's free and happening every Thursday during the spring from 5-7. It is family friendly, so if you have the kids in tow in the Crescent City, there are still ways to get your music fix. Enjoy.

Travel Smart, Travel Savvy

10 Tips for unoriginal (no offense) men looking for a romantic getaway idea

Today I was flipping through the travel section of the Washington post and noticed some "getaway fares" for last minute trip ideas. One struck me as interesting, not because the deal was so great but because of the destination itself. It was a getaway to Amelia Island off the Florida coast.
Amelia Island, sweet name - sounded like an ideal getaway. Kind of romantic, even.
Oh!
Now, I remembered why Amelia Island sounded so familiar to me.
I was living with a man years ago, and our relationship was pretty serious. I remember asking him one day, if we could go anywhere for a little weekend reprieve, where would he choose. He never looked up from his computer, as he answered, "Amelia Island. I went there with my ex-wife once and it was one of the best trips I've ever had. Have you ever been?"
Just as casually as if I had said, "Could you touch me here, my first boyfriend used to do that, and I found it quite pleasurable."
Men, don't do this. Do not ever suggest that your current love interest travel with you to a destination that you have shared romantically with another woman. If you do not understand why, I cannot explain this to you. You really need to revert to, "How to Date 101", but let's say, you will likely be single soon again and not have to worry about it.
This is not only terrifyingly morose, but just plain tacky. It has occurred to me that some men (this one fell into this category) are not trying to be hurtful, but are simply unoriginal. It has never occurred to them to do anything other than what they have done before. It was not their idea then, nor do they have an original idea of their own, so they fall back on old stand-by's. What worked then...
I have seen this in dating scenarios. We all know guys that take women on the same first date over and over again, because it worked once. This is not the same. By the time you are traveling together, you have built a  relationship of some sort. This is not a meet-and-greet, this is a lifetime/relationship, memory building event. Make it original.
Now, the how-to.
For those men (or women) who have no idea how to plan something, or come up with a fresh romantic idea let me give you a few pointers.
1) Pick up the weekend newspaper, open it to the travel section and read. I know, it's crazy.
2) Turn the tele from ESPN to the Travel network and wait for something interesting (to you) to pop up.
3) Surf the web. There are many travel resources. Every travel channel and magazine has a web presence. Use them.
4) Spin a globe and put your finger on a location. I mean if we are reaching, why not give 100%. Be as random as random can be and possibly have the perception of looking "interesting" or "adventurous".
5) Call someone who's been somewhere. This one may be hard, but if you are that guy that has only been one place with one girl, there has to be someone in your network who is that same guy, but hopefully went to a different place, with a different girl.
6) Ask a parent, or an aunt, or a cousin. Someone in your family must have a special place they have been to, or at least heard about in the last decade.
7) Think about the foods you like to eat. Where do they come from? Is this someplace you could visit with a loved one and enjoy?
8) Start with your interests. Are you a skier? Do you need a little sand on your ideal vacation? Always wanted to learn how to dive? These are great places to start thinking about where you want to go.
9) Look at your pet in the eyes for a curiously long time, until something interesting comes to you. It works. Especially if you have fish.
10) Ask a travel professional. The right person will dig long enough and deep enough to get the answers needed to find a good location. And hiring a third party always gives you someone to blame when you hate it. Hopefully, that will not be the case.

Highlighting Kona (Big Island)

Your level of comfort at your price point.

The one thing I found out about the big island was that one you arrived there was a price point for every pocket book.

We chose a mid-range hotel ($150-250usd per night) on the west side. The HiltonWaikoloa offered a comfortable room with all the amenities of every hi-end hotel. It was a bargain in fact, with the level of service that Hilton is known for. Numerous restaurants and bars on site provided an environment which allowed couples and families alike to feel their every need was being met and if they chose to stay on the resort grounds their entire stay, they could do this without feeling like they were missing anything. Water activities, boat rides, lava rock trails, golf - anything you want to do is provided on site. Even swimming with dolphins and turtles, surrounded by waterfalls.

There are cheaper hotels ($99-$149usd per night); active, downtown hotels in the mainstream of all the city buzz. Hotels such as the Kona Seaside Hotel and Uncle Billy's Kona Bay Hotel provide inexpensive options. Great for students, cruise ship one-nighters, and couples on a budget. For more conservative backpackers and/or students on a tight budget there were a few hostels which we found in a ten mile range of downtown Kailua-kona in the price range of $22 usd.. 

There were also hi-end options (over $250usd per night) such as the Four Seasons and the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Golf Resort which offered luxury accommodations and the high price tag that one is accustomed to when staying in residences that provide such offerings.

The one thing all these retreats have in common is the location – on a beautiful island with all the sweet offerings that Hawaii gives to everyone, on any budget.

The restaurants – all fantastic, whether a street-stand, or a surf-side restaurant which offers seafood and sunsets for a small pittance.

All of this is available to everyone who crosses the Pacific and wants it.

Contact me directly at SmartCreativeConcepts@gmail.com for info or questions.

Ohana means Family!!

“Ohana” means family, and that is what you will find through and through on the Hawaiian Islands. I was fortunate enough to visit the big island this Hawaiian go-round, and I was reminded time and time again how tight knit families are here, and how intertwined we are as a people, and how connected to the earth we all are.

The ocean is vast. The people are kind spirited. Hawaii is the heart of love, and we are lucky as Americans to be tied to a little piece of it and call it home. Internationally, Hawaii is sought out by every nation as a vacation retreat. Hawaii represents calm and serenity – a safety zone to reconnect with the universe itself… an opportunity to find love within and without. Meditate – no matter what that means to you.

The big island is massive compared to all the islands of Hawaii. Kauai, Maui, Oahu, Lanai – each holds its own mystique. The big island has a little bit of each. Every season exists on some part of the island at any given part of the day; snow, sun, rain, tropics, mountains, lava crusted roads; each entity holds a piece of Hawaii and shines bright on the big island.

But family means the same thing on every island, even the mainland. Family means we are connected. Family means safety and hearth of home, good food, and celebration.

Family celebrates everything we stand for in our endeavors even while on vacation.

The big island offers families a family value, or to singles, the concept of connecting with something greater – the surf, the sun and perhaps another bikini-clad single, who just might also be yearning for the same base needs of earth, and perhaps someone to share them with.

Kona itself offers everything you could want to do while on vacation separating itself from the other islands by that fact alone. You can golf, hike, bike, surf, dive, visit volcanoes, swim with dolphins and turtles, dine at the most fantastic restaurants, sail, fish, even ski. What do you want to do?

Kona has it, and it offers it in a casual and low key package.

Public beaches, churches, local markets, a thriving tourist downtown area, water sports companies offering every ocean fun time, snorkeling, local eateries…you name it. The big island is known for being active and not over congested like some of the more populated islands, and not over-serene like some of the more mellow islands. The big island is for big spirits – active and engaged with life! Fun-spirited, and alive.



OH! and the most beautiful sunsets ever!