Wednesday, November 30, 2011
More on Thanksgiving
I just discovered that my friend Amanda has posted about our Thanksgiving dinner and our visit. She's got some food pics (more like food porn) and some links to recipes over there that you wouldn't want to miss.
Vicksburg today
After the drive through the battlefield (Astrid, being a lazy slob, warmed immensely to the concept of a museum one could drive through) we tried to find a place to have lunch. The lady at the visitor center had assured us that people in Mississippi "loved to eat", so we wouldn't have any problems. Yet, we couldn't locate anything. We drove up and down the streets of Vicksburg, but everywhere seemed either closed at that hour or permanently shut down.
It didn't help matters that we almost got lost once and that my blood sugar was reaching the lows where I usually get irritable. Still we kept going. Our hunger got worse. Darkness closed in around us. I don't know about Astrid, but personally I was seriously considering cannibalism when we finally, fuckin' finally, drove under the Interstate and came upon a sweet, sweet Waffle House.
Having restuffed our faces, we drove around Vicksburg again, this time taking pictures and seeing the city in a more positive light. There are some riverboats that have been turned into casinos, some nice shops along Washington Street and some quaint old houses that have been converted into B & Bs. Downtown is easily small enough that you feel you can get a grip on the place, an important feature when you're a tourist. And there's good ole Mississippi River, which you can get good views of from many places in the city.
All pics here.
That Ole' Man River, That Ole' Man River...
Steep hill down to the river.
This place was for sale. Again, I wish I had a couple of million lying around.
Some more quaint B & Bs.
It didn't help matters that we almost got lost once and that my blood sugar was reaching the lows where I usually get irritable. Still we kept going. Our hunger got worse. Darkness closed in around us. I don't know about Astrid, but personally I was seriously considering cannibalism when we finally, fuckin' finally, drove under the Interstate and came upon a sweet, sweet Waffle House.
Having restuffed our faces, we drove around Vicksburg again, this time taking pictures and seeing the city in a more positive light. There are some riverboats that have been turned into casinos, some nice shops along Washington Street and some quaint old houses that have been converted into B & Bs. Downtown is easily small enough that you feel you can get a grip on the place, an important feature when you're a tourist. And there's good ole Mississippi River, which you can get good views of from many places in the city.
All pics here.
That Ole' Man River, That Ole' Man River...
Steep hill down to the river.
This place was for sale. Again, I wish I had a couple of million lying around.
Some more quaint B & Bs.
Vicksburg Battlefield
One of the biggest and most important battles of the American Civil War took place in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The state was one of the richest in the union, and the second to seceed, but Vicksburg itself was relatively moderate in politics and actually sent pro-union delegates to the Confederacy at the beginning.
The city's importance lay in its location on the Mississippi. To the Union, it was necessary to split the Confederacy in two and to stop commerce, supplies and troops from crossing the river. For the Confederacy, it was equally important to keep the north from using the river freely. The city has natural defences along the rivers, called "bluffs", and was described as "The Gibraltar of the Confederacy". The campaign to take it was long and bloody, and in the end it was achieved through starvation, not fighting.
The victory secured for Ulysses S Grant the command of all the armies of the Union, while together with Meade's less decisive victory at Gettysburg at the same time, it marked a turning point in the war. Later, when president, Grant used Vicksburg as an example of how to Reconstruct the south by the use of federal troops and the education and employment of blacks. But by the end of the 1870s, this legacy was already being dismantled all over the US.
Tuesday, we took in most of the scenic drive through the present day Military Park, and took some photos of memorials, battlefields, etc. All pics here.
Replica of a battlement, built just outside the visitor center.
An Illinois monument to the fallen.
Trenches crisscrossing the landscape. The south especially, had good snipers.
They were doing some building on this land, but I can't help but think it must look pretty much like it did when the fighting went on almost a 150 years ago...
Memorial on the site where Grant and his southern counterpart, general Pemberton met on July 4, 1863. Pemberton was originally from the North, and was accused of treason for surrendering the city.
The USS Cairo was sunk in 1862 and rediscovered and raised in the 60s. Enclosed in mud, it was like a time capsule.
Guns belonging to the crew aboard the Cairo. Right next to the ship is a small museum that houses a collection of artifacts found on board.
The city's importance lay in its location on the Mississippi. To the Union, it was necessary to split the Confederacy in two and to stop commerce, supplies and troops from crossing the river. For the Confederacy, it was equally important to keep the north from using the river freely. The city has natural defences along the rivers, called "bluffs", and was described as "The Gibraltar of the Confederacy". The campaign to take it was long and bloody, and in the end it was achieved through starvation, not fighting.
The victory secured for Ulysses S Grant the command of all the armies of the Union, while together with Meade's less decisive victory at Gettysburg at the same time, it marked a turning point in the war. Later, when president, Grant used Vicksburg as an example of how to Reconstruct the south by the use of federal troops and the education and employment of blacks. But by the end of the 1870s, this legacy was already being dismantled all over the US.
Tuesday, we took in most of the scenic drive through the present day Military Park, and took some photos of memorials, battlefields, etc. All pics here.
Replica of a battlement, built just outside the visitor center.
An Illinois monument to the fallen.
Trenches crisscrossing the landscape. The south especially, had good snipers.
They were doing some building on this land, but I can't help but think it must look pretty much like it did when the fighting went on almost a 150 years ago...
Memorial on the site where Grant and his southern counterpart, general Pemberton met on July 4, 1863. Pemberton was originally from the North, and was accused of treason for surrendering the city.
The USS Cairo was sunk in 1862 and rediscovered and raised in the 60s. Enclosed in mud, it was like a time capsule.
Guns belonging to the crew aboard the Cairo. Right next to the ship is a small museum that houses a collection of artifacts found on board.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
New Orleans: The Mississippi
No travel diary from the Big Easy is complete without a mention of the Mississippi River. This big, violently beautiful waterway has had a profound impact on war, commerce, travel, arts and just about everything else in US history. Old Man River has been a border between nations and between states and it has been a means of communications long before that. It is the stuff of legends, one of the world's truly great sights.
Monday, we decided to cross it on the free, free, freeeeee ferry from Canal Street over to Algiers Point. The trip itself takes something like five minutes, so most of the time is spent simply waiting.
All river pics here.
"...and I've seen it's muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset..."
The IMAX theatre in the background.
The grime on the window makes it look like there's water coming off the top of the building on the left.
Purdy.
Sunday night.
Monday, we decided to cross it on the free, free, freeeeee ferry from Canal Street over to Algiers Point. The trip itself takes something like five minutes, so most of the time is spent simply waiting.
All river pics here.
"...and I've seen it's muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset..."
The IMAX theatre in the background.
The grime on the window makes it look like there's water coming off the top of the building on the left.
Purdy.
Sunday night.
New Orleans: The World War II Museum
In the afternoon I went by my own, sweet self to the National World War II Museum, in the Central Business District (or CBD). The museum has an extra focus on the invasion of Normandy, but also covers the domestic policies of America in the Roosevelt administration and the shock of war that came to the nation with Pearl Harbor.
It's interesting to see how small the US armed forces were in 1939 - it was the 18th largest in the world, behind Romania! It is even more interesting to see how the American nation rose to literally produce the Krauts to death during the span of less than 4 years. The incredible, vast, humongous, just fuckin GAAAH American industrial capacity was turned towards making ships, bombs, planes and guns and the outcome was never really in doubt.
The museum also has an incredible movie called "Beyond all Boundaries", which uses 3D effects (you don't need special goggles), smoke, sound and vibration in the seats to create chilling effects. It is a creative masterpiece and at the end I just wanted to stand in my seat and shout "America, fuck yeah!" (admittedly, it doesn't take much). It shows some very disturbing footage of the results of the Japanese conquest, inluding the Rape of Nanking. The movie (and the rest of the exhibit) also makes clear what a bunch of fuckin insane emperor-worshipers the average Japanese soldiers were, and why they had to be defeated utterly.
All pics here.
P-51 Mustang.
Sherman tank.
Replica of a Higgins boat. These were made locally in New Orleans by local businessman Andrew Higgins, of whom Dwight D. Eisenhower said: "Andrew Higgins ... is the man who won the war for us. ... If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different".
Examples of US anti-Japan propaganda. As is often the case, the enemy is dehumanized. In the case of pre-1945 Japan I'm leaning towards the propaganda being mostly correct.
NOT a Republican election poster.
Ike talking to his men just before the invasion of Normandy.
Trust me, you don't.
Next time someone complains about the US use of nukes to end the war show him this - the photo shows a firebombed Tokyo in March 1945. In one night, 100,000 Japanese were killed through "conventional warfare". Over 500,000 civillians died within the last seven months of this war. Two nukes ended what could have dragged on for years and killed thousands upon thousands of Japs and Yanks alike.
Had the US invaded Japan, this would have been the amount of troops involved. We can only guess at the casualties.
It's interesting to see how small the US armed forces were in 1939 - it was the 18th largest in the world, behind Romania! It is even more interesting to see how the American nation rose to literally produce the Krauts to death during the span of less than 4 years. The incredible, vast, humongous, just fuckin GAAAH American industrial capacity was turned towards making ships, bombs, planes and guns and the outcome was never really in doubt.
The museum also has an incredible movie called "Beyond all Boundaries", which uses 3D effects (you don't need special goggles), smoke, sound and vibration in the seats to create chilling effects. It is a creative masterpiece and at the end I just wanted to stand in my seat and shout "America, fuck yeah!" (admittedly, it doesn't take much). It shows some very disturbing footage of the results of the Japanese conquest, inluding the Rape of Nanking. The movie (and the rest of the exhibit) also makes clear what a bunch of fuckin insane emperor-worshipers the average Japanese soldiers were, and why they had to be defeated utterly.
All pics here.
P-51 Mustang.
Sherman tank.
Replica of a Higgins boat. These were made locally in New Orleans by local businessman Andrew Higgins, of whom Dwight D. Eisenhower said: "Andrew Higgins ... is the man who won the war for us. ... If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different".
Examples of US anti-Japan propaganda. As is often the case, the enemy is dehumanized. In the case of pre-1945 Japan I'm leaning towards the propaganda being mostly correct.
NOT a Republican election poster.
Ike talking to his men just before the invasion of Normandy.
Trust me, you don't.
Next time someone complains about the US use of nukes to end the war show him this - the photo shows a firebombed Tokyo in March 1945. In one night, 100,000 Japanese were killed through "conventional warfare". Over 500,000 civillians died within the last seven months of this war. Two nukes ended what could have dragged on for years and killed thousands upon thousands of Japs and Yanks alike.
Had the US invaded Japan, this would have been the amount of troops involved. We can only guess at the casualties.
New Orleans: Garden and Uptown
This morning we brazenly left the car in the parking lot of the visitor center and walked over to Canal Street. We then took the streetcar down to St Charles Avenue and then began a long, slow trek through the Garden District and into Uptown.
When the streetcar was about to turn north on Carrollton, we got off and stuffed face in a very cozy cafe whose name has forever escaped my mind. Then we walked a good way back again, taking lots of pictures, before getting on a streetcar. I got off near the World War II museum, while Astrid kept riding to the French Quarter to engage in the one activity her genes have prepared her for:cooking sewing knitting cleaning bearing children shopping.
All Garden/Uptown pics here.
Two streetcars on Canal Street. Traditionally, Canal Street marked the end of the French quarter and the beginning of the American parts of town. For this reason it is known as "neutral ground" locally. A lot of streets change names on the other side of Canal.
The Children's Museum. Again, I'm not sure if this falls within the technical borders of Garden/Uptown, and again I couldn't really give a fuck.
All along St Charles, the oak trees have wreaked havoc with the sidewalk. Surely, according to the "Americans With Disabilities Act" (a real law!) these must be cut down, so that every fucker in a wheelchair might access every tiny square inch of the street. I demand justice, and I demand it NOW!
Random purdy buildings and sights. This street really holds a most ecclectic collection of grand, well maintained mansions and decrepit old shacks. Sometimes a combination. I wish I had a couple of million dollars lying around. Le sigh.
When the streetcar was about to turn north on Carrollton, we got off and stuffed face in a very cozy cafe whose name has forever escaped my mind. Then we walked a good way back again, taking lots of pictures, before getting on a streetcar. I got off near the World War II museum, while Astrid kept riding to the French Quarter to engage in the one activity her genes have prepared her for:
All Garden/Uptown pics here.
Two streetcars on Canal Street. Traditionally, Canal Street marked the end of the French quarter and the beginning of the American parts of town. For this reason it is known as "neutral ground" locally. A lot of streets change names on the other side of Canal.
The Children's Museum. Again, I'm not sure if this falls within the technical borders of Garden/Uptown, and again I couldn't really give a fuck.
All along St Charles, the oak trees have wreaked havoc with the sidewalk. Surely, according to the "Americans With Disabilities Act" (a real law!) these must be cut down, so that every fucker in a wheelchair might access every tiny square inch of the street. I demand justice, and I demand it NOW!
Random purdy buildings and sights. This street really holds a most ecclectic collection of grand, well maintained mansions and decrepit old shacks. Sometimes a combination. I wish I had a couple of million dollars lying around. Le sigh.
New Orleans: St Louis Cemetery no. 1
Right next to the visitor center on Basin lies St Louis Cemetery #1, the oldest in town. It opened in 1789 and is still in use, the last "entry" I saw was from November 2009... Apparently, the custom of making above ground tombs is partly a French/Spanish custom and partly a necessity due to the high water tables.
An interesting fact is that although the area spans only one city block, it contains in excess of 100,000 dead 'uns. Also, back in the day families used to pool together to afford a tomb like some of the ones pictured below - these pools were called a "societe". Some may still do for all I know. All pics here.
In New Orleans these cemeteries are known as cities of the dead, or Necropolises.
Some graves are well kept and still imposing.
Others are falling apart.
There's an internet rumor (solid evidence as far as I'm concerned!) that this white pyramid belongs to Nicholas Cage, who's booked room already. Let's hope this space doesn't go empty for long.
This cat came up to me and started meowing and purring. So I took some pics of it. Sorry folks, but a live cat beats dead people every time.
"...you put your right foot in, you put your right foot out..."
Licking his own asshole with a fervor and dedication we cannot possibly begin to understand. Or appreciate.
An interesting fact is that although the area spans only one city block, it contains in excess of 100,000 dead 'uns. Also, back in the day families used to pool together to afford a tomb like some of the ones pictured below - these pools were called a "societe". Some may still do for all I know. All pics here.
In New Orleans these cemeteries are known as cities of the dead, or Necropolises.
Some graves are well kept and still imposing.
Others are falling apart.
There's an internet rumor (solid evidence as far as I'm concerned!) that this white pyramid belongs to Nicholas Cage, who's booked room already. Let's hope this space doesn't go empty for long.
This cat came up to me and started meowing and purring. So I took some pics of it. Sorry folks, but a live cat beats dead people every time.
"...you put your right foot in, you put your right foot out..."
Licking his own asshole with a fervor and dedication we cannot possibly begin to understand. Or appreciate.
New Orleans: French Quarter
Sunday and Monday we've been doing New Orleans. I'll admit that I'd kinda, sorta decided in advance not to like it too much. After all, it's Frenchy and I hate jazz and fish, the three most important ingredients of the city. Still after walking some of it today I must say I'm impressed with the architecture and sheer beauty of some of its areas. Bourbon street is a vast wasteland of mindless, drunken idiocy but there are other neighborhoods which are very much worth your time & effort. Also, the city has lots of history, cemeteries, museums, etc.
Because of all the material, I've had to break up this segment into five installments. The first is the French Quarter (possibly some areas north of it too). I didn't get in that many pics of it, because I mainly shot it Sunday night and some of the photos came out blurry. Again, Bourbon street is a cesspool, but some of the other streets are quite nice. All pics here.
Gaudy, tacky shit blaring light out onto Bourbon street.
Not sure if Basin street is technically inside the French Quarter, but this decrepit old building was still picworthy. Yes, that's an invented word. No, you can't have it, it's mine.
Memorial to the fallen US & Allied troops in Vietnam. A war largely lost through sheer cowardice & incompetence.
A jazz band giving a hellishly loud street concert this afternoon. Sweet Jebus, how I hate jazz.
The mighty Mississippi.
This Santa Claus stood outside a humongous casino down by the river. We joked that he had lost all his reindeer on gambling and was now begging for food. A sad end!
The visitor's center in Basin street had some nice exhibits and models of the city.
Because of all the material, I've had to break up this segment into five installments. The first is the French Quarter (possibly some areas north of it too). I didn't get in that many pics of it, because I mainly shot it Sunday night and some of the photos came out blurry. Again, Bourbon street is a cesspool, but some of the other streets are quite nice. All pics here.
Gaudy, tacky shit blaring light out onto Bourbon street.
Not sure if Basin street is technically inside the French Quarter, but this decrepit old building was still picworthy. Yes, that's an invented word. No, you can't have it, it's mine.
Memorial to the fallen US & Allied troops in Vietnam. A war largely lost through sheer cowardice & incompetence.
A jazz band giving a hellishly loud street concert this afternoon. Sweet Jebus, how I hate jazz.
The mighty Mississippi.
This Santa Claus stood outside a humongous casino down by the river. We joked that he had lost all his reindeer on gambling and was now begging for food. A sad end!
The visitor's center in Basin street had some nice exhibits and models of the city.
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