Greetings from Baton Rouge!

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Livingston, LA to be more precise.

Our campground is quite pastoral - out in the boonies with a large lake that Monello can take his boat out on (which is what he's doing right now). The lady at the welcome center AND the lady at the campground desk loaded me up with brochures and tourism mags, and it appears that a week isn't going to be long enough. In addition to Baton Rouge itself, there are a number of small villages that need to be explored, and it would be nice to go kayaking in the bayou. Not to mention our campground has a lovely pool and seating areas around the lake.

There's a Cajun biker joint about a mile up the road that we'll have to at least have a drink at. Bring on the boudin balls!

Livingston, according to Wiki, "..hosts one of the two LIGO gravitational wave detector sites, the other one being in located in Hanford, Washington." I don't know what that means, but it sounds impressive.
 

MR47930

Member
Livingston, LA to be more precise.

Our campground is quite pastoral - out in the boonies with a large lake that Monello can take his boat out on (which is what he's doing right now). The lady at the welcome center AND the lady at the campground desk loaded me up with brochures and tourism mags, and it appears that a week isn't going to be long enough. In addition to Baton Rouge itself, there are a number of small villages that need to be explored, and it would be nice to go kayaking in the bayou. Not to mention our campground has a lovely pool and seating areas around the lake.

There's a Cajun biker joint about a mile up the road that we'll have to at least have a drink at. Bring on the boudin balls!

Livingston, according to Wiki, "..hosts one of the two LIGO gravitational wave detector sites, the other one being in located in Hanford, Washington." I don't know what that means, but it sounds impressive.

Watch out for gators!
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I would have looked for a swamp free campground.

It's a large lake, no swamp. At least not the parts where I'll be. And I have been assured that I will NOT be kayaking in a bayou, lest I become a gator's meal.

Today I had to go into "town" to the post office and other errands. I say "town" because Livingston is a wide spot in the road - bigger is a few miles away in Walker (they have a Walmart and a small grocery store), and even bigger is a few more miles to Baton Rouge. As I was heading to the post office, I passed a shack with smoke coming out of the back, a large pile of wood out front, and a few picnic tables dotted in the yard, with a sign that said "WAYNE'S" and a smiling pig in a chef's hat above it. With the goal of BBQ in all 50 states in mind, I stopped to grab some meat.

It's a tiny little place with a ton of cars parked out front, set up like a hot lunch counter with sides in a steam table and various meats in pit tables. I ordered and told the lady at the counter that they were representing Louisiana in my BBQ quest, so no pressure. The man behind me said, "Well, honey, you come to the right place."

And he was right. Tender meaty spares, and perfect brisket. Plus they threw in a small portion of smoked sausage they get from a local guy - lagniappe <--see me learning to speak foreign languages?

Other than scoring BBQ, we haven't done much. It's been raining off and on, which makes me lazy. Monello's been fishing a good bit because he can take his boat in the lake and it's right across the street. Tomorrow Apollo is going to the groomer and we'll nose around Baton Rouge while he's getting beautified.

I'm finding that I don't really like cities anymore. I used to love going to New York and Annapolis and other happening places, but now they make me break out in hives. As long as I'm within 10-15 miles of civilization, I'm happier in the sticks.
 

luvmygdaughters

Well-Known Member
Y’all might want to visit Houmas House. It is 20 to 40 miles, depending on exactly where you are. Very interesting place.

https://houmashouse.com/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Houmas

Y’all are making me nostalgic. LSU is my alma mater. I haven’t been back since 1997 for a reunion. Glad you are enjoying your stay in my home state.

Looks nice, but honestly, if you've seen one antebellum mansion, you've seen them all. We've been on tours in Charleston, Georgia and Louisiana (when I was a kid) and they all had the same beautiful grounds, house, furniture, etc. Is this one any different?
 

mAlice

professional daydreamer
Looks nice, but honestly, if you've seen one antebellum mansion, you've seen them all. We've been on tours in Charleston, Georgia and Louisiana (when I was a kid) and they all had the same beautiful grounds, house, furniture, etc. Is this one any different?

It has been my experience that if one likes a thing, they don't typically bore of it easily. I could see myself touring the grounds of gardens day after day. I love gardens, and I don't think I would tire of them. But, if you've seen one, you've seen them all, right?

Just a perspective.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Looks nice, but honestly, if you've seen one antebellum mansion, you've seen them all. We've been on tours in Charleston, Georgia and Louisiana (when I was a kid) and they all had the same beautiful grounds, house, furniture, etc. Is this one any different?

That's the way I feel about it, but I've met travelers who that's their "theme" - tour the great mansions of America. If I'm interested in the person, I'll visit their mansion for the history lesson; otherwise we skip it.

I am a big fan of presidential childhood homes. It's interesting to see where the powerful come from, especially if they didn't have much growing up. Herbert Hoover's childhood shack in West Branch, IA has been made a national historic park, and it's very interesting.
 

luvmygdaughters

Well-Known Member
It has been my experience that if one likes a thing, they don't typically bore of it easily. I could see myself touring the grounds of gardens day after day. I love gardens, and I don't think I would tire of them. But, if you've seen one, you've seen them all, right?

Just a perspective.
I suppose that's true. The mansions, in my opinion only, seem pretty much the same. The gardens can be varied. We went to Vegas once and took the tour the Hoover Dam. Included in the tour was a stop at Red Rock Canyon and a tour of a home that was once owned by Howard Hughes. It was something to see, not so much the house, just a simple ranch house really, but, it was in the middle of a desert, but this place was like an oasis. Green grass and pastures, horses, lakes and mountains. If I can find the pictures, I'll post them.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I've never cared for cities. I get panic attacks. I had a real hard time in Vegas when I went out for a wedding. Never again.

We're going to Vegas Fall '19 and will stay at a campground outside of town, then shuttle in. If I can walk it, I'm good; but if I have to drive in that mess and jockey for parking you can forget it.
 

mAlice

professional daydreamer
We're going to Vegas Fall '19 and will stay at a campground outside of town, then shuttle in. If I can walk it, I'm good; but if I have to drive in that mess and jockey for parking you can forget it.

Catch a Cirque du Soleil show, the Fountain show and Conservatory/gardens at the Bellagio, Freemont Street...Madame Tussauds was 'meh'. If I had it to do over again, I'd spend less time in town, and more time checking out surrounding attractions, but I was kind of just tagging along.
 

luvmygdaughters

Well-Known Member
We're going to Vegas Fall '19 and will stay at a campground outside of town, then shuttle in. If I can walk it, I'm good; but if I have to drive in that mess and jockey for parking you can forget it.

The Stratosphere with the rides at the top...I couldn't ride them, but hubby did, (hmmm wonder if this could've had something to do with his heart trouble) the pirate show at Treasure Island, also, if you haven't done the Hoover Dam, its really a great tour. The gondola's in the Venetian are pretty cool.
 

littlelady

God bless the USA
Looks nice, but honestly, if you've seen one antebellum mansion, you've seen them all. We've been on tours in Charleston, Georgia and Louisiana (when I was a kid) and they all had the same beautiful grounds, house, furniture, etc. Is this one any different?

I have always been a history buff. I like touring them, just like when I went to the UK, and toured all the historical places. It just depends on what interests someone.

Story...when I was at LSU, I went to the Kappa Alpha Old South event they held every year. Everyone dressed in period clothes. There used to be a shop in NOLA that rented movie set costumes. I wore an antebellum hooped skirt dress that Liz Taylor wore in the movie Raintree County. It had the little violet embroidered on the underskirt; which was her sig. That was so fun. :smile:

Also, want to give a shout out to any other Pi Beta Phi’s that might participate on this forum.
 
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Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
Daiquiris.

Daiquiris are a thing here. They have daiquiri bars with a bank of slushee machines with a bunch of different flavors. Most are fruity concoctions enhanced with 150 proof everclear. You can legally get them to go as long as the lid is intact. Just don't put a straw in it until you stop the car.

So far the only other places I've seen anything close to this has been Myrtle Beach, SC and Panama City Beach, FL. It makes sense in a beach town where it gets hot that you'd want a cool, refreshing alcoholic drink. Some of our best PCB times were spent sipping frozen margaritas while people watching at the beachfront bar. But you can't drink them fast otherwise you risk the painful brain freeze.

Here in Livingston Parish, LA, daiquiri shops are a part of the fabric of the area. The shops aren't located near the water, just in random strip malls and commercial streets. Our barkeep told us that the area around her particular shop was a bit sketchy. When we popped in mid afternoon to see what all the hubbub was about, there was only 1 customer in the place.

They have several different flavors plus additional flavors that they can add to personalize your drink. White Russian, fudgesicle, jungle juice, pina colada, sex on the beach, margarita and a few others. You can make blended drinks for different tastes. The Banana Split is parts of strawberry, fudgesicle, banana and pina colada. They are almost dessert like.

It's a nice diversion from the usual bar drinks. I'm sure there are a few diehards that this is their go to drink. We've tried them, they are OK but I doubt I'll order another one the rest of the time we are here.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
150 proof everclear.

I thought it was 190 rum?

Anyway, daiquiris are too filling. The one I had - banana and fudgicle - was a meal replacement. And I do thank our first bartender for steering me away from the potent drank I ordered and over to a less boozy one. That daiquiri Monello had was...woof. Light that thing on fire.

I had a shrimp po'boy for dinner last night and probably won't have another one of those, either. But the gumbo at Crazy Dave's was seriously delicious.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
As I was heading to the post office, I passed a shack with smoke coming out of the back, a large pile of wood out front, and a few picnic tables dotted in the yard, with a sign that said "WAYNE'S" and a smiling pig in a chef's hat above it. With the goal of BBQ in all 50 states in mind, I stopped to grab some meat.

It's a tiny little place with a ton of cars parked out front, set up like a hot lunch counter with sides in a steam table and various meats in pit tables. I ordered and told the lady at the counter that they were representing Louisiana in my BBQ quest, so no pressure. The man behind me said, "Well, honey, you come to the right place."

And he was right. Tender meaty spares, and perfect brisket. Plus they threw in a small portion of smoked sausage they get from a local guy - lagniappe <--see me learning to speak foreign languages?


:lmao:

SO, not speaking Lousiana Cajun, Creole or French, or anything more than a few slang words :blahblah: :blahblah: I thought OOOH! A new sausage we haven't tried - maybe we can find those or something like that at Nick's!

I looked up the word "lagniappe" and discover it means "small gift" or a little something extra for a customer. :mad:


:lol: We're going to a going away party for friends tomorrow night and we're going to do half smokes and sauerkraut in the crockpot to take. :)jameo: These folks have no GRILL!!!) Actually, FH heard Nick's makes their own half smokes - so he's going to look into that today. :yay:)
 
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