History and Enlightenment: Part 1
For me, November was the month of history and enlightenment. It started with accepting a job on the Walgreens Wellness Tour, where I worked as a brand ambassador/medical tester for Walgreens and AARP. With nine teams scattered across the United States, I was very excited to hear that I would be spending my time in the area that is known as the dirty, dirty south! We started off in Alexandria, LA staying at a real, working plantation that was built circa 1820. (http://www.loydhall.com/) The lace was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, and the workers and plantation owner met us with what can only be described as true southern hospitality. I soon learned that, in Louisiana, there are other beautiful things to discover…like drive-through daiquiri stands! However, the most fun part were the full breakfasts served in the mansion each morning, the camp fires we sat around at night and the ghost stories that the owner was more than happy to share with us each evening.
The trip continued to Biloxi, MS, which I was told was the southern version of Las Vegas…a lie, nonetheless….but we still had a grand old time staying at The Grand and visiting other casinos such as Hard Rock and Beau Rivage. The best thing about Biloxi, though, was this little restaurant called Mary Mahoney’s. (http://www.marymahoneys.com/) It was certainly a place that will put a strain on your bank account, but it was worth every penny. This house is Biloxi’s oldest and was built around 1737. Presidents, famous musicians, actors and athletes, and well-known authors have visited the restaurant, opened in 1964. One author, John Grisham, even featured the restaurant in two of his novels.
Moving on to spend two weeks in New Orleans, I’m sure you can imagine how much history I found there… Another somewhat pricey yet absolutely wonderful restaurant I visited was Commander’s Palace. (http://www.commanderspalace.com/) I went here for lunch due to a recommendation from a lovely older couple I met while going on a self-made cocktail tour. (Quick tip: do not pay the $30 to go on a New Orleans cocktail tour and then spend $10 per cocktail on top of that when you can simply Google the locations and recreate the tour yourself! Be sure to as the bartenders the history of their famous drinks, though!) Anyway, back to Commander’s Palace, their lunch menu offers some of the same tasty options as the dinner menu yet at more affordable prices, and the 25 cent martinis are a deal that cannot be beat! I went to enjoy my meal alone, and I’m not sure if it was the waiter finding out I live in Los Angeles and the staff thinking I might be one of the actresses in a movie being filmed in the area that got me special treatment, but I was given an exclusive tour of the property! Apparently the place, built in 1880, was supposed to be a gift for a wealthy man’s daughter and her soon-to-be husband, but they did not go through with the marriage, and the house was then considered taboo for anyone to live in. It was turned into a brothel and aimed to please many successful businessmen and celebrities alike until it was turned into a restaurant in 1944. (Don’t worry, I’m sure the place was scrubbed clean numerous times before this transition!)
PART 2 COMING SOON!!
