You Get a Line, I’ll Get a Pole, We’ll go Fishin’ in a Crawfish Hole— Fairhope, Alabama

A great character once said, “I think you should go home to Greenbow, ALABAMA!”

Well, even though Greenbow is a fictional town, author Winston Groom is said to have drawn a lot of inspiration from Fairhope, an idyllic coastal Alabaman town where crawfish are plentiful and cicadas hum under the mossy hangings of winding live oak trees.

Believe it or not, I grew up with a group of Italian cousins with a Southern drawl. While they made fun of us for saying “wooder” and “youse” we equally never understood the “y’alls” and “yes m’ams, and I never had gone to visit them until this past weekend.

Is the South ready for the Missanelli mafia? #alabamathebeautiful

I’ve always been fascinated by Southern culture and was excited to experience the deep South with locals.

It took two flights and an hour drive across the Floridabama line to get to Fairhope, but was so worth it to see the terrain. We took a scenic alternate route (by mistake actually thanks to Google Maps) that showed off open fields, rundown ranchers, pickup trucks galore, magnolia trees aplenty, interesting road signs and slow drivers that we zoomed passed on our two lane tour.

Being in Alabama, especially in a town along the Gulf Coast with Mobile Bay centering daily life, makes you appreciate a slow simple life. Also, the humidity is out of control so no wonder it’s a slow life. 85+ 10 degrees of humidity is normal for them and I have to say 65 and no humidity when I got home actually gave me goosebumps.

It’s a definite culture shock from a city like Philadelphia. Most stores are local and independent, open late, close early and are rarely open on Sundays.

Religion has a clear influence. There were four different Christian churches nearing my cousins house.

Things that I am obsessed with?

Crawfish parties. I died. I love trying local specialty foods wherever I travel, but this ranks as one of my top food experiences. One long table covered in newspaper gets topped with pounds of crawfish, potatoes and corn on the cob all day long. You take a break, sip some beer (or some moonshine) and go back from seconds, or thirds or fourths. I loved every minute. Aside from the crawfish, I also tried Snapper Throats, which was an interesting tender fish meat that we don’t have up in the Northeast.

Live Oaks and Camellia flowers. Live Oak trees are so beautiful! The winding branches, the dangling moss; they look like they are straight out of a storybook. Camellia flowers fill the air with this amazing odor in the evening and I had never seen them before—also discovered they are Alabama’s state flower.

Southern Architecture. I love the old brick, tall ceilings, tall doorways, double-decker porches and ceiling fans on outdoor porches. Can I bring the double-decker ceiling fan porch thing here please?

 

Mobile Bay. Mobile Bay is warm enough and calm enough to do many water activities for workouts or for leisure. I loved kayaking and paddleboarding. We also went out on my cousins boat, which I would imagine if you like fishing would be great. Being on the boat and watching pelicans dive down for dinner was something I’ll never forget seeing as well.

It seems like a very simple and relaxing life. The downtown consists of a few blocks of boutique stores with a mini-New Orleans feel. There was a great store called DejaVu with Judith March designs, which will get it’s own post next week.

It’s a life you have to appreciate and I look forward to visiting again.

Xo, Kiera

 

 

Laissez les bons temps rouler—New Orleans

This past weekend, I spent time in the city where jazz was born for my beautiful cousin’s wedding. New Orleans, Louisiana— land of quaint cobblestone streets, charming French design influences, amazing food, fantastic music, drinks on drinks on drinks and constant celebration.

I was amazed by the lack of open container laws with signs boasting “no bottles or glass allowed on street, all drinks may be in plastic containers.” It’s almost like being in Amsterdam actually. Bourbon Street, even during the day, is like a nonstop party. Leftover Mardi Gras beads dangle from the sides of balconies and trees and Jell-O shots, “Hurricanes” and “Court Liquors” are promoted everywhere. I even got to experience the Oyster Jubilee on Bourbon Street where each restaurant took part in making a giant Po-Boy all made on one large roll.

Which brings me to the food, I could not stop eating in NOLA! Shrimp and grits, jambalaya, muffuletta, po boys, beignets it was all just so delicious! In fact, I consumed a muffuletta and a craw fish po boy all before 11am one day. Another fantastic New Orleans food find was Zapp’s Voodoo flavored chips that were gifted in a wedding favor in our hotel room. I made sure to purchase a large bag for myself in the airport before I returned home.

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The art galleries and antique shops on Royal Street are so endearing and Jackson Square holds a historic charm as well. The street artists and performers reminded me a lot of Paris and other European cities and I loved watching all the magicians in the land of VooDoo. The many street tarot card readers and psychics keep the eerie air alive in Nawlins.

We visited MarieLaveau’s House of Voodoo, which is taken very seriously as a spiritual belief. There is an altar where guests can leave “sacrifice pieces” and many voodoo dolls hanging from above. No photos are even allowed inside. This is serious business for some in New Orleans.

My cousin’s wedding took place at The Court of Two Sisters. A location adorned with an old cobblestone courtyard (not the greatest for high heels) and a tree canopy filled with beautiful twinkly lights. The ceremony was beautiful and ended in the happiest Second Line celebration.

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The Second Line at my cousin’s wedding will go down in my book as one of the happiest moments in my memory. The bride and groom’s closest friends and family followed them in a parade through the streets of New Orleans led by a classic brass band. Onlookers applauded and cheered and took photos and videos as we paraded by and waved handkerchiefs in celebration.

It was a beautiful wedding followed by a beautiful reception into the chill of a New Orleans March night.

Overall, I was taken by the city of New Orleans. The classic Southern traditions that remain are truly captivating. The lively atmosphere and highly cultural environment is hard not to fall in love with. And as the New Orleanians say—laissez le bons temps rouler!