By Scott Kendall ITWPA Member A topless man wearing lipstick and a bright pink tutu prances by. Jazz is blaring at Legends Park. Drunken tourists stagger to their next girly joint. It’s Friday night on Bourbon Street, and this small-town Texas boy needs a break. We all love a good party now and then, and New Orleans certainly knows how to party. But sometimes, we want a … [Read more...] about A Tranquil Respite in The Big Easy
Destinations
A Quiet Visit to The Met Cloisters
By Emme Grafton New York City is known for its bustling, fast-paced culture, but that’s not all the city offers. The Met Cloisters, located in northern Manhattan’s Fort Tryon Park, is a museum that provides solitude and silence to its visitors. As a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters contains over 2,000 works of European medieval art. The building … [Read more...] about A Quiet Visit to The Met Cloisters
’Round Midnight: Harlem Jazz Tour with a “Jazz Diva”
By Martha Newman Harlem in New York City has been jumping with jazz for over 100 years, and it’s still going strong if you know where to find it. Clubs, restaurants, and jazz joints are listed in guidebooks, but I decided to get the real deal on uptown jazz with a tour guide who’s got all the information -- and then some! She’s my friend, and she invited me to tag along on … [Read more...] about ’Round Midnight: Harlem Jazz Tour with a “Jazz Diva”
Tampa’s Thai Temple Will Leave Your Stomach (and Your Wallet!) Full
By Sarah Van Blaricum Five miles east of Tampa, along the banks of the McKay Bay Greenway, people sit at brick-red picnic tables, talking, laughing, and joking. Behind them is a Buddhist temple with an ornate golden rooftop and red trim. Pairs of shoes are strewn at the bottom of the small staircase leading to the temple’s entrance. It is a hot summer day in Florida, with … [Read more...] about Tampa’s Thai Temple Will Leave Your Stomach (and Your Wallet!) Full
A Trip Back in Time on a New Orleans Streetcar
By Holly B. Morris ITWPA Member Squealing hot brakes, grinding metal on metal, and a rough, jerky ride hardly evoke feelings of adventure and romance, but in New Orleans these sounds and sensations mean one thing: a ride on an authentic streetcar. Not far from the crowded sidewalks of the French Quarter, shops selling NOLA T-shirts cheap, and packs of frat boys staggering … [Read more...] about A Trip Back in Time on a New Orleans Streetcar