Planning the Next Road Trip – Recalling the South

In September, I will fly to Pittsburgh, PA and take a road trip over a week and a half through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and Virginia.  It makes me think back to other road trips of the past, and what made the great ones so great.  One of my favorite such trips, after our three-week trip on our honeymoon throughout the Pacific Northwest, was an older trip throughout the U.S. South.

I took this trip in the mid-1990s, starting from New Orleans, after seeing my brother and his wife with them visiting the Big Easy from Houston.  The trip went to Atlanta, with a brief stop in Montgomery, Alabama (only learning later its key place in the Civil Rights Movement), then onto Savannah, Georgia and a trip back through Florida via Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

The key parts of that trip were seeing the Olympic Village in Atlanta before the Olympic Games commenced in 1996, and seeing Savannah of which I had learned so much about in urban planning school at Cal Poly.  I have always loved New Orleans, though, and it was above and beyond the best part of the trip.  Here is a brief review of why I like the town so much.  I went through some of my photos from one trip there, and added my favorites here.

 

OAK ALLEY PLANTATION,
ALONG MISSISSIPPI RIVER, LOUISIANA

Such a beautiful place, Oak Alley Plantation.  I rented a fairly obnoxious car, a free upgrade from the rental company due to a shortage of compact vehicles.   I were given, not a luxury car by any means, but a Mitsubishi Spyder convertible, red.  It stood out in a lot of neighborhoods, or at least seemed to, to me.  OK, back the story…

We put the top down, headed out over the River, and drove out along the shore of the Mississippi River.  The Oak Alley Plantation has beautiful grounds, many oak trees of mature stature, and nicely restored buildings.  I can only assume the area flooded much over the decades, but the view to the River is oddly blocked by a levy (pre-Katrina days here) and so you realize that the Plantation at one point had a view of the River but is now cut-off from it.

This is not the filming site from the movie “Forrest Gump”, as I had originally thought.  So me running up the Alley was all in vain, but still fun is a mistaken way.

 

OAK ALLEY PLANTATION (ALTERNATE, SEPIA),
ALONG MISSISSIPPI RIVER, LOUISIANA

 

UNMISTAKABLY NEW ORLEANS

The architecture of New Orleans has such a great feel to it.  There is an overall friendliness to the City that I assume is very similar to other areas of the South, but I have noticed it the most in New Orleans.  The color and flair of New Orleans is manifested in the food, the buildings, and the people.  History and a general mystique can be felt around every corner.  The City clearly shows its sides of haves and have-nots, however, and I always keep this in mind that the French Quarter is not the City-whole.  

MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND
CRESCENT CITY CONNECTION BRIDGE

One of my favorite photos of New Orleans, and its unfortunately not a sunset picture (a little late in my timing), but it reminds me of how those great quiet and still times on a trip where so many sights are being crammed into a schedule and you often don’t let yourself relax or become contemplative.  This photo was taken from the Riverwalk Marketplace on a balcony that overlooks the Mississippi (the Ole Miss, the Old Man, you know).  The changing light as dusk set in, the changing feel of the City, the calmness just after Sunset.  Maybe I should go back there on the next trip and actually hit sunset this next time.

I have not been to New Orleans since pre-Katrina days. I know the City has been through a lot.  I wish it well, I know it is recovering in many ways but is still in a lot of pain.  I hope things continue to improve, and I say to the fair Crescent City a good night.