LIVE from Book Lovers Con
Welcome to New Orleans Book Lovers Con 2019!
I’m thrilled that the inaugural Book Lovers Con convention is so close to home. Visiting with readers is always a joy, it’s one of my favorite things to do! Now, we’ll get to visit and talk about all that you can do in New Orleans, and the bayou country. And, as we always inevitably do, we’ll talk about food too – local food!! New Orleans is a city of the senses...touch, smell, sight, and.. TASTE!
We have a lot of fun things to do in the Big Easy. . .here is a link to some of the fun activities for Book Lovers Con (https://www.bookloverscon.com/reader-agenda ). And, when you aren’t at BLC or if you visit NOLA another time, I hope you experience all of the things I enjoy sharing in my books to create the vibe, rhythm and the world my characters live in - - the world I hope you slip into when you pick up my Second Chance Novel Series.
Looking for something uniquely New Orleans and Cajun, that you may have read about in my books...seen on tv or online? Here’s my top 10 list for you to experience The Big Easy. . .
Music creates the rhythm of the city…
You hear the music coming from the clubs in the French Quarter, from the tapping of dancers’ shoes on the cobblestone streets and in the accents of the locals.
You may want to pop into Snug Harbor, Howlin Wolf, House of Blues, The Spotted Cat Music Club, Preservation Hall . . .and many other local clubs.
Food: Enough said!
Okay, talking about the good food places in town will pretty much fill up a novel...and then some. But, here are just a few places you may want to check out some for lunch or dinner like…
Mother’s (try the Debris po-boy, fried oysters and Red Beans and Rice)
Willa Jean (cornbread and everything!)
Drago’s (the best grilled oysters anywhere on earth)
Coop’s (Amazing Fried Chicken)
Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar and Fish House (great seafood!)
Pascal Manale’s (barbeque shrimp)
any of the Brennan family restaurants
…and for desert or a sweet snack you may want to visit Hansen Sno-Biz, Café Du Monde, Sucre’s, Brocato’s (my fave!). . .okay, I can go on and on!!
Ask me (or reach out on social media) to chat about more places to eat!
The Moonwalk. Take a stroll and people watch.
Take a stroll on the Moonwalk. Head straight to the Mississippi River and watch cargo ships, ferries and cruise ships fight the strong current as they travel past New Orleans.
You’ll see how high the river is this spring and the hard bend in the river that gave the city built on its banks the name – Crescent City.
If you’re lucky you may even hear the Calliope play as the Paddle Wheel comes into port.
Marie Laveau’s Grave.
I especially like the walking the Ghost Tour at night and the visit to Marie Laveau’s grave. There are so many other-worldly stories to hear about historic New Orleans.
Be brave and do it!
WWII Museum
#1 Tourist Destination in NOLA.
There are a number of good museums in town. One of the very best is the World War II Museum. It is amazing, ranked as the number one tourist destination in NOLA by Trip Advisor and Number two in the US!
Two other wonderful museums to visit are the Cabildo (in Jackson Square) and The US Mint.
Plantations. Oak Alley
There are many to visit, but one of the easiest to travel to from the city is Destrehan Plantation. Destrehan plantation is less than fifteen minutes from the airport and less than an hour from the French Quarter. Plan for a couple of hours there. There is much to see. Destrehan Plantation and nearby Oak Alley (pictured on the left), as well as the Houmas House (further up the River Road).
All served as inspiration to me for the Sugarmill Plantation in my books.
Alligator Swamp Tours. Up close but not too personal!
See the Alligators!! Get up close where they live. Take a swamp tour. You can go by way of barge, boat or airboat. I love Zam’s and Annie Miller’s Son Swamp Tours. Annie Miller was a legend to the people of the bayous as she told stories of the wild creatures, while feeding them out of her hand. Her son brings his guitar along on his tours and serenades both humans and beasts.
Zam’s takes you out in the bayous and turns off the engines so you can just sit and listen to the sounds of nature amongst the cypress trees. All three have inspired scenes in my books. Encounter alligators in their homes is incredibly memorable.
If you want speed on your tour, consider an airboat tour closer to town .
Garden District. St Charles Avenue
Go Uptown!! Leave the French Quarter for a bit. Take a cab, Uber or better yet, a streetcar to St. Charles Avenue -- The “Jewel of America’s grand avenues.” Enjoy a ride on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, the oldest, continually operating line in the world.
Besides the grand homes, of which you may have read about in my book, Jewell, a Second Chance Novel, you will see historic Loyola and Tulane Universities (Jewell was a professor at Tulane until her “trouble”).
Magazine Street
Running parallel with St. Charles, but closer toward the river is Magazine Street – six miles of unique shops, antiques, wine, craft beer, food and books!
Learn more here: https://www.magazinestreet.com
Read and Enjoy people watching!!
This is always one of the best ways to enjoy New Orleans. Grab a good book. . .I have a few I can recommend, have you heard of the author, Tina DeSalvo (LOL). . .find a nice shady spot and a comfy bench or chair at a café table. Let the sultry air lay heavily on your skin and the scents of gardenia, azaleas and beignets surround you. Enjoy the way New Orleanians move in their unhurried pace or dance as they Second Line behind a brass band. Just take in the accents, the scents and activity of life in the Crescent City. No better way to spend a lazy afternoon.
Check back to my website, y’all as I share the Book Lovers Con with you! Visit me at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, too.
Make sure you say, “Hi,” if you are attending Book Lovers Con! Here is a link to my schedule: https://www.bookloverscon.com/people/tina-desalvo.
Laissez les bon temps rouler, y’all
—Tina
