Discovering Africa in the French Quarter
After passing by high-priced, fine dining restaurant after restaurant, or tourist trap shop with mediocre food for the unknowing traveller, it’s refreshing to find an establishment where lunch entrees can be had in the $6 range. Bennachin, an authentic African restaurant, owned by a Cameroon native, is exactly that.
Although the food was a little too everything for my taste (way too much salt on the spinach, to the point that my mouth dried up on contact; plantains drenched overenthusiastically in butter), many locals love the boring-looking but interesting-tasting fare found in this French Quarter restaurant. The chicken is subtly flavored and tender, the beef, though sometimes a little tough, well seasoned, and the stews are rich. Many vegetarian and fish dishes populate the menu as well. The coconut-flavored rice that accompanies most dishes is refreshing in the heat, and many dishes have a resemblance to old-school Creole buisine.
Established in 1991 out in the ‘burbs og New Orleans, the restaurant moved to Mid-City before settling down In the Quarter. The décor is Turkich and lively, the music rhythmic and inoffensive and the seating fairly comfortable. The tables, chairs, and hangings are all courtesy of the last owner of the space, but it fits nonetheless.
Take note, though, as with any cheap eats, the service is sub-par. Set aside at least an hour and a half for lunch, and if you’re looking for parking, two. The food comes out slowly and there is no sense of urgency here, so if you’re looking to fill your belly and kill some time, Bennachin is a cheap way to do it.
Water, Water Everywhere, and Everything to See
The beautiful Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is one of the great prides of New Orleans. Unfortunately, one of its bigger claims to fame is the fact that a great many of its inhabitants had to be rehomed and a few lost their lives during the disaster we remember as Katrina. Undergoing only minor repairs (and perhaps, a new exhibit or two?), this miraculous, contemporary aquarium is back open and ready to entertain.
Located near the Riverwalk and right off Woldenberg Park, across the streetcar tracks from the One Canal Place mall, parking is ample and the view is quite spectacular. The shining glass of the aquarium reflects the blue skies and churning waters of the Mississippi River, which it overlooks. The free ferry stops right there, as well, so visitors from the West Bank have easy access. Travellers from the East Bank, the main part of New Orleans, can find it easy to while away a day in this neighborhood, and can take that ferry over the river to Algiers, home of Blain Kern’s Mardi Gras World.
This well-planned aquarium boasts many great features, and navigating the different exhibits is easy. I should know – I lost my cell phone there and had to run through it three times! It makes the most of the sizeable amount of space it takes up, and each section is attractive, clean, well-maintained, and fairly large. Most importantly, each room leaves you as awestruck as the one before and after, your mouth remaining agape in wonder throughout your entire visit.
A notable demonstration is the sea otter session, where the adorable trained otters do tricks and feed to the enthusiasm of the viewer. The penguin exhibit has visitors collapsing in giggles, and the huge tropical fish and shark display will leave the traveller absolutely entranced – something so common, stadium seating has been added to that room. Huge sea turtles, a massive amount of sharks, and giant stingrays swim alongside enormous fish in a hypnotizing fashion. An archway near the front of the aquarium gives one a unique perspective as the display wraps around and above you. The jellyfish display is amazing, as different types pinwheel lazily in slow fluorescent circles, and the tiny seahorses of different species are incredible as well. Of course, a display honoring the tropical fish of the rainforest and the native creatures (including alligators!) of the bayou are present, too. A children’s zone is present for when the parents need to sit, where kids can safely pet a sandshark or reach into a pool of stingrays, play games, and pose for pictures.
At $17 a ticket, the price is a little steep, so I would recommend that the traveller purchase their aquarium and zoo tickets together for $25. Both are worth going to and great afternoon outings. Not only that, but you do not have to go to both attractions consecutively or the next day – you are given an entire month to use the ticket. If visiting New Orleans with the family, a wise traveller will not bypass the natural wonders the Audubon Institute has to offer.
The Tenth Ritual - VoodooFest Acts Announced
The headliners for Voodoo Experience, the biggest and baddest annual rock show to tear it up in New Orleans, have been announced, and tickets are now available. The lineup so far reads like alphabet soup, with NIN, REM, and STP closing out nights the weekend of October 24-26.
Previous players for the mind-blowing experience have included names as big as the Red Hot Chili Peppers (circa Stadium Arcadium, one of the most incredible albums of all time), Rage Against the Machine and Smashing Pumpkins for Voodoo past, Social Distortion, No Doubt, Tool, Green Day, Beastie Boys, My Chemical Romance, and The White Stripes. Intense rap has been recognized as part of the Ritual, with 50 Cent, Eminem, and Juvenile all part of past rosters.
So is this post even relevant for an event slated so far as late October?
Well, hype will grow, and tickets will sell, so you tell me. How much do you want to be part of a legend, to see live Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and REM? I'll be counting down through summer, because I, as Voodoo demands, do 'worship the music.'
Rock.
Wet and Wild
Jazz Fest is always kind of muddy, but this year was one of the goopiest yet. Torrential downpours plagued the first weekend, raining on the parades of Sheryl Crow and Billy Joel, and the second weekend suffered forbidding skies all Friday and Saturday, until the clouds finally opened up during Stevie Wonder's set. A rollicking rendition of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" kept the mood light and festive, as diehard fans continued dancing in their ponchos. But, appropriately, after a rumbling morning thunderstorm, Jimmy Buffett was able to play to Parrotheads under a hot sun in a cloudless sky, and Santana and the Neville Brothers closed out the show to the same.
One thing to know about Jazz Fest, though, is that some of the best times are had when the mud is at its worst and the skies are dull and gloomy. Less people show to the Fest, which means shorter lines, a better opportunity to get a great campout spot, and the parking situation is much improved. And with people charging upwards of $20 for you to park your car in a lot that doesn't even belong to them or on lawns specially cleared for that purpose, you best believe that free parking is a joy to behold.
So yes, raindrops did indeed keep falling on our heads, but to Jazz Fest veterans - recognizable by their practical rubber boots and coolers of smuggled beer, sitting on collapsible chairs on a tarp or blanket dance floors - those drops can keep on coming, because the party will go on!
Fair Grounds Race Track
1751 Gentilly Blvd
Web Site