New Year, New Places!

Words & Pictures by Shaun Troke

Once upon a time in America, as December turned into January, I departed a Florida Bus Station en route to Louisiana…

To start the New Year in New Orleans!

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

new orleans bus station amtrak greyhound louisiana usa travelWhat usually attracts visitors to this Southern city is the Mardi Gras (every February)…

So, already I knew that being a month premature may mean not capturing the true New Orleans vibe from this visit…

The vibe I DID get is that this place has a spooky mystical quality about it.

One of the locals I befriended educated me as to how the spirit of New Orleans works: She (New Orleans) will always give you what she feels she should give you…

Spooky, huh?

Very strangely, once you’re aware of this knowledge, you can’t help but ‘feel’ this spiritual feeling when you’re there.

But, if you’re NOT interested in waiting for superstition to act, then here are THREE other suggestions when visiting New Orleans:

  • Hang out around the French Quarter
  • Cruise along the Mississippi
  • Eat Cajun Cuisine

new orleans louisiana usa travel french quarter building architectureFRENCH QUARTER:

The architecture alone is lovely to look at when walking through this neighbourhood.

new orleans louisiana usa travel french quarter bourbon street signThe streets in this quarter (particularly the main street, Bourbon Street) host plenty of appealing restaurants and bars…

And, many of these bars offer entertainment in the form of live music – mostly Jazz music – which help bring this area to life.

new orleans louisiana usa travel bridge Mississippi RiverTHE MISSISSIPPI:

Ideally, you would cruise this river on a Natchez steamboat….

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do this during my visit, yet I still felt compelled to venture onto these famous waters.

new orleans louisiana usa travel boat algiers ferry Mississippi RiverSo, my own river cruise happened on one of the Algiers Ferry trips– it’s a little cheaper than the Natchez, yet will still offer the same views of the New Orleans city skyline.

CAJUN CUISINE:

Since New Orleans is globally famous for its food, I feel I didn’t indulge in as much Louisiana Creole Cuisine as I should have.

Gumbo is a delight, of course, and you won’t find yourself stretching to find a place to eat, wherever you walk in the city…

The two places I joyfully dined at were Coops Place (famous for its gumbo and jambalaya, at low prices); And, Magnolia Grill (low prices, in a Southern diner environment)

new orleans louisiana usa travel sunset bridge Mississippi River boat steamboat Natchez

A couple of weeks after this visit to New Orleans, another new place entered my life (yes, it still counts as the New Year, as it was still January):

ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO

mailbox r2d2 usa travel roswell new mexico ufo alienRenowned for being the place where a flying saucer crashed in the 1940’s, this town certainly hasn’t let that notoriety slide.

The entire town is one big reminder of that historic alien event!

From the McDonald’s to the street-lights, from mailboxes to vending machines…

Everywhere you look/eat/walk show reminders of where you are in the world…

And, here are my 3 recommendations for this little New Mexican city:

  • Stay 3+ nights
  • The UFO Museum
  • The Bottomless Lakes

DURATION

I stayed only ONE NIGHT in Roswell…which wasn’t enough.

roswell new mexico ufo alien usa travel street light lamppostGranted, there’s not too much to do in this town, yet Roswell has an endurance about it (outside of the alien/UFO features) that needs more time to absorb.

Remember, it’s still only a small city in America, and these are generally interesting places to explore & mingle with locals (read more about small towns in the USA here!)

UFO MUSEUM

museum roswell new mexico ufo alien usa travelThis is just a fun place to visit!

Obviously, your reasons for ending up in Roswell are most probably alien/UFO-related, so this novelty museum is the ideal place to truly get your extra-terrestrial fix.

The International UFO Museum & Research Center (as its officially known!) caters for every out-of-this-world enthusiast. Whether your interest is in abductions, Area 51, or, the Roswell incident itself, this museum certainly has enough information to intrigue even the non-believers!

BOTTOMLESS LAKES

sinkholes roswell new mexico usa travel bottomless lakes natureIf you CAN visit Roswell for a couple of days…

…and, you feel you’ve taken in all that the city has to offer…

…then 15miles away are the Bottomless Lakes.

While this attraction may not offer too much in terms of sights, if you’re wanting to spend a day in or around nature (maybe with a picnic), this is an ideal destination to do that.

sinkholes roswell new mexico usa travel bottomless lakes nature

NEW YEAR, NEW PLACES…

Whichever new places you travel to this year, be sure to expect new experiences everywhere you go…even if the location doesn’t have ‘New‘ in the title!

And, if you’re interested in sharing these experiences of yours, in a Guest Post on The Travel Tab, then just create a New Message in your inbox & drop us a line!

Happy New Year & Happy Travels!

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