TroysArt

A Confederacy of Vices

: Destinations, TroysArt: Written by Troy Broussard : 03-23-2017

The perfectly located Hotel St. Marie looks like an antique building but was built 40 years ago, making it a relative newcomer to the Vieux Carré.

MARCH 2017: A GLAMOR TO GUTTER LITERARY TRAVEL LOG OF FRENCH QUARTER TOURISM, WITH OCCASSIONAL REFERENCES TO A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES. New Orleans is one of the extraordinary cities, a hybrid of old and new world cultures, the perfect package of people, architecture, attitude, and vibe. Tennessee Williams once said, “America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” But what about Chicago? What about Las Vegas? What about Miami? The point is well made, New Orleans is unique and there is no place like it. For a year, my friend Graham and …continue reading

Laura Plantation is Louisiana’s best house tour

: Destinations: Written by Troy Broussard : 03-16-2017

Laura Plantation was built in 1805 in the traditional Creole colonial manner with a raised brick basement and briquette-entre-poteaux construction.

Growing up, I never heard of Laura Plantation; but over the past two decades it has been the buzz of Louisiana’s plantation parade. Hard to believe, but this historical gem has been hidden in plain sight within the cluster of other notorious homes like Oak Alley, St. Joseph, and San Francisco. And having seen nearly every plantation across my home state and many house museums around the world, visiting Laura has been on my list. Last year at a wedding in Houston I met Jay Schexnaydre, one of the managers of Laura Plantation. He encouraged me to visit, promising it …continue reading

Tourism during, and Surviving, the Bayou Classic

: Destinations, TroysArt: Written by Troy Broussard : 02-23-2017

Melanie’s first experience in the Crescent City, we saw as many sights as we could. We even took a street car ride up Saint Charles

Bullets rained on Bourbon Street on November 27th, 2016, as an argument between two thugs escalated. When the smoke cleared, ten people had been shot, one fatally; and none of the victims had anything to do with the original altercation—none were intended targets. The shooting erupted because of a previous quarrel between the two, and took place a few hours after the conclusion of the Bayou Classic, an annual Saturday night football game between Grambling State and Southern University. It is a dangerous weekend in New Orleans; and this is my own story of tourism during, and surviving, the Bayou …continue reading

Memories, Museums, and Moonlight in Vermont

: Destinations: Written by Troy Broussard : 11-26-2016

The last of Vermont's seasonal color on a forest road at Hildene.

My whole familiarity of Vermont came from Newhart, a popular CBS sitcom in the 1980s starring comedian Bob Newhart as Dick Loudon, an innkeeper in rural Vermont; the 200-year old Stratford Inn becomes the epicenter for illogical behavior and odd characters (like Tom Poston as George Utley; and Larry, Darryl, and the his other brother Darryl). George Utley: Dick, I cleared out that obstruction in the chimney. Dick Loudon: Thanks George. What was it? George Utley: I don’t know but when I woke it up, it ran away. And given a list of places to travel, the People’s Republic of Vermont …continue reading

I ate Portland, Maine

: Destinations, Food & Beverage: Written by Troy Broussard : 11-08-2016

Steamed lobster and clams, classic Maine fare, from J's Oyster Bar on Portland's Historic Waterfront.

When I was a kid Alka-Seltzer coined the popular slogan, I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. And my recent trip to Portland, Maine, leaves me with the same sentiment because I ate Portland. Who knew that Portland was such a foodie town? But when lobsters, clams, fish, and shrimp pulled freshly from the Atlantic are mixed with the plethora of New England grown produce and locally-raised dairy and livestock, it results in what Bon Appétit has called America’s Foodiest Small Town. I have visited Portland before and ate myself silly. But this last trip afforded me quite a …continue reading

Hildene, where you visit the Lincolns

: Destinations: Written by Troy Broussard : 11-07-2016

Hildene in Manchester, Vermont, was the summer home of the Lincolns.

Hidden in the picturesque mountains of western Vermont, just outside the village of Manchester, is a house museum called Hildene, where you visit the Lincolns. And a house museum it is, indeed. House museums under the TroysArt Destinations tab are usually highly recommended to get a sense of the cultural and societal influences of an area. But the summer home owned by the heirs of Abraham Lincoln is not only a house but also a shrine to one of the country’s most significant presidents. Robert Todd Lincoln was the oldest son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln; and the only …continue reading

I read Ethan Brown’s Murder in the Bayou

: Literature: Written by Troy Broussard : 10-30-2016

"Murder in the Bayou" by Ethan Brown. Who killed the women known as the Jeff Davis 8?

I lived in Jennings, Louisiana, a few years back and the hottest topic in town was the unsolved murders of eight women in what has become known as the Jeff Davis 8. Over the past few years I read that an investigative journalist named Ethan Brown set about writing about the killings. His recently published book is the result of years of public record searches and interviews. So without doubt I was very interested to read Ethan Brown’s Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8? “As Jackson peered deeper into the Grand Marais Bayou, he spied the …continue reading

There are problems with parking in Galveston

: Destinations: Written by Troy Broussard : 08-11-2016

Regular readers know that I have been very kind to Galveston. My posts such as Gung Ho on Galveston or Chasing Ghosts at Hotel Galvez are two examples; type Galveston into TroysArt Search and the plethora of posts pop up. But the recent occurrence of getting a parking ticket has me flummoxed. There are problems with parking in Galveston. We all know that the recent parking situation on the Seawall is ridiculous. In 2012 Galveston instituted a pay-by-phone system and on several occasions it has taken me up to twenty minutes trying to register my car by phone in order, …continue reading

In memory of Mother on her 70th birthday…

: TroysArt: Written by Troy Broussard : 08-06-2016

This is a repost of the blog a year ago celebrating Miss Sandra’s birthday. Not a day goes by without my thoughts of this wonderful woman who was taken too soon. Today would have been her 70th birthday. Note: Some of the photos and my blog layout did not translate well, so please forgive me. Search her name on my blog to see the original post as well as the beautiful comments that followed. August 6th, 2015 – Today would have marked the 69th birthday of my mother Sandra Fay Prather Broussard. This special TroysArt post is dedicated to a life that touched so many and a …continue reading

Easy DIY Cigar Jewelry Boxes

: TroysArt: Written by Troy Broussard : 07-28-2016

Readers who know me personally know that I have a weakness for cufflinks—I wear them daily. For years I kept my cufflinks in a drawer, some of them had their own individual boxes, some were just loose. But it became a problem rooting through dozens of cufflinks in the morning not only deciding which ones to wear but finding a matching pair. A few years ago I came up with a solution to my cufflink storage and display needs by making easy DIY cigar jewelry boxes, which I also call cufflink keepers. This craft project is so simple, it’s almost …continue reading