FIt April summary

April, also known as the month of fitness, is almost over.  It is referred to this way by my group of friends.  One of my friends created this event as a way to motivate, inspire, what have you herself and friends.  She is embarking on a milestone birthday in May and wanted a little assistance in reaching her goal of looking fantastic in a swimsuit.  Believe me, she looks great and didn't need to create this event to slim down.  I think she wanted others to participate and so the focus became more about fitness than overall health and wellness.
The goal was to decrease alcohol, increase exercise/intensity and in general, pay attention to wellness.  She has friends that are very active on social media and would regularly post progress and goals.   They listed work out times, regimens, and progress.  She has a large group of friends and so there was a lot of information to sort through and applaud.  I sort of took the more passive role of lurker.  Kinda lame and lurker definitely reminds me of something naughty or negative. Neither of which are true in this case.  I didn't post any of my goals, hopes or desires regarding my weight or health for April.
I told her I was participating but I did no weigh in to look back on throughout the month.  In addition, I didn't comment on my progress or lack of.  I noted who was doing what and found myself not checking in as often as the month progressed.  I told her that I would make more of an effort to participate in the second half of the month.  I failed.  And miserably at that.  I didn't increase my working out frequency or decreasing my wine intake.  I can't help it.  I enjoy a glass of wine with meals and I have a lot of friends that I see on a fairly regular basis.  I mean, I met her the other day and my intention was to take five days off.  Yet, instead, I met her for happy hour in our neighborhood on Thursday.  On Tuesday, she wanted to meet for sushi which again, I would have been enjoying wine.  I declined on Tuesday and made dinner at home.
On a positive note, I did cut our dining out as frequently as I normally do.  Instead, I made salad, soup and pasta.  I need to figure out the thermometer on my fridge.  Lately it has been freezing any vegetables near the top shelf.  I have lost two heads of lettuce in this fashion.  It is annoying and wasteful.  I made a delicious garbanzo bean driven soup last night.  Super flavorful.  Of course, I doctored it up with more garlic, Mexican oregano and cumin.  It was a straightforward broth based soup.  I see more of this in my future.  Heathier and I can control how much or how little oil I use.  I did spend three sessions with my trainer this month.  She whipped me in to shape physically and mentally.  She has been on a sharing information journey and I greatly appreciate that.  She is willing to aid me in my quest to start teaching more yoga.  She has suggested auditioning at nearby studios as a way to build a clientele.  She quizzes me about my hopes, dreams and wants and encourages me to start making them happen.  I really appreciate her and her determination to help me be the best me possible.
So maybe I didn't start running like I thought I would.  Or, cut out drinking wine during the week *huge epic fail* which I had hoped to achieve.  Stress lends to that decision and that I am social.  I learn from meeting my friends and brain storm with them.  No regrets there.  Still, sure I would have liked to have been healthier.  I have been practicing a ton of yoga alongside friends and so I am getting a bunch of push ups into my daily regime.   Tomorrow, I am meeting a friend to walk a nearby park.  I want to enjoy the sunshine before it gets too hot.
I also recognize that although I didn't commit to a month of healthy living in a present fashion, I am making lifestyle changes.  I am committed to eating cleaner and making diet modifications so that I am able to enjoy wine on a daily basis if I so choose.  That is a smart transition for me and something I can achieve.  I can make modifications--less dressing, less oil, less bacon, to name a few--and still eat what I want. I have cut cheese out of my diet for the most part.  My friend, Jenn, ordered a cheese plate the other night before I arrived at happy hour.  She texted me and commented that of course, she knows I no longer eat cheese and where was her head?  Probably thinking she was hungry and that cheese compliments wine....I don't know.  It is something that I altered due to wanting to change my diet and kick start my metabolism.  I feel healthy and am very thankful for my decision to hire a trainer and recognize that I do need some accountability for my health.  I like the idea of Fit April but I want to practice it, daily.  Not just make a go of it for one month.
There are areas of improvement.  Maybe that will be my goal for May.  Or June?  Keeping it real on a Saturday, lol.  Have a wonderful rest of your day!  Get outside if you have the opportunity.  It is glorious!

changing perspectives and creating more fluidity in teaching

Another day off and opportunity to teach.  I am enjoying pushing my limits and seeing what is possible.  I started the journey of yoga teaching because I wanted a more challenging class.  I found yoga in 2006 while living in Denver and consistently practiced it while living in Phoenix.  My studio of choice, there, offered a heated vinyasa noon class.  I fell in love with the yoga taught there.  Physically challenging with innovative sequences and a killer play list.  Yes, I am a snob to the music factor.  I always perform better when the music is soulful, upbeat and rhythmic.  I find that I love me some rap and r & b while flowing from posture to posture.  Sort of like dancing but with breathing, focusing on holding postures and gaze.  I moved to Santa Fe and the yoga there was more spiritual.  More chanting was involved and expected.  Some of the teachers offered good flows but I struggled to fully invest myself in that community.
After attending numerous subpar classes in my opinion, I convinced myself that I would be able to do a better job.  Create a kick ass sequence that would appeal to people.  It would be physically challenging and hard.  I have attended a few of these classes and it is my jam.  I prefer to not think or anticipate the next moves.  I like to be surprised.  I wanted to replicate and introduce the Arizona way to people in Santa Fe or now Denver.  I could create a niche that is missing here.
I have been teaching for the last month and I am finding that I am wrong.  Most people want mindfulness, adjustments and strengthening.  They are not interested in a mind-bending sequence.  I cannot generalize as I have taught a few students that have a strong background in yoga.  A different sequence for them is appealing and they look forward to it.  They have offered constructive criticism which I appreciate, too.  Loosely, I create the sequence of how I intend to teach each individual experience.  Recently, I have found that my way of busting out sun A's is not for everyone.  It is a humbling experience and I am finding that I am learning more from it than I ever thought I would. I am expanding my teaching capabilities and it is rewarding.  Today, I completely tried to teach a foreign way to me.  I don't think it quite resonated but I see the benefits of attempting a new way to build heat in the body as opposed to crushing sun A's and sun B's.  I prefer beginning a class this way.  Immediately, I feel warm and ready to bend, twist, stretch my body.  Or attempt inversions and bold twists.  I need to be warm before stretching my hips or detoxing my organs.  I cannot just break into one of those postures while cold. It is unsettling and difficult.  There must be a balance that could integrate holding postures in the beginning and utilizing the vinyasa sequence to build heat and make the class flow in a thoughtful, challenging way.
I thought I was teaching Sara Jo today, too.  Had written it in my planner and made space for it in my day.  Considered a class that would focus more on strengthening and stabilizing.  Then she went radio silent.  Instead of waiting around for her to make contact, I attended a yin class.  I thought it would be great research and development for teaching Sara.  The gift of holding postures to release/break through the fascia tissue.  It is definitely not my preference. Holding postures and relying on breath work and gravity to create ease is not my idea of a good time.  My mind starts to wander and freak out.  Especially if the posture is uncomfortable.  I just want it to stop!  Thankfully, today it wasn't terrible and she offered an extended corpse pose.  I returned home and fell in to a deep sleep.  I will take it.
I have been considering doing more yoga teaching and creating space in my life for it.  I am inspired to be more present on my blog, too.  Lately, I have been full of ideas and wanting to bring them to light.  Shine bright and often, lol.  I am heading to Minneapolis next week and think I will take that time to figure out how to put some ideas in to motion.  It is time to do more for me!  And share some of the knowledge I have found on this journey of yoga and life.  I love connecting people and thrive when I have the opportunity to do that.  I wrote a few notes this week to continue that trend and establish roots.  I feel like fully being home in Denver.
I will conclude this for now.  I feel like I am all over the place right now, lol.  Enjoy your evening.  May it be present, lovely and mindful~

TBT--travel addition

Another installment of throwback travel edition.
This time, I felt like returning to California.  I so love it there.  The focus of this edition is Napa Valley.  I have spent some time in Los Angeles, Temecula, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Paso Robles.  I would like to say that I love them all, equally, but I don't know if that is possible.  The wine regions associated with San Francisco hold a special place in my heart.  And, of course, I am enticed by the central coast wineries as well.  I mean, my namesake winery is located there.  Population 18 is the town of Harmony, California. I have visited there a few times and sampled the wine.  If you are driving along that stretch of road, stop in and try the chardonnay.  It is right by the Hearst Mansion.  I discovered it while on a road trip in 2006.  Of course, I had to stop and take a few photos and drink wine.
Back to the travel edition...This is from my last trip to Napa Valley.  I convinced my friend, Sara Jo, to run the Napa to Sonoma half marathon.  It's part of the wine destination series and is their flagship race.  The registration fills up within twenty minutes.  I am not kidding!  I tried for a few years to get in to this race and finally succeeded.  Of course, we had run the Healdsburg Half and the Santa Barbara Half Marathon.  I think being in their system increased our odds of finally registering for this race.  I think I became interested in the race as it was listed as a marathon bucket list.  It combined two of my favorite loves--wine and travel.  Running could motivate me to be healthy.  Moderately, mostly.  I did manage to train while living in Santa Fe.  I lived next to a paved running trail that was perfect.

This is us, post race.  Great expo with lots of opportunities to check out wine and celebrate life.  The race takes place in July and we were a little concerned about the weather.  I do not love running when it is hot.  I tend to overheat.  Thankfully, it  was an overcast day.  Ideal for running 13.1 miles.  Conveniently, they do have a Guinness stop at one of the mile markers and a gewürztraminer is available in front of Gundlach Bundschu winery.  On another trip to California, I toured this winery and have fond memories of that experience.  I have always been an avid fan of their wines.  So, imagine how ecstatic I was to sample their wine while running?  It was motivating and fueled my half marathon.  We met Jen (Sara's friend) and the Goddess at the finish line.  I think a bloody mary was involved somewhere as it tends to be a post race must.  I really should consider finding a race, locally, if only to have a reason to toast the effort with a bloody mary afterwards.

We were fortunate to stay at this property located in south Sonoma.  Benziger Estate winery has one of the best tours available.  They have an organic, biodynamic winery and explain how they utilize and reuse everything in their property.  They are knowledgeable and informative without coming across as know it alls or snobby.  I would definitely recommend their tour for anyone that is not familiar with the wine making process.  The landscape is stunning.  I was fortunate to arrange a stay in their guest home.  This view is incredible.

We did the tour and sampled some of the wines on Saturday when we arrived in Napa.  It was a quick tour before having dinner at Oenotri restaurant.  I like tapas and love sharing meals with friends.  Tapas enables me many items to try and share.  We settled in to the house and had an early night. I wanted to be able to wake with ease in the a.m. and run the miles.  

 Of course, no trip to Napa would be complete without a little wine tasting.  I think this was stop #3 of the day.  Miner Vineyards along the Silverado Trail.  Lovely chardonnay that I drink on a fairly regular basis at a spot in Denver.  This was our final day in wine country before heading back to the city.  I thought I would have enough time to stop by the Buena Vista for an Irish coffee.  Our chauffer, the Goddess, had to alter her return flight and so that did not happen.  Next time for sure.

In all, we toured Benziger, Imagery, Alpha Omega, Ferrari Carano, Miner, Grgich Hills and a few others in Healdsburg.  I told the ladies would be dining at Scopa in Healdsburg. I insisted that we wait for an available table or belly up to the bar.  I loved the fare at their restaurant.  I wish I had some photos to share of the food factor their.  Our final night in Sonoma we dined at another tapas place that was not memorable.  I should have researched better to provide another food associated experience.
I think I did okay touring the valley.  Of course, I would have loved to have had more time.  I like to criss cross both spots but know with the driving it limits multiple spots.  Also, I would recommend hiring a driver to safely guide you through the valley.  There are too many wineries to sample.  So pick two to three a day if you are driving and space them out.  Find a picnic area and buy a baguette and relax.  Even that is welcoming and blissful in Napa and Sonoma.  Sorting through photos and thinking about past trips is inspiring me to book a ticket to northern California and make it happen.  I do want to return to wine country.  This trip is overdue and I must rectify that!
It probably won't involve a half marathon unless I actually put one foot in front of the other in the next month.  I have the next few months planned out in terms of travel.  Visiting in the fall is a definite possibility.  Harvest is a lovely time of year to visit.  A great energy of wine, family, sharing, creating memories is possible.  I am thinking about it.  I wonder if I can convince one of my friends to join me.
Til next week for the travel throwback, cheers!!!

making dinner on days off and other thoughts

Finally, a pure night of sleep. In bed early.  Little stress and home cooked meal.  Translation, clean living.  I was tempted to meet Jenn for sushi and had she agreed to change the venue I would have met her.  I am growing tired of dining at the same spot and I think, in a way, she does know it.  It is convenient for both of us to meet and I like their happy hour offerings. Buy one, get one--who wouldn't like that?  

I wish they would improve their wine list or at least update it.  Not to mention, their sushi is dated, too.  They do have specials but typically, the same ones offered daily.  As noted, had she agreed to meet elsewhere, I would have been in and caved on my decision to eat clean.  I considered being healthy for a few days and wanted to try it starting on Tuesday.  Mid afternoon, Jenn texted me and asked me to meet her for sushi and I was on the fence.  It's too easy to abandon plans of clean living to meet friends for happy hour.  It is a healthy distraction, social and fun.  I suggested a few other spots and could tell by her response that she was uninterested.  I asked her to meet me at an izakaya and her response was that she was not interested in French tonight.  I chuckled and responded that the spot offered poke, ramen and edamame (one of her favorites) and noted where it was located.  It fell flat.  She was determined to go to her designated spot.  It's convenient and she enjoys it.  Kindly, I asked for a raincheck and plotted my dinner.  I had lentils in my cupboard that I keep looking at.  I could easily make soup.  Normally, I have mirepoix on hand and garlic.  I would need to purchase a red bell pepper and maybe an avocado to bulk up the soup.  I declined on the avocado since the selection looked tired and bruised.  

I have made variations of green chile lentil soup and the recipe I found last night was actually quite tasty.  I think the addition of the paprika and cumin helped with the spice./flavor component. I would add more garlic next time still.  Recipes, in my opinion, minimize the garlic factor.  I always add more.  I have a fair amount of left overs and figure I will add more garlic today if I choose to eat soup for lunch.  Or, I have greens, tuna, capers, garbanzo beans and a few other staples in my kitchen. I try to keep things on hand to minimize my desire to dine out.  I live by two greek restaurants, a thai place and a delicious sandwich spot.  In an attempt to stop dining out due to convenience, I am picking up items to sustain hunger. I always have protein bars and coffee.
I needed to resupply some of my necessities and wanted to drop some books off at one of the local free library spots in the city.  Conveniently, I am familiar with a location near a dollar tree and coffee shop.  I could be healthy by bringing my own cup to be filled with coffee, drop off books to be read by others and pick up a few essentials at the dollar store. I buy dishwashing soap and other cleaners there.  I have been trying to incorporate more natural products into my daily life.  Instead of buying my normal laundry detergent I bought a natural product.  In the past year, I have been using natural shampoo and conditioner, too.  One small change does impact others and my daily life.  I am more mindful of what I am buying and how it effects me.  I have even switched to making my own mouthwash instead of buying the commercial products.  I love the addition of essential oils in my daily life.  Try peppermint and clove and see how you feel.  I feel invigorated!
I should go for a walk or enjoy being outside.  It is a gorgeous day in Denver!  Enjoy your day!

rainy day thoughts

Last night, I returned home and made a salad.  I felt like trying to be healthy.  I think I have been decreasing my results by overthinking and ultimately, guilt.  Guilt is such a powerful emotion.  I must release my feelings of guilt when it comes to what I ingest and inhale.  I enjoy the social aspects of drinking wine and also the health benefits.
I made a salad and chatted with my aunt.  I will be visiting her in Minneapolis next week and wanted to touch base on our itinerary.  My friend, Shari, also lives nearby and so I wanted to coordinate with the two to arrange a dinner or dinners.  My aunt seems agreeable and I appreciate that very much.  I have spent time in Minneapolis but it's been ten plus years.  My last visit was in February.  I'll leave it at that.  After confiding in my aunt that I would be interested in reflexology or something along those lines, I retired to bed.  I could use a good night of sleep and wanted to do just that.  I fell asleep and then was rudely awakened by a rustling of bottles.  It was nonstop and so my first thought as I refused to open my eyes was that an animal was rummaging through the trash.  A quick disruptive search through the garbage.  It wouldn't stop though.  I look outside and there is a man throwing recycling all over the alleyway.  I want him to stop but don't want to get involved.  He won't stop.  He walks to another spot and decimates the trash there.  I think I can stop listening and then he returns.  A car alarm goes off which I think will force him out of our alley.  Instead, he intensifies his crazed search.  I try to block him out and he keeps going.  I see an officer and lights on him. It looked as if they were trying to help him find whatever it is he is searching for.  I finally fall asleep and awake to debris all over our alley. I have no idea what this man was looking for or why he was not escorted out of the alleyway. It was disruptive and incredibly loud.  I thought about calling the police and then thought-why, what will they do?  Is this what we are heading towards.  Apathy and inability to have results?
I, sincerely, hope not.  I mentioned it to a few people while working and they knew all of the drill.  How people are going through trash, actively, and how they do not care how they leave the trash everywhere.  It is annoying!
Today I woke up to some mixture of snow and rain.  Definitely the type of day to remain indoors, couch side with a blanket and book.  I made more coffee a little bit ago to nestle in and inspire more reading.  Jenn wanted to meet for sushi but I am growing tired of dining at the same spot.  I suggested another place and she felt it was too far from her house to make it work.  I declined to meet her.  I prefer staying in and making soup.  I have lentils, carrots, onions and a few other items that should make a nice soup.  And, the weather absolutely motivates soup!
I attended a barre class this morning.  I wish there had been a yoga class that matched up my day today.  Unfortunately, they keep changing the classes at my gym and the other studio, I attend, did not have any class that I wanted to check out this morning.  There is a class at 5:30 but that requires moving my car and finding parking.  I think I will do an early class tomorrow instead.
Enjoy your evening!  What motivates you on rainy days?

Friday Funday....

A few days late but memorable nonetheless.  I worked Thursday night and arrived at home around 2 a.m.  It was unexpected and atypical.  I had arranged an early morning training session and knew that my body would need lots of rest.  Courtney has been intensifying our sessions over the last month and so I knew it would be in my best interest to arrive fresh and rested.
I changed my in time with her since I had a client at 9:30 following my session.  Roxanne was heading to Breckenridge and so it was time sensitive.  On Thursday night, she reached out to see if I would mind if one of her friends joined our session.  I thought about it and decided it would be good to try a group session in a safe place.  I didn't know her friend--her fitness level, familiarity with yoga or if she had any injuries.  When I work out with Roxanne, I take into account that she does not love yoga and that we are building her practice up.  Lots of push ups and building postures.  I wanted to make sure that the class would be challenging for her and her friend.  In the morning, she texted me to tell me that her friend had plantar fasciitis.  I am familiar with that ailment and have some tools to ease the discomfort.  I wanted to stop by my place to grab those items to introduce in our session.  Overall, it went really well and I appreciated the opportunity to work with both of these ladies.  We were all sweating and I think that Roxie was more comfortable with the breath work working alongside her friend.  It was like things started clicking.
Afterwards, I rushed home and set up my place to meet Sara Jo.  She has injured herself recently--lumbar/sacrum discomfort.  I knew that I would be altering my flow to customize a strategy for her.  More stretchy and building strength.  Less flow and chatarangas.  I wanted to see how much flexion she had in her hip.  We tried down dog and it's not quite there yet.  I incorporated some core and of course, pushups.  I know that in order for her to recover she needs to strengthen her core and stabilize her lower back.  I believe we will be practicing once a week to aid in her recovery.
We had made plans to check out the Degas exhibit at the art museum.  It's been years since I have been at the museum and it's lovely.  Eventually, we did tour the exhibit after a wine inspired lunch in Cherry Creek.  Downtown was busy with the baseball game and onslaught of 420 supporters.  I wanted to avoid that celebration and so we stayed east to celebrate the day.  Boozy lunch followed by a quick tour of the museum.  I do enjoy days off in Denver.
We chose to walk back to our neighborhood instead of hiring a car.  We made a brief stop before finding a new ramen spot on Colfax.  I had dined there for lunch in the last month.  They offer poke and ramen which I enjoy.  I told Sara that we should check it out and we caught the tail end of happy hour.  The place was packed and patiently we waited watching the one bartender take care of the entire place.  I think she was a little overwhelmed.
We tried the spicy edamame, some ramen and octopus.  I didn't love the octopus or the ramen but I would return to check out other items.  The edamame was delicious.  I loved the flavors and it was a great way to begin the meal.  They offer $3 Sapporo during happy hour which is also nice.  We finished the night by hiring a car to take us back to our neighborhood.
I woke up on Saturday and was immediately struck by how sore I was.  I know that a lot of it is due to my training session with Courtney.  She beat me up.  And then I extended the work outs by practicing with Roxie and then Sara Jo.  I did all of the push-ups with them.  Let's just say, I still feel sore.  And my core is screaming at me, too.
Today, I think a more restorative yoga class is in my future.  I have been attending a gospel type of class on Sunday mornings that I enjoy. However, I have plateaued a little with this particular instructor.  I need to distance myself from her class to return and be inspired.
Yoga beckons.  More growth and expanding my personal practice.  Enjoy your day!

TBT--travel addition

I have been thinking about NOLA...mostly, due to the fact that three people in the last few weeks have been talking about trips there.  One girl had never been there and I immediately flooded her with places to go--eat, drink and explore.  I suppose I have been thinking about NOLA the entire month of April.
For me, exploring cities involves the food factor.  Here are some of the highlights--starting with oysters at Mariza. This place was highly recommended by a friend of a friend.  She insisted on checking out this spot in the Marigny.  I made reservations for our first night in the city.  The oysters were the highlight and the amaro flight for after dinner drinks.  Recently, I found a fondness for amaro and wanted to share my love of this Italian spirit with my friends.  They range in smoothness to bitter which I am not a huge fan of.  Regardless, Mariza had an industrial feel and was very welcoming.  And the best oysters we found while dining in NOLA.

Of course, no trip to New Orleans is complete without a coffee at Café Du Monde.  Iconic and always busy. We walked from our rental in the Bywater and arrived ready for some coffee and beignets.  We waited in line for 15 minutes and listened to the saxophone player that has been playing that spot for years.  He now offers cd's in addition to listening to the music.  Every trip to the city (five times for me) and I have purchased at least one beignet.  Since the Goddess had not yet arrived I knew that we would be venturing back to this must do so that she would also experience the beignets.

In an effort to be healthy, we rented bikes and rode through the central business district and Magazine St.  The place we selected was referred to us by local residents.  However, I think I would have put more thought into selecting a bike in the future.  We were greeted and paid and that was about it.  They didn't offer to help us select bikes, make sure there was air in the tires of give us any tools that would help us.  In their defense, there was a protest about to happen and people were on edge.  Regardless, we pumped up the tires and rode away.  It was a nice ride and I knew that eventually, I wanted to make a stop at the Bull Dog.  We parked the bikes and had a few beers before heading back to the Bywater.  Almost immediately one of the bikes lost brakes.  We would stop and Shari would be at risk of crashing.  She kept trying to fix the screw on the chain and finally we called the bike shop to have them come and get us since it was becoming more and more frequent and dangerous.  They refused to grab us due to the pending protest and possible riot.  They told us to get back on our own.  That was unimpressive!  We rode back to the shop and dropped off one of the bikes and explained why we were unhappy with them--no customer service, fitting of bikes, etc. and they told us they would handle it tomorrow.  I would still definitely recommend exploring the city on bike.  Just check out your options!

I watch Top Chef--always have.  I knew that one of the finalists had a restaurant in New Orleans and made reservations to dine there.  Compere Lapin did not disappoint.  Amazing!   I am very thankful to have found this spot and dined here.  Innovative drinks, wine list and incredible food.  And, we saw a wedding party arrive at the hotel where the restaurant is located and watched a Second Line descend.  It was awesome!  The Goddess chose to join the celebration by dancing on our table.  The owner came by and insisted on meeting our group since we were having fun and celebrating life.  I had a fantastic piece of carrot cake here, too.  My favorite dessert!

 We found this spot by perusing open table and looking for brunch spots.  I knew there would be five of us and so I made reservations instead of waiting in the humidity as we had the previous day.  I won't mention what spot that was.  It was forgettable.  Sylvain's was lovely.  We arrived right as they opened and insisted on a round of cocktails and bubbly.  Our server, although hungover, was knowledgeable and attentive.  I think he warmed up to us as we continued to drink bubbly.  We shared a few brunch items before heading back towards the Bywater to meet Tiffany.  She flew in to meet us for 36 hours.  Crazy lady and too much fun! I had made the main event (birthday dinner) reservations at Commander's Palace.  Festive with all of the pomp and circumstance.  I loved every minute of it!

There are so many restaurants, neighborhoods and music to check out while in N.O.L.A.  We did a little in the Quarter, Magazine St, Marigny and Bywater.  I would love to return to discover Vietnamese food in the city.  I have heard many amazing things about it.  Or more music and restaurant recon in the Bywater.  We found Bacchanal and Henry's.  There were others that I would have loved to explore.  Seriously, there are too many options and my liver hated me for about a week after my return.  Let's just say spending five days in New Orleans is similar to three nights in Vegas.  Both are geared to be unlimited hedonism and excessive.  I outperformed myself, lol.
Til next time, enjoy!  I do love revisiting beautiful cities that I have visited in the past.  Maybe next week it will be International.
Cheers!