Sights, Scenes, & Savor: The Big Easy

by Amanda Gooddell

 

Everyone should try and visit the Big Easy at least once. I went with a vague plan and a couple of days. My cross country road trip let me be flexible with where, when, and how long I stayed in each destination. Going to New Orleans right before Mardi Gras made finding a hotel room on the fly a little easier. I highly recommend checking what events the city has going on before visiting and making reservations (if you know your arrive and departure dates.)

After procuring a hotel room within walking distance of the French Quarter I headed to Café Du Monde for fresh beignets. Beignets are delicious fried vehicles for powdered sugar. The original Café Du Monde is located on 800 Decatur Street and is open 24 hours a day. That’s right, beignets can be had at any hour. Day or night. The café opened in 1862, I made it a point to go back before leaving town.

Someone told me I had to see the graveyards in New Orleans. They were right. They are old, they are broken, and they are a beautiful part of this cities history. There are several different tours available and they have set times. As of March 2015 self guided tours are no longer allowed in an effort to help with the conservative and restoration of the grave sites. So the only way to view the interior of the walled graveyards are with reservations and a tour guide. I am glad I did not skip seeing them.

Drinking a tasting flight of bourbon at The Bourbon House located on Bourbon Street, enjoying a refreshing cocktail from the tiki bar Latitude 29, and having a beer with the locals at a dive bar? Say yes to all of these things. Experience everything NOLA has to offer. The locals are friendly and helpful in finding your next booze adventure.

Spicy alligator sausage, boudin, crawfish, shrimp boils, jambalaya, fried chicken, gumbo (really, I could go on and on). New Orleans is a melting pot of cultures and their food can’t be ignored. Every meal can bring a new flavor experience. It seemed hard to go wrong in this city. Everyone seems to have their own options on what is the best place to eat. I had fun trying places based on internet recommendations, walking in off the street as it struck my fancy, and asking the servers where they liked to eat.

This city has a vast array of choices for exploration. Mine mainly lied in exploring  the French Quarter with the limited amount of time I had on my first visit. There are museums, casinos, riverboats, beautiful scenic Tulane University, the music of Frenchman Street, streetcars, and so much striking architecture that I didn’t get to see this time around. Just remember if you go during Mardi Gras that they grease the poles. So no trying to climb up the buildings for a better vantage point. No, really. Greasing the poles has been a New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition for over 40 years. In a city this unique everyone can go and find something that strikes their fancy.

Travel Destination: Boise Idaho

story by: Kris Muñoz
photos courtesy Budge Photography

Hello readers, for this month’s publication I decided to write about our own city of Boise, Idaho. I’m doing this with the intention to inform and spread awareness of our city to new comers and other travelers to the area. I’ve been meeting a lot of people who have also just moved here, like myself, or will be moving here very soon. With that in mind, I figured why not talk up my new city and community!

Now before I actually moved here from Arizona, last year, I had visited my two friends who reside in Boise. They have lived here now for about the past 5 years. I first came to visit them in the fall of 2010 I believe. They lived in a their first house, in a different neighborhood at the time, and were still acclimating to the city. I fell in love with all the fall colors from the changing of the tree leaves. Seeing how animal and bike friendly everyone appeared to be was a bit heartwarming, and weird to see.

I only say weird because in my desert city, you had to take for your animal according to the heat of the day. It wasn’t uncommon to see most animals shaved to nothing to help them keep cool during the intensely hot summers.

Certain breeds can’t handle heat well at all, so regardless of their fur considerations, all owners had to be mindful of their animals paws and how hot the pavement or asphalt was. Depending on the time of day, of course.

But the locals I saw didn’t have those same problems in Boise. I remember remarking to my friends at the time how I can’t recall seeing happier animals anywhere. I’ve never seen other dogs and cats playing and mixing so well with each other. Trust me when I say that coyotes and javelinas are not so great at being friendly to neighborhood animals in Arizona.

I believe it was during this same visit that my friends took me to experience the French cook of Le Croq Rogue. My mouth is already startling to salivate just by typing that name again. Some of you remember why too. I must state this now; it was because of this place that I always remembered Boise with a smile. I have never had such a wonderful dining experience before or since. What I instantly fell in love with about this place was the moment you walked in the door, they requested that you turn your cellphones off before being seated. I was caught off guard by this at first, but quickly became appreciative of it.

I have since always followed this practice while eating out. I was happily overwhelmed by the selected menu of the night and was then greeted by the owner and head chef. We had not only the most amazing meal, but we were then entertained by live music and singing from the piano. The musician’s name I can no longer remember, but he was indeed talented and loved his craft. Between great dining company, laughter, and group singing we had the best night out ever! I delightfully remember all of us, including several other dining groups being brought together for a group sing along of “Beauty School Dropout” of all things. It was a truly unforgettable night!

I have visited them during the winter of 2011 and the spring of 2012. Each time I came to visit the season seem to welcome with it’s own unique seasonal traits. I saw some incredible art at various outdoor events and festivals and got to eat at a few other local businesses. Keep in mind that at the time, I have never really experienced seasons before. Where I lived we have long winter months followed by two weeks of spring, then several long hot summer months and finally two weeks of fall. I didn’t grow up seeing the changes of colors from the various flora around me. In the desert, you have various cacti that are various shades of green year round. Also, for some damn reason, palm trees. I never did understand this one, but yes, in desert cities expect to see a multitude of palms that also never change through out the year.

I can remember being introduced to several people and couples who lived here at the time and being asked tons of questions about Arizona and myself. In turn, I asked about Boise and what it was like for them. I got a lot of matching feedback saying how of their previous living locations they found Boise to be the most perfect when it came to climate and season changes. They also shared how some liked or disliked how Boise had a small town feel to it. Each time I came to visit I always discovered something new and interesting about this place.

I never knew of, and still don’t know a lot about the Basque Culture here. I’ve seen the mural and read it’s brief historical notations on the writings in front of it. But again, I’ve only heard of this Basque Culture while I would visit Boise. Now that I’m a resident here, I look forward to seeing their Jaialdi festival and learning more about them. It is my understanding that there is a large populace of Mormons in the city as well. I was raised Catholic and happy to see community of them here as well. I’m very glad there is a sense of spiritual support here in the city, though I don’t personally know how welcoming they are to the LGBT community here. I also never knew that the actor Aaron Paul graduated from here.

Speaking as a huge fan of this man, I would feel sense of pride knowing that John Waters filmed his final scene of “Pink Flamingos” here. That would have been cool to help out as a production assistant on the low-budget set. Who knew that Richard Pryor filmed “Moving” here in 1988. I’m sure there is still much to learn about Boise, and I’m looking forward to it.

Once I graduated College last may, I jumped at the opportunity to move out of the desert by accepting a position within my company. That is what brought me to Boise permanently. Thus far, I haven’t regretted that choice. I’m still getting used to the lack of diversity the city has, but overall, I’m enjoying myself. I must say that my introduction into our LGBT community was less than anticipated.

While I can say I had my best dining experience in this city, I can also say that I have now experienced my worst date of my life. I have never in my life been brought to the point of wanting to punch a complete stranger in the face while cursing him out in public in several of my languages, but I took the high road out of that situation.

I’m not sure if I will ever share the full details of that first, and last, date but I can say I did not base that one bad experience as a catalyst of what was to come from my new community. But it would be my luck that now that I’m a resident of Idaho that Le Croq Rogue would be closed.

Since moving here I have met a great number of people from our community. People have been very friendly and welcoming here to me. These new friends were the ones to point out to me that it’s pronounced “BOI-SEE” and never “BOI-zee”. Just so we can clear that up now. Yes, I now know and can hear the difference. I have never lived in a town where there was not a Wingspan Organization of some kind for the LGBT community. But I have seen the location of the downtown spot and I was thankful for that! I’m used to having multiple resources to turn to for my community, since I have only seen a few since moving here to Boise, I hope that being apart of OutBoise will help in some way to be foundation to bigger and better things for our community. I hope to branch out into other programs that could use some volunteers as well. I am optimistic about my new life here in Boise and look forward to what the future holds. With PRIDE just around the corner, I’m sure it will be fun summer for everyone!

The Crater at Homestead

By Amanda Goodell
Upon seeing photos of The Crater a few years ago I knew I wanted to go. Call it a bucket list item. I am fond of geology and grew up going to hot springs. So one day I called up a cousin who lives near Salt Lake City and we planned some family time.

On the drive from her house to Midway we stopped to look at Devil’s Slide, was told half a dozen times “We’re eating at Taggart’s Grill on the way back”, and passed several reservoirs that her husband has enjoying fishing. The area is beautiful, with several state parks nearby and only 30 minutes south of Parks City.

We arrived early and took a drive up Memorial Hill were the county pays tribute to everyone from the area who has died while in service. There was also an attempt to go to Heber Valley Milk & Heber Valley Artisan Cheese. Sadly we were there on the only day they are closed, Sunday.

But our destination is open 7 days a week. And when we arrived I was beyond excited to be looking up at the 55 feet of the dome that is The Crater.

I found out Northwestern Wasatch County is actually home to several dozen active hot pots. But this springs is one of the more impressive visually. In the mid 1990s a 110 foot tunnel was blasted into the side to allow better access. Before this the only option in was to repeal down from the opening in the dome’s ceiling.

The Crater is 65 feet deep with 8-14 feet of silt at the bottom. And, while they do archaeological digs to retrieve things people have thrown into the opening over the 120 years that it’s been popular (thousands of coins and other interesting items have been found), Homestead will charge you a $5 fee to retrieve items if you drop something. Wearing a life jacket is also a must and are provided. In addition to soaking or swimming, they also offer snorkeling gear, scuba diving lessons, scuba diving certification, and a paddle board yoga class.

I found the 94 degree water relaxing and got over the fact I had wear a life jacket. It was peaceful just floating around. The only real downside is soak time is limited to around 40 minutes. Monday-Thursday the price for soaking is $11. Friday-Sunday $16.

The staff didn’t seem overly happy, but no one was rude to us. My cousin did express it seemed like she had to draw out information when making reservations. She only got a “Yes” response at first when asking if a person with knee replacements could access the springs. My aunt was able to get up ramp walkway in the tunnel, which is somewhat steep, with just going slowly. The are also ladders to get in and out of the water.

The Crater at Homestead, located in Midway, is nestled next to the Wasatch mountain range in the Heber Valley. Midway, Utah is a 5 1/2 hour drive from Boise via I-84 east.

Address:
700 North Homestead Drive
Midway, Utah 84049
Call the activity center at 1-435-657-3840 to make reservations.

Reservation are required, as the space inside the hot springs is limited. Arrive before your reservation time to fill out the required paperwork to swim.

I also recommend changing into your bathing suit beforehand to avoid waiting in line for a changing rooms provide inside The Crater.

I plan on making a return trip for 4 reasons. I forgot a waterproof camera and would have enjoying floating and snapping photos.

I now know being already suited up would have allowed for a “grab life jacket and get in the water” approach.

I have friends who I think would appreciate The Crater. And lastly Taggart’s Grill.

The food was amazing, the desserts are glutinous, the staff is friendly, and just for fun there are a pair of peacocks that live right outside.

It isn’t in Midway, but makes a nice stop either coming or going down.

Travel Destination: San Francisco

by Kris Muñoz

What can I say about this place that hasn’t already been said or seen in various films and articles? I love traveling to this city! Every time I do, I discover some new hidden gem. I will admit it now. A little bit of heart will always belong here in San Francisco.

Firstly, let me just gush about the San Francisco International Airport. It is one of the biggest, cleanest and beautiful airports I have ever be in. Trust me, I’ve seen a lot of airports. It was the first airport that I saw to incorporate the use of a public yoga space. The artwork and sculptures you see in the terminals is always unique and informative about some theme that is currently happening somewhere within the city at that time. Plus, you can always skip taking a Lyft ride from the airport and just take the B.A.R.T. into several parts of the city.

Once on the B.A.R.T. always check your seat before seating in it. I can’t stress this enough. I’ll come back to that point that point later. I will usually take it to the Financial District located in the area of Montgomery St and Bush St. One of my favorite hotels is in that area and I try to stay there when visiting. Which hotel is that you may ask, but for now that will stay my little secret. San Francisco has no shortage of hotels or Bed and Breakfasts. When planning on visiting try to look around for the best deals you may find. Also make your reservation at least four to six months in advance. That’s one extremely helpful tip from a frequent traveler that I can give you for this city.

From the Financial District, I can go in any direction and find a place that I love to go and a whole new place waiting to be experienced. But I tend to go straight to Pier 44 in the Marina District. There is nothing better than getting actual seafood, directly from the ocean. The taste is so much better. Yes, I kinda just drooled while typing that last sentence. I can’t help it when I remember the explosion of flavors and seasons that you get from the various restaurants at the Piers. Yes, there are other numbered piers there by the way.

Pier 44 is famously known for it’s Chowder House Restaurant. If you have not been to it yet, then you must try it out at least once in your life. You know, it was San Francisco that made me fall madly in love with sushi. Growing up in the desert, I never really got the same flavors or proper experience of truly enjoying that style of food. Now after finally having the rapturous experience that I have heard people talk about while eating sushi, I can say I’m hooked. Yes, I can tell you have I have flown into San Francisco just for the sushi. It really is that good.

However, I digress. Pier 44 is just separated by a few blocks from Asian district. I hope that isn’t being offensive, but I feel calling it by the name that the locals do would be falling into stereotyping. I’m not about that and never will be. I know I wouldn’t want to hear Tucson being called “Mexicantown or Lil Mexico”. See what I mean now.

As I step off my soapbox now, this area of town is beautiful and beaming with colors, aromas and people. You will no problem figuring out where you are when you get into this district. Every third or fourth shop is a market store, that seems to sell the same imported stuff that the last shop did, which was three or four store that you just passed. This will be a continual trend as you’re walking down the streets.

The color Red is will be on everything you see in this area, and you will often find a dragon or fish symbol on most merchandise as well. As vast as it seems to go on, if you keep walking you will be through the entire Asian District in 45 minutes. It may seem hard to believe, but you have to remember that the streets of San Francisco are not the same size as Boise.

I came to this realization myself the first several times I visited the city as walked everywhere. I would look at the city map and think to myself “Oh Lordy, this place is 35 blocks away.” As it turns out, I was at my walking destination within 30 to 40 minutes. Since San Francisco was built on 44 hills, I can see why everyone in the city as great legs!

Of course, I made my pilgrimage to the Castro the first time I went. I remember going thinking that since I was coming here I could truly claim some kind of gay birthright and pay homage to those who came before me and rejoice in my bragging rights. But when I go there, I looked up and down the street that the iconic Castro Theatre was on I thought…”this is it?”

The Castro area is very small, that was the first shocker. Also so were the sporadic park areas across the city and how crowded they were with all sorts of people. Good luck, finding a place to sit or layout. I haven’t forgotten my seating point by the way. There was a time when you could, and would, see various naked people on the corner of Market and Castro just basking in the sun, drinking coffee or tea of their choice.

Yes, there was a time when nudity was allowed within the city. However, the city placed a ban on that last year. I should add that it wasn’t just in the Castro that nudity was allowed, it happened in other areas as well. Now you will see why I kept saying, check your seat before sitting down. Yes, there is now a ban on the nudity. However, many people still consider it optional. You have been warned.

The Castro carries huge historical and iconic recognition. I walked in the footsteps of many ground breakers for the LGBT community. These people are why we have community to begin with, and why we have to continue to carry that torch to the next generation. Yes, we have come along way since those early days. But there are still many paths to be made. When I see and hear the stories of horrid, inhumane and traumatic acts of violence inflicted on the Gay youths of Russia, I am reminded why this work matters and why it must be continued. History is something to be learned from and not repeated.

I must recommend that if you ever get the chance to take a tour of Alcatraz Island to take the last or night tour. The tour is very informative and quite interesting to experience first hand. First the boats will take you around the whole island while sharing its very colorful history. While on the boats, be mindful of the fact at seagulls will be flying over your head the entire time. Yes, they are quite used to people and are used to getting hand feed from humans on the boats. These seagulls have no shame. They may poo on you, or fly low and dirty for a sneak attack to get your food in your hands. Again, you have been warned. Once on the Island, you are guided up a walking path to what was once the main prisoners entrance. During this walk, you are told of the workers and families that once called the island home. Yes, people lived, worked and had families on the island at one time. Several wedding took place there as well.

Once inside you are given a breakdown and tour, step-by-step, of what a prisoner would be expected to do upon being admitted into Alcatraz. You are shown the to showers and pick up station where they would pick up a blanket, pillow and new numbered uniform, one roll of toilet paper, one pair of shoes and I believe that was it.

Once you are through that area, you can then be given a audio tour. This you can do by yourself. The staff will gave you headsets and you can choose to listen to four ex-inmates share their tales from within the walls or listen to four ex-prison guards share their own unique perspective. I chose to listen to a former inmate share his experiences of what it was like. Bare in mind these are older recordings of their voices so it will be a bit scratchy. Not saying they were possibly ‘altered’ but it does make you wonder. The recording walks you to certain marks and cues you when you get to a location. You are prompted to press play or stop depending on where you are. When you hear the stories and experienced you can tell they are very much just skimming the surface of what may have really happened. At one point, you are told to go to a small outside section of the building. It was hear where I heard the description of how on a very calm day or night, the sounds of the city could be heard with acute detail. It was true; I could hear the busy city and some conversations taking place only one mile away from land. What a mind trip it must have been for any human being to experience that particular moment, for years. There are plenty of other examples that the past wardens set up to play cruel mind tricks on the inmates. The history of the place is eerie enough, but when you see where some of this stuff actually happened sends chills to your bones. Especially when you see what solitary confinement looked like back then. If you’re wondering, yes you can go inside the solitary confinement cells. You get to hear and see a side of Robert Franklin Stroud, also known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz.”

After seeing what it was like for the prisoners, you can then enter an inner visitor’s area where there is an awesome gift shop. Odd random fact that I learned while visiting the island, Verizon doesn’t get coverage on Alcatraz. While everyone else was making a call from prison, I was not. That was a very interesting call to make to customer service.

I could really go on about what makes San Francisco so great. I only mentioned some of the sites to see and believe me there is so much more. But I have to leave some room for the other articles. Take care until next time.

Tucson: The Old Pueblo

by Kris Muñoz

Have you ever wanted to know what it was like to travel and get to experience and see other places? Then you’re going to love this! I’m very excited to share and be a part of this new section of OutBoise. This article will focus on a particular travel destination for each issue. Since I decided to take on this topic, I figured there would be no better place to start than my recently visited home to Tucson, Arizona.

The Old Pueblo is alive and well. It has been for the past 12,000 years for various tribes, cultures and indigenous humans. Tucson has that unique claim to history as being the oldest living inhabited area in all of the United States.  At that time, it is believed that migrating Paleo-Indians, a race of archaic hunters and gathers, began to settle in the area. It is quite interesting to learn why humans have been living in that area for the past several millennia. Once a year, Tucson experiences annual rainstorms known as Monsoons. These particular storms can range from a standard thunderstorm to a raging Monsoon that releases walls of water, along with 65 mph winds flooding ancient riverbeds and modern day roads. I have to tell you, there is no greater smell than that of a desert rain.

Tucson has made the history books for other reasons. Being part of the Old Wild West, the city’s downtown area is home to the infamously and historically known Hotel Congress, located at 311 E. Congress St. This hotel was the place where the notorious gangster John Dillinger was captured and was the site of various shootouts and more than one murder/suicide. The Hotel Congress has been reported to be haunted by as many as eight ghosts. Most famous of these spirits is the one that resides in room 214, also known to be the Suicide Room. The second ghost being that of a 1930’s era woman who was killed by her own hand by putting a bullet to her head in the bathroom, she likes to watch guests sleep and sometimes will tickle them, she has never left room 242. Lastly, a woman who likes to show herself in the hotel’s lobby staircase. Many have seen her as she has appeared in many of visitor’s photographs from the lobby area.

Another place worth mentioning is the Loft Cinema, located at 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. This is definitely a local favorite, much like The Flicks in Boise. The nonprofit cinema has a rich and vastly loyal following. They have played host to many different filmmakers to local graduating college students and Hollywood hit makers.

Big names are nothing new to this city. In fact, Tucson called home by a few celebrities. Linda Ronstadt is one of them. She was born here and is an 11-time Grammy Winner and mega superstar of both pop and country music. Her family name is very much known, aside from herself and musical career, she was known for being a Ronstadt first. The Rodstadt name is been known in that city since her family came to Tucson in the late 1800’s. They started musical festivals that continue on to this day. She grew up listening to her father and family playing instruments and traditional Mexican music. It was no surprise to this town that she made a strong and successful musical career.
If the celebrities weren’t born here, then they often times come to Tucson for the golf tournaments. Tucson plays host to them annually for various benefits and foundations.

Many of the citizens enjoy discovering the many treasures that Tucson has. For active explorers there are various mountain hiking trails surrounding the city and tend to be open year around. As for the city night life, there are several local beer breweries downtown and plethora of locally owned restaurants.
There are a few hotspots for dancing and enjoying live shows in the same area.

If you want a smaller and more relaxed atmosphere, look no further than the Side Car located at 139 S. Eastbourne Ave. The bar is not large at all and feels quite relaxing the moment you enter it. The contemporary furniture invites you to sit and enjoy a drink. The windows allow for the perfect amount of natural light during the day. At night the bar’s back wall is illuminated by lighting that gives the room enough light to still enjoy your date’s eyes. When you go there, ask to for Niccy. He is Bartender and quite proficient his style of making and mixing various spirits. Side Car is a perfect place to visit, or meet up with a friend.
Tucson is also quite beautifully diverse. Go anywhere in the city and you will hear and see various cultures and religious practices. Music in a multitude of languages can be heard year around at various festivals and events.

I could go on about this wonderful city, but seeing it for yourself is something you must put down on your travel list. If you know of any place, within the country, I should visit please let me know. Looking forward to writing about the next travel destination.