Hello, Jolene here. With summer vacation just around the corner, my husband and I are talking about places to go. All my stories are set in my home state of Texas. The small towns of the Hill Country are in my DNA, but I love to travel beyond our borders.
My father was a commercial airline pilot, and growing up we traveled a lot. On the other hand my husband grew up on a ranch (ranchers do not take vacations) and was one of eleven children. Needless to say traveling was not done, so I love to take him to new places.
We've been talking about our favorite places and maybe revisiting one of them. New York City and New Orleans are right on top. My husband was surprised by how much we enjoyed our experience in New York. The energy and vibe of one of the biggest cities in a very land locked piece of property was amazing. We got to dance in the rain in Times Square. I was able to see works of art I’d only studied in art school.
We found a family diner off not far from our hotel on Wall Street. My husband was exited to discover burgers under 5.00 plus the owner spoke Spanish.
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We found this gem of a family diner off Wall Street. Home cooked food with very good price. |
Just the history alone was mind boggling. I have to say the people were super friendly and even when we got a bit confused in the subway there was always someone willing to help.



The human spirit is amazing…you can see it and feel it in large doses all over New York, but no matter how many building we build we still are drawn to nature. Central Park is an oasis in the mist of a man made jungle. Did I mention the history everywhere you looked?
Then there is the southern city of New Orleans.
Reid, my hero in The Texan's Twins is a native of New Orleans. Katrina relocated him to Houston as a kid. I listened to hours of videos to hear the voice patterns of people from this beautiful city. It was fun and if you read, The Texan's Twins I hope you can hear the sounds of the city in Reid's voice.
A big city with a completely different feel from New York. Relaxed, happy, laid back and ready for a good time. We were sent to New Orleans with a Smithsonian Educational grant and I wasn't sure what to expect. I’m not a party person so I wasn’t sure about New Orleans. We fell in love with textures, people and food.





We stayed in the French Quarter and walked everywhere, even late at night we felt safe. We stepped onto Bourbon Street for about five minutes, that was enough.
The history, art, music and people made this a trip we want to make again.
Have you been to both of these cities? If you had to choose one which would it be: New York or New Orleans? Maybe neither? LOL
Do you have a favorite city that you would visit over and over?