There is....a house.....in New Orleans

This was another holiday period away from home; we actually had been trying to get to the Far East, but apparently could not get airline seats to come back. Tempting as it was, we ended up going to New Orleans. It was a redo for me, but Chuck had never been there. We were very fortunate, once again, to get the Marriott hotel on Canal Street, in the heart of the French Quarter. Making things even more pleasant was that we had a room on the 35th floor. At that height, even eyesores can look good.

As we arrived on Christmas evening, most everything was closed, and we had developed an appetite. It was quite chilly outside, so we went for a couple of blocks and came right back. Thankfully, the Café du Marché restaurant was open, so we were able to grab a bite there. The hotel offers another restaurant on the 41st floor, fittingly called the Riverview. Also available are two bars where you can drink and eat light meals.

Both of us fell in love with the Perks Starbucks stand, right next to the lobby restaurant, and were able to enjoy breakfast in the large lobby area, which had fabulous seating arrangements and was not too crowded, making it ideal. We would have chai lattés or other beverages with chocolate croissants or scones, and it would be a great way to start the day. This also became our browsing area, when we wanted to check out activities or read local news.

What makes the hotel so great is its central location; you can easily walk to the French Quarter or cross Canal to take the trolley. A few blocks away, if you are so inclined, Harrah’s will be happy to make you poorer. Should you be able to resist temptation and walk past Harrah’s, the Riverwalk can empty your pockets as well, but it’s more fun if you’re not a gambler.

You also never know what you’re going to find on the streets, and one evening, we had a spray-paint artist doing surreal spacescapes in a matter of minutes. I had seen those before, but this artist was so imaginative and so quick. Chuck bought me my favorite one, which I have had framed and hung in my office.

Marriott rooms are never a disappointment. Just have a look at the picture to see what we can do to a working desk in a matter of hours. The view was worth everything, even though we paid a fraction of the cost for the room; all amenities were provided, including a two-line phone. The bed was quite cozy and is most likely competing with the Westin bed now for comfort. If you need advice, there is a concierge there to help you. Since we like to play concierge, we do most of the research.

With one exception, I don’t think we had reservations for any restaurant as long as we stayed in New Orleans. That did cost us dearly on New Year’s Eve, but that’s another journal altogether. Dining usually manifested itself after one of our very long walks around the French Quarter, since there is so much to see and do. This place looked scary from the outside, but a welcome warm air greeted us as we stepped in, and the music was engaging. Fun t-shirts hung on the backs of the waitstaff which said, "We shuck ‘em, you suck ‘em". Cute, isn’t it?

One of my least favorite things here -- and I’m probably in the minority -- are the multiple TV sets blaring drivel all around the restaurant. However, since there seemed to have been a major game going on at the time, I chose to remain silent. The menu was loaded with Cajun specialties. I wasn’t going to have any oysters, but it looked like Chuck would not pass it up. I was going native all the way with the "Taste of New Orleans" , which offered generous portions of jambalaya, gumbo (I love okra, but I cook it a little bit differently), and red beans and rice -– not exactly your basic arroz con frijoles, but enough spice to make you remember.

Have a look at the photos, which do justice to the spread. Do you see that pasta plate? He finished all of it after sucking his oysters.

Available also were two varieties of "etouffee", which is supposed to mean stuffed, but in real French, this means choked. Go figure. Choose between shrimp or crawfish, swimming around in muddy waters served over rice. There was blackened catfish pasta, and whenever you see that word, it means your tongue will be on fire. Or you could have chosen barbecued Gulf shrimp, with their secret spicy sauce, and preview hell that way. I’m very sensitive to hot foods, as you may have surmised. But I survived remarkably well in Thailand!

It could be problematic with food here, as there is a serious amount of it fried, popcorned, whatever you want to call it; once in a while, I guess it’s okay, but a steady diet of this stuff is rough. Aside from oysters are other appetizers with alluring names such as Wings of Fire, Colossal Onion Rings, and Pickles Plantation. The latter is deep fried, double battered pickles. That’s artistic!

The prices are quite reasonable, and you can have a three-course meal here with only minor dents to your wallet. I found the ambiance warm and relaxed, except for the TV...you know.

Louis XVI Restaurant Français has it all: atmosphere, impeccable service, decadent food, and prices to match. It is housed inside the St. Louis Hotel, with a courtyard protected from the elements. It was festively adorned with poinsettias everywhere, as you can see in the photos. As soon as you step into the premises, you have left New Orleans behind.

The restaurant has been around since 1971 and takes credit for introducing the locals and tourists to a more sophisticated palate. It opened another restaurant called L’Escale (which means "the stop-over" in French), which closed after six years. The first chef was Frenchman Daniel Bonnot, who eventually left to become the owner of a couple of bistros and was replaced by Agnes Bellet.

The dining area actually looks larger than it is, thanks to ceiling-to-floor mirrors on two walls. Our table was an intimate seating area for two, but we were unfortunately squeezed between two other seating arrangements. The menu is quite elegant, and their wine list is extensive. Ice water, accompanied by petits pains and beurre (little French baguettes and butter), is served immediately. During the course of the meal, you get to see many servers, so it’s best not to try to remember anyone in particular.

You first see "Entrées Froides", or cold entrees, followed by "Entrées Chaudes" (hot entrees), Soupes/Potages, Salades, Poissons (fish), Viandes (meats), ended with Café et Thé. You will not be left wanting, actually, as there is a Creole feature on the menu, by way of "Gumbo Nouvelle Orleans", or Gumbo soup, and Poisson Louisiane (fish Louisiana style).

The Escargots à la Bourguignonne are pictured below, and don’t even think that I would eat snails -- I had a wonderful salad instead with vinaigrette dressing which didn’t choke me. The presentation of the food is alluring, though some people have said that over the years, Louis XVI has given in to being more Louisiana and less French. It is hard to agree or not, since one visit cannot make comparisons. However, it certainly was the most elegant and attentive staff I’ve ever had in this city.

We shared an entrée, as we always do, and that was the Filet de Poisson Amandine. This dish is drenched in butter, but the fish melts in your mouth and the almond crust on top is just grand! For other choices in fish, one could select lobster or crab, and they had another specialty which looked fabulous with bananas and red peppers.

For the meat lovers, the choices included chicken, duck, beef Wellington, filet mignon, citrus veal, and lamb. It is odd, but they listed assorted cheese plate under meats. There was no room for dessert, and I imagine they change quite often, as you order from the tray itself rather than a menu. Aromatic Earl Grey always does well for me at the end of a meal, while Chuck continues to nurse his wine. Three cheers for this place.

Today was our bus-touring day, with supplemental viewing on foot. Taking the local bus is usually a good thing to do; however, it’s not the type where you can get on and off as you please. The fare is only $1–what a bargain!! They don’t run that frequently, but if you find a nice sunny spot at or around the bus stop, it’s not that bad. We were going to do the length of Magazine Street, which is virtually impossible to do on foot. They say it’s about 6 miles and a stop-at-every-shop kind of street, but it’s the gaps in between that will kill you. By the way, State crosses Magazine, and that’s how we get to Reginelli’s.

Naturally, we didn’t intend to go to Reginelli’s; it just beckoned us, as is the norm. For a pizza place, I thought it was unusually clean and well maintained, with the 6-foot signs above the ovens that have the endless lists of pizzas, pastas, and all things Italian. They had a menu-a real menu you could peruse as you sat down at very clean tables. I kept eyeing the calzone because no matter where you are, how badly can they screw up a calzone? Now pizza is another matter on which I have definite preferences.

They have specialty pizzas-à la Greek with feta cheese and artichokes; the unusual Irish Pizza with new potatoes and a chicken breast; a four-cheese pizza they call the Quattro (isn’t that clever?); and a few others. So there’s no need to do the cheese-and-tomato thing if you don’t want to.

They were advertising a bottle of Fat Bastard at our table and I’ll be damned if I knew what that was. And if you came on Wednesday, the bastard would only cost $10. If anyone knows about this, please email me. Chuck had a kind of feuilleté (filo leaves) with melted cheese and red pepper and tomato chutney on the side (have a look at the photo below). Everything was freshly made, and I found it to be quite charming.

Also go to this coupon page and download the necessary coupons should you decide to try it. It was definitely worth it, and they do have several locations throughout the city.

We waited more than an hour for the driver. Reminds me of our trip to Isla Ixtapa, when they forgot to pick us up altogether. Finally, we got ourselves seated in the van, and our driver started drawling his act away. We had the best seats and were laughing our heads off. From the French Quarter, the drive is about an hour, though they tell you it will be only 30 minutes.

It was not really warm, as the morning sun was signing off for the day. When we arrived, we had to wait again for a long time. Since it was off-season, it was not raining tour guides. We had a choice of a paddle boat or an airboat and opted for the more "dangerous" ride. Upon boarding, you are told to secure your seat belt and wear a helmet, unless you are courting deafness. Despite the clouds, the swamp looked very tranquil and safe. You’ll sacrifice part of the narration, because you can’t hear a damn thing above the engines. Airboats go as fast as 50mph, conditions permitting.

By the way, how do you like our tour guide? Personally, I think the swamp creatures were scared of him and just never bothered to come out. Seriously, if you are in these parts in the winter, you will be spotting twisted tree limbs, barren or brush land, and some photo ops. Our guide—let’s call him Bill—gave us our thrills immediately with subsonic speed and hairpin curves. We did make occasional stops so we could hear Bill show his knowledge of the area and to TRY to spot local fauna. Danger came as a two-foot croc and a beautiful grey heron that stood still on one leg and decided he didn’t want our company. Bill tried to cheer us up and pulled his baby pet croc out of a box. Pictured is the baby croc getting really close and personal with me (Chuck would have no part of him).

As we resumed and zigzagged through the waterways for the hour, we spotted a water rat; it was the size of a pregnant rabbit and horrifying to look at. He got my vote for best creature of the swamp. Undoubtedly, this would be more exciting to visit on a sweltering, humid New Orleans day, but there was so much romance in the mossed cypresses bowing toward the water against the grey sky. The occasional flower became more precious because it wasn’t so abundant. As we neared land, an above-ground graveyard was quite prominent and stark in its whiteness, a testament to the Cajun swamp people that once lived there.

Cost for two people was $120.

"Riverwalk" conjures up images of San Antonio, until now… Chuck and I walked there as the sun was setting, since it’s a short distance from the hotel on Canal. When we visit such places, we invariably end up going and lingering in different shops, but we always manage to find each other at the end of an aisle, and such was the case. The browsing came after the "eats," as we were both starving. And there is no better place to develop an appetite than in New Orleans.

This place is huge, and long…so take your time. There are levels and sublevels -- a, b, and c. The Canal Street entrance is really pretty, though the pictures Chuck tried to take of the water jets of Spanish Plaza fountain bombed out. Okay, I had made up my mind to have fried fish, because outside the Caribbean, this is one of the best places to eat fish. Chuck decided to have a gyro (he regretted that). You’ll find restaurants like Anthony’s Seafood House, which have elegant seating, or food court-type stands which run on endlessly and also offer tasty tidbits. There is a po’ boy shop for which you must ditch the diet. Also Cajun dogs, burgers, Haagen Dazs, steak places, chicken and biscuits, along with daiquiri stands, frozen fruit and Chinese in the way of Panda Express.

If you’re shopping, the brand-name stores are here to welcome your plastic, or if you need cash, ATMs are found on level B, to the left of the stairs leading to the next level. Though we love to window shop, we never do serious shopping in places like this, which are meant specifically for tourists. For the guys, there’s a "Nothing but Golf" shop, together with Eddie Bauer and GAP, among others. For the kiddie audience, there’s "Just Me Music", and the "Especially for You Create-A-Book" is always fun as a surprise to a young one.

The requisite bath-and-body places are all anchored here, including Body Shop, Perfumania, and some locals. A host of specialty stores will keep you dumbfounded: lots of local talent and art, leather, sports-related merchandise, hats, luggage, Mardi Gras fare to choke several horses, pottery -- it’s just endless.

We had the most fun at Mardi Gras Madness, because it was just too darn colorful. Look at the photo, and you’ll agree. You’ll do the aisles inch-by-inch for fear of missing anything; the glitz and gaudiness is at an all-time high here, and there’s more hanging from the ceiling, should you lose interest. Did I mention pizza?

You can also learn Cajun cooking at the on-premise school. There’s a small Café du Monde here, as well, serving their killer beignets. You can also purchase a riverboat cruise here, which departs from the same area. You can go outside and look at the Mississippi, but it’s more fun inside.

Magazine Street is considered to be one of New Orleans’ main attractions; it is replete with shops, antiques, galleries, restaurants, souvenir shops, and the like. However, the array is not continuous and the breaks between the "interesting" spots can be long and barren. We were walking around the Warehouse District and came upon this museum by total surprise. Neither one of us knew of its existence, and for the kind of day it was, the perfect antidote to pouring rain.

As you approach the entrance, if you look down, or actually, you don’t even have to look down, you’ll notice that you are stepping on inlaid bricks with names on them-hundreds and hundreds of names. They commemorate the fallen of the World War II years. As general information, admission for adults is $10, whereas seniors and students pay only $6. Members and children under 5 are free. There is wheelchair access, and the museum is open 7 days a week, from 9 am to 5 pm. They are closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and of course, Mardi Gras.

As you enter the main building, the very high ceiling, with hanging Spitfire and Avenger airplanes, greets you; there is a reproduction of the famous Higgins boat (that allowed for amphibian landing and was built on the bayou) and German staff cars, which can make one a bit uneasy.

The saga is recounted "blow by blow," as America was a latecomer to this war. There is a striking wall in the exhibit that shows some of the propaganda used in the U.S., which was quite racist against the Asians. There was no such thing as political correctness at the time. They also painted quite a grim picture of the Americans.

The Omaha Beach event is retold with bursting pride, and was at the time, deemed to be the largest and most complex amphibious attack in history. You also get a glimpse of how much better equipped U.S. soldiers were, down to their personal effects, as compared with the British. There is a superb and extensive retelling of the involvement in the Pacific, with horrific tales of happenings in the Philippines, Iow Jima, Okinawa, etc.

Leaving no stone unturned, Hitler’s maniacal final solution is given ample mention. Though there were quite a few recorded newsreels from the actual time and commentaries, it is impossible to listen to them all. I find the personal testimonials the most interesting. This was a time of real sacrifice both overseas and at home. The D-Day Museum also houses the Malcolm S. Forbes Theater; there one can view two films: D-Day Remembered, which speaks of the war in Europe, and Price for Peace, which recalls the war in the Pacific. Interestingly, we learn that its founder, Stephen E. Ambrose, together with Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks dedicated the museum on June 6, 2000.

This market has the distinction of being the country’s oldest. Vendor stalls are to be found both inside and outside the building. Then there was the irresistible music, which can only emanate from New Orleans’ black musicians. And there were several. They were having so much fun, fun playing, fun kidding each other, and fun being under the sun of the city they loved. It was simply infectious, and it became quite difficult to tear oneself away.

A couple of landmarks anchor the market, each with its own claim to fame. Directly behind it is the famed Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, where you can shop till your drop. A young Joan of Arc bronze statue graces the grounds as well, and of course you know her story. A lovely fountain gives the eye a rest and surrounding it are stone benches on which you can sit, though some use them as a bed for the night. No doubt the smell of various foods will be tickling your nose throughout this journey, so come hungry!

At the French Market you will be able to take home ingredients to recreate your NO (New Orleans) experience; first and foremost are the ubiquitous garlic pendants that are fragrant and used freely in Cajun cuisine. Most likely, at one point, they came in handy as vampire repellents. There will be a million jars of different sauces with degrees of "hot" on the label, so pick your poison. Smoked alligator anyone? Yes, no kidding. Screaming signs of fish-food beckon: shrimp, oysters, crabs, cray or craw fish, and gator on a stick (their version of a corn dog?). The French Market Seafood Company not only has a presence in the market itself, but they also have a website online. Should you wish to visit, please click here

This is where I became acquainted with dirty rice, and I have loved it ever since. I’ve had it at home, tamed a bit with yogurt. There was also "wild pecan rice," which promised to be heavenly, but alas - it never made it into the basket. You’ll find your gumbo and etouffée bases here, upon which you can build. There are lots of different styles of red beans and alcoholic drink mixes of which I know next to nothing about. But then comes my favorite, and you can definitely find these online - the French Market Mixes, which are conveniently packaged, allowing a neophyte to serve anything foolproof. A mere $4 will buy you a pound of beer bread mix or fried green tomato mix, Southern-style grits, sweet potato muffin mix, and Nawlins (New Orleans) cheese grits; for $5.00 you can produce white chocolate bread pudding mix, jalapeño cornbread mix, or pecan cornbread mix. Hungry?

This is complemented by jewelry, handmade clothing, carved masks of international origins, original paintings and watercolors, CD’s, porcelain masks (I bought two at the incredible price of $10), souvenirs of all kinds, woven straw baskets, and more.

This is a long stretch of trendy boutiques, antique shops galore, art stores with dashes of rundown abodes, and circumspect-looking corners. It’s a good idea to ride the length of it on the bus, as it will give you a sense of where you’d like to spend your time.

You can start at Canal, which runs perpendicular to Magazine, ending at Jackson. You have 23 blocks where there is a concentration of bookstores. Within each major classification will be different types of establishments. For example, on the 2100 block, the Brass Menagerie will catch your eye. No, Blanche does not work there!

I spotted the NO School of Glassworks and Printmaking Studio and immediately went in. They hold demonstrations daily in architectural glassblowing and are extremely safety conscious. Much of the finished art work is on display as you enter, and the pieces will blow your mind. The printmaking area is impressive, and I saw a work in progress, with the color separations hung on a wall. Give them a call if you are in town at 504/529-7277.

I peered at some long-forgotten magazines in one of the vitrines. See the photo below. Also to be found are two of the street’s antique bed-and-breakfasts, built in the late 1850s and restored. From Jackson to Louisiana, where the 2200 block starts (going up to the 3300 block), you can enjoy or just browse the variety of personal services available, such as spas, skin and body services (banish the cellulite right here!!), and pampering. Animal Snackers Petcetera offers gourmet and natural foods for your pooch. Linger at Stationer of New Orleans for upscale albums, journals, and handmade gift ideas of all types.

As Louisiana ends, you are now at the 3400 to 4300 blocks, where jewels are precious and represent the city’s best in silver, pearls, and artist’s jewelry and objects. For a quick change of pace, visit the Magazine Pawn Shop for bargains on used baubles. Several of the shops are owned by the artists themselves, which are more interesting and show a variety of other enchanting collectibles.

The next 13 blocks extend from Napoleon to Jefferson Streets and concentrate on hospitality. I didn’t see any hotels though, so what’s up with that? Between Napoleon and Jefferson, you have 13 blocks of basically nothing. The next nine blocks take you from Jefferson to Calhoun, the latter bringing Magazine Street’s browsers to a shopper’s end.

Don’t worry if all this walking has you hungry; there will be all sorts of eateries to calm your pangs: sushi is available on the 2800 block and smoothies and local Creole cooking are on blocks 3000 and 3900. A noted international beer tavern/pub called the Bulldog awaits you on the 3200 block. For lobster on brioche, stop at French restaurant Lilette at no. 3637. As you near the end of the trail, you’ll find a Whole Foods Market to restore your sense of balance.

Touring the Vieux Carré by horse-drawn carriage is romantic, funny, informative, and a must-do activity. On a prior visit, I fell under the spell of a real "old timer" who not only knew his history, but was a natural comedian. No such luck with the current guy, but who was to know he would turn out to be a dud?

He would not leave his parking post unless he could get another couple to hop in so he could make his minimum fare. So we waited, and waited, and waited . . . finally, we were joined by another young couple and were relieved to begin our tour. By the way, there are blankets on the seats that came in very handy, as dusk was setting in, and let’s remember that it’s December.

He was difficult to hear because he did not turn around occasionally, so you can see his lips moving. We did catch a few notable facts, which I give you below.

1. At one time, the French Quarter was all of New Orleans. As the city grew, it extended beyond those boundaries. Several major streets make up the square, and they are Bourbon (most famous), Royal, Chartres, Decatur, Rampart, Dauphine, and Burgundy. On foot, we did the first four.

2. The French Quarter is less than a mile long and only half a mile across; try telling this to your feet as you amble along. It has become synonymous with the city of NO.

3. Royal Street had me literally jumping out of my seat; it is a mélange of galleries, funky and elegant shops, antiques, and ambulant musicians. In days of old, a streetcar used to run along this street. Behind St. Louis’ Cathedral was the area where Jackson plotted his battle plans. Also on Royal is famous haunted Lalaurie House.

4. Chartres Street is not as posh as Royal but has its own merits (a lot of bookshops, which sends me straight to heaven). Here you will find the nation’s first pharmacy, which is now a museum. We entered when we were on foot and did not stay for the tour. Remember Paul Prudhomme? Lines used to form around the block for a table at his restaurant. It’s still there, but there are no lines. New Orleans’ oldest playhouse is on Chartres, on the corner of Jackson. The Cabildo, now part of the Louisiana State Museum, was the site of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase.

5. Decatur used to be considered dangerous at one time, but they fixed that. The Jax Brewery is an important shopping anchor together with the Canal Place Mall. This is where you can find the House of Blues, the Hard Rock Café, and the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company among other well-reputed places. The first Café du Monde is also there, across the street from Jackson Square.

Your guide might be able to point out all the houses of ill repute, which can be on any of these streets.

It’s older than the trolleys in good ol’ San Francisco. And lucky for us, the stop is right across the street from the Marriott, at Canal and St. Charles. This is almost as good as seeing things on foot when your feet refuse to obey you. Besides, I think trolleys are so romantic, even though some are now motorized. This one began electric railway operation in 1893 and has been in continuous operation ever since.

The fleet of cars operating that route have been named to the National Register of Historic Places. It leaves the Central Business District to chug-along through the "Garden District," appropriately named for its lush greenery and stately mansions. The median track is covered with grass, and the cars themselves are a battleship green color, betraying their age. However, there is a specific facility on Carollton Avenue, which is crossed along the ride, that restores, rebuilds, and maintains these cars so that they may continue to carry the many thousands of riders every day.

It’s one of the city’s best bargains at $1.25 a person, and if the day is sunny, as it was for us, it makes the scenery truly beautiful, and one can overlook some of the unkempt and rundown residences that do stick out like sore thumbs. Some visitors like to get on and off at various stops (there are 52 in all) in order to explore further on foot. We chose to respect our feet that day and didn’t. The most attractive places along the route are listed below, with their websites, so that you can get more information about them:

1. Audubon Zoological Gardens
2. Campus of Tulane University , which incidentally was my daughter’s second choice for college.
3. Lafayette Cemetary , with its reputed above-ground graves. They conduct a separate tour of that locale as part of the larger scoped "Ghost Tour".
4. Loyola University
5. Commanders Palace Restaurant , one of New Orleans’ crown dining places.
6. Anne Rice’s house I think I may have been the only person on that trolley not to have read any of her books. I am anti-horror and not crazy for fiction in general.

I tried to imagine what it would have been like in the 1830s, when the Anglos came to New Orleans to find fame and fortune and established themselves in the Garden District., as the French Quarter was too "Creole" for them. One such mansion belonged to a prominent sugar planter, Walter Denegre, who had his place built by by the French "Ecole des Beaux Arts." Since 1929, however, it was turned into the Louise S McGehee School, an all-girl school with an enrollment of less than 500. It sounds quite exclusive, though it boasts that it will accept anyone regardless of race, creed, etc.

Please give me Blanche Du Bois!!

Along with its reputation for letting the good times roll, New Orleans also conjures up images of a mixture of people, including Creoles and African slaves, and the mysticism that accompanied those cultures. There are tours that emphasize this haunted city, its closet skeletons, its days of piracy and torture, and its alleged apparitions. We did not go for the full treatment, but instead I treated myself to a Tarot reading, and, in our walks, we went into the bookshop of the Monde Creole, which is a fascinating journey of its world.

I am inclined to believe that anyone can do a Tarot reading, which is supported by the fact that I was able to find a kit for sale on Amazon.com. If you’re interested in testing your skills, go to this page and start a new business! I found the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Voodoo particularly compelling.

Along the French Quarter, in front of the Cabildo, one can find a cluster of readers very eager to commiserate with you about what the cards will reveal. I learned that they are very territorial and that there exists some pretty serious rivalries among them. My reader, to my delight, was a transvestite named Chris. When I sat down at her/his table, Chris was mumbling about how some other "people," who shall remain nameless, are a disgrace to the industry and are practically stealing people’s money with fake readings. I was so amused by Chris that I found it very difficult to concentrate on the reading.

More provocative to me were Chris’ incredible long manicured nails; also he/she made a point of telling me that all of the readings were by the book, which was a tiny publication that gave evidence of much wear and tear. Chris would always refer and read to me from the book and had me totally mesmerized. Aligned in front of him/her were the various paraphernalia necessary for a good reading, such as candles, small statues, various stones, a collection of receptacles, a miniature treasure chest, colored clothespins, etc. As a gesture of friendship, I was offered a small stone from a private collection.

Chris was the epitome of femininity and grace. My great disappointment, though, came by way of his/her red sneakers. It just did nothing for the outfit. How about that blond Harlow look? I absolutely was blown away with the constant referral to "us girls." You can understand, can’t you, that I do not recall a single omen or good thing that was going to happen to me.

My reading lasted about 20 minutes and cost "whatever I thought it was worth," according to Chris. I gave him/her $20, which was the going rate. I received the usual blessings, etc, and wished I could do it all over again.