#Ellie finds a lot of haunted locations in her travels

[goldengirlgalaxy]

DC X DP: King Danny shows up to help and then freaking Constantine tries to use his soul to pay for a favor and Danny just straight up looks at him and says: “Dude… your soul is like pocket change now, you broke the ghost economy and I fixed it by devaluating your soul, this sliver of soul is not worth more than a pack of gum and a clip”

Danny already has five slivers alone. Pretty much everyone he knows in the Zone has at least one, or has had one. Ellie has a lion's share of them after playing poker in a ghost casino she found in Vegas.

His human friends all have one, for Ancients' sake!

[damn-stark]

The Trouble ch.7

A/N- sorry it’s taken so long to post but I plan on finishing this now, so expect more frequent posts. :)

Warning- angst, talks of death, ptsd, blood, light fluff

Pairing- Jesse x fem!reader

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

——

You could still see it, as clear as day. You could still hear the sound of the gunshots, and the sound of his body thumping the ground.

That’s the only memory you could see now. The memory of Jesse's face contorted into that single painful memory of his death. Everytime you tried to recall a happy and blissful moment, he appeared with his bloody face and the wound that killed him.

As much as you tried to forget, his death haunted your dreams and your mind every waking hour. It wasn’t as bad as it was in the first couple of months after you returned home, but you still couldn’t be the same. You could never be the same. No one who went and came back with you was the same.

Sometimes...you could even see him appear to you…it was so strangely vivid, it seemed like he was actually with you. But you knew he wasn’t, he couldn’t be.

“Y/N, hey kiddo….” You look over your shoulder and notice Tommy welcomed himself inside the house.

You weren’t even aware when he walked inside, or if he even knocked. He most likely did, you just didn’t hear. Albeit sometimes out of instinct, he just walked inside the house; it happened once when Maria was home, she didn’t say anything though, he was the only one embarrassed.

“...I thought you’d be holed up in here,” he continued as he set down the tupperware filled with food.

You turn off the sink and completely turn around to face him, leaning back on the counter and shrugging nonchalantly. “I was just going to go out, you just caught me in here before I could.”

Tommy rests his hand on the counter across from you and releases an airy chuckle. “Right, with which friends may I ask? Maria says you’ve lost them all.”

Your eyes flicker away from him and you scoff as you nod slowly. “They lost me...man,” tears fill your eyes and you feign a grin, “..they...lost me.” You clear your throat and raise your head, letting out a quiet sigh and changing the mood before the tension rose. “Anyway, what’s with the surprise visit? I thought we were meeting for patrol later this week?”

“Well,” Tommy says as he shrugs and averts your gaze. “Just thought you might like the visit.”

You cross your arms over your chest and nod stiffly, smiling softly and then clicking your tongue. “Sure did. But,” you begin to say as you narrow your gaze on him, noticing he looked strange; his stiffened posture, his perplexed expression beginning to show itself on his face. It was hard to tell, he hid his true intentions well, but you saw the truth. “...you’re not here just to visit are you?”

Tommy stands up straight and drops his head to shake it without having to face you. “No,” he mutters before he moves his hand to search the pocket hidden inside his jacket, slowly scrummaging through it to pretend he was looking for something, when in reality he only had one thing, a folded up map. “I wanted to show you this.” He puts the map on the countertop and unfolds it on the surface to flatten it out and show a part of some state, he doesn’t reveal it right away, he instead just waves you over and waits for you.

However you don’t move right away, first you let your eyes scan the wrinkled paper, noticing the marks and the city names. You didn’t recognize the cities so you didn't instantly catch what his intentions were—it could be just some city he needed some supply from, some part of the state where he wanted to visit for some reason, you truly didn’t know. If you were being completely honest you didn’t want to know. Something was telling you to not press further. But you did.

After a couple seconds of hesitation you walk up beside him and take a better look at the map he was showing you.

“First of all, before I get to explaining, I want you to know that I’m not asking anything of you, you don’t owe me anything, okay?” Tommy explains as he turns his head to look at you, waiting in silence for you to assure him. “You understand that?”

“Yeah,” you nod hesitantly. “I understand...why?” You lift your eyes from the paper and meet his gaze. “What’s up?”

“Well,” he swallows thickly. “Recently this guy who’s heard my story, shared to me that while he was moving through California…..” he pauses and looks back at the map, waving his hand around as he chooses to continue. “He traded with a woman that he described was built like an ox.”

“Okay,” you nod, feeling the explanation he gave instantly matched with the women that also plagued your mind, knowing that he was referring to no one else but her.

“He said she was traveling with a kid with scars across his face.” Tommy proceeded to then shift the map around, pointing to a part of land by the ocean. “He said they were living along the coast in a beached sailboat. Right here.” Tommy says as he points to the specific location. “That’s gotta be her.”

Your eyes flicker up to him as you let silence take over for a few minutes as you tried to collect your thoughts, as you tried to process the news and what he was really asking of you.

“Is this…” you ask slowly as your eyes remain away from him. ���About Joel?”

“No,” Tommy instantly answers, “not for you anyway...this is about Jesse.”

“I see,” you nod as you step back, feeling your throat begin to burn and your eyes begin to cloud with tears. “I see.”

And it’s at the sound of his name that you see him appear close to Tommy.

Jesse looked so real, so insanely real that it really seemed like he was there listening to Tommy with you. But that was the point, right? The game your mind tortured you with.

The only thing that distinguished him from actually seeming real was that he appeared to you how he was when he died; with the bullet that punctured his face, and the blood that poured from it. Otherwise you’d have a hard time actually believing he wasn’t real, otherwise you’d always be looking at his illusion your mind created, unlike how you were now, you couldn’t even fathom looking at him for more than a second before you looked away in horror.

Tommy noticed that reaction but he didn’t hold back. He was too mad to do so.

“I went to Ellie about Joel, but she let me down.”

“What?” You gasp as you snap your head up to look at him. “You went to Ellie? Why would you do that?” You demand with anger beginning to lace through your voice.

“Because she promised she’d do something about her.” Tommy remarked, making you shake your head and blink in disbelief.

“But why would you break that peace she’s trying to find? That’s why she and Dina moved.” You snap. “Why would you go to her with this?”

“That peace she’s trying to find his bullshit,” Tommy scoffs as he grabs the map and begins to fold it. “You know that.”

“That doesn’t matter!” You interject furiously, “why would you go to her?”

“Because she needs to do something about Abby, just like you do too. Are you really going to let her get away with killing jesse?” Tommy counters, instantly making you stiffen and feel your breath hitch at the sound of his comment. You wanted to talk back, but you were struck with disbelief and grief to manage to muster anything out.

All that you could show was the pain on your face, in your tear filled eyes. Tommy noticed that and hesitated, he stepped back and wanted to try and apologize, but he waited too long. Maria walked in and didn’t want an explanation, she recognized the pain on your face that she saw everyday since you returned. She, unlike Tommy, knew more of what you were struggling with and she wasn’t going to allow someone to just worsen the pain. Not even Tommy.

“What do you think you’re doing Tommy?” She demanded after she also took note of the map in his hand.

“Just came here to talk to her,” Tommy said as he hid the truth. “That’s all.”

“Well,” Maria scoffed, “then that’s enough for today. Get out.”

Said man didn’t argue, he stopped under the kitchen doorway to add one last thing to you. “Think about it y/n, you know I’m right. And then go talk to her. Do what’s right.”

You slowly look up at him and catch a brief sight of the anger burning on his face before he turns and limps out of the house, leaving you a scrambled mess and only causing you to see him again. It was brief, but you saw Jesse's dead figure under the doorway right before Maria broke you from your stupor and didn’t hesitate to embrace you, trying to comfort your withered soul. But not succeeding. Not like the times before.

——

“I’m giving you ten minutes.” Jesse informs you as he leans by the tree trunk a few feet away. “You better have your eyes closed already.”

“I’m already asleep,” you add sarcastically, “you just keep talking to me so.”

Jesse scoffs and keeps talking to you even after he gives you a time limit to take a very short nap. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste here if we want to catch up to Ellie and Dina.”

You pull the small blanket over your head and sigh. “If only we did have time. I’d love to stay here. It’s very pretty.”

You hear Jesse's feet shift and you imagine he was now looking at you over his shoulder, but you couldn’t know with your back turned his way. All the indication you had to know that he was still listening was the fact that he responded without thinking of his answer. “After we find them on our way back home, we could get “lost” and just arrive a few weeks after them.”

You open your eyes, but you don’t turn to face him, you keep yourself facing the forest you stopped in to rest and smile as you continue to play along. “They’d be worried.”

“Yeah, but we’ll go back, we’ll just be a few days, or weeks late.”

“You’re right,” you say as you turn back and close your eyes again. “And we won’t tell them that we just wanted to spend time together.”

“No,” Jesse agrees, “it’ll stay between us.”

“Sounds good,” you finish with a content sigh and a giddy smile. Jesse doesn’t answer, but you didn’t need him to know he agreed with you. You were content with the quiet comment he made a few minutes after the comfortable silence.

“Goodnight, y/n.”

——

“Goodnight...Jesse.”

You shift around in your bed and face the ceiling, wiping the tears off your cheeks and watching as the sun slowly begins to peek inside the room, slowly reflecting the soft light on the ceiling. You had gotten a few hours of sleep, but not so much, not as much as you would before. And well it seemed that Tommy’s words kept you up. You just couldn’t stop thinking of the fact that he had gone to Ellie, that he had tried to put salt over the wound.

You just couldn’t help but think of what she was doing. It had been months since you heard news of Abby, since anyone heard news of her, and it’s not like you or anyone else expected it, that part of everyone’s life was supposed to be over. That meant no chasing revenge schemes.

Yet here Tommy was, wanting people to chase after a woman he couldn’t. Knowing that he shouldn’t put such a heavy burden on anyone, knowing that you wouldn't do it, you weren’t that person….however that’s why he didn’t come to you first, that’s why he went to Ellie, because he had hoped she would.

Only you hoped she wouldn't….she went through so much, she has a happy life, a good family. Joel wouldn't want her to throw that away, not for some revenge plan that could end up with her dying this time—you hoped she knew that. You wished Tommy would realize that.

Yet...something told you she didn’t….shit—you let out a deep sigh while you sit up and swing your legs over the bed to quickly slide off. You hesitated continuing for a bit, but you needed to do this, you needed to talk to her.

No more holing up in your house, no more avoiding.

——

“This is it.” You mutter under your breath as you stop in front of the porch, looking away from the land that surrounds the house and looking at the house. “No more avoiding.” You draw out a small breath and walk up the stairs to make it to the front door, hesitating again but this time with your knuckles hovering over the door. Your eyes slide to your fist, and you’re tempted to pull it away and just walk back home since no one seemed to know you were here.

But, no. You needed to remind yourself that you were here for a reason. So you let your hand go and knock on the door and wait. And it actually didn’t take long before you spotted someone peeking out the creaked door, before they spread the door open and revealed their face.

“Y/N, hi,” Dina greets you with a very faint smile and swollen eyes. “What a surprise.” She steps forward and wraps you in a hug, seeming to use all the strength she could muster to keep you close.

“I know,” you smile as you return the embrace. “I’m sorry, it’s just been….hard,” you sigh, letting her be the first one to pull away after some minutes. “How’s JJ?”

“Good,” she assures you as she steps to the side. “Come in.”

You do so slowly to take in the nicely decorated space you’ve seen so far.

“He’s just sleeping,” Dina continues as she walks further into her house, while you come to stop in the living room and keep searching, this time for Ellie; “water? Tea?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine.” You assure her while you watch her peek her head out the kitchen. “Thanks. Uh, Dina, where’s Ellie?”

Suddenly at the sound of her name you see Dina stiffen once she’s out of the kitchen, she drops her gaze and shakes her head before she continues to walk and join you in the living room. “She’s...not here.”

Your eyebrows furrow and you take a step towards her to press for a clearer answer. “What do you mean?”

“I mean she left.”

“What?” You queried ere as you blink in disbelief, for the first few seconds not getting why. Not until it hit you. That’s when you let out a deep sigh and dropped your own gaze. “I’m guessing this had something to do with Tommy.”

“Something like that.” Dina scoffs.

You nod slowly in comprehension and clench your fists, choosing to share what happened to you too. “Yeah,” you scoff, “he came to me too. I came here to tell her not to go, to remind her that...Joel wouldn't want that for her.” You look up and see Dina was now closer to you, her eyes were watery and her frown was deeply formed. “But I’m late.”

“You know nothing would’ve changed her mind,” Dina shares as her voice quivers. “She’s stubborn.”

“Yeah,” you nod, “I know. But at least then I could’ve tried something else.”

Dina stays quiet for a moment while her eyes search your face, her own seeming to come to a realization. “Don’t do it, y/n. Don’t go after her.”

“I,” you pause and think to yourself; you didn’t even think of doing so at this ínstant, the intention didn’t cross your mind. But it was beginning to slowly break through your mind, you suppose she got that impression before you did. Now it’s the only thing you could think of.

You exhale deeply and your impulse answers for you. “My friends' problems are my problems."

.

.

.

.

Tagged- @protect-lev , @expecto-nox, @vintage-and-hypnotic , @kokomaesadie , @0j-b0, @itsyellow , @minheoly @traceylader

[faithandfairies]

OUAT 7x04 Thoughts

This episode was confusing to me. For several reasons.

Which, I’m wondering if it was supposed to be since Alice was also confused.

Here’s why though.

The Belle and Rumple story line. It was beautiful. Lovely. Heartbreaking. The love story to surpass all love stories. (Well, I mean, but you get my point.) Hell, even the scenery agreed. It was like Hiyao Miyazaki/ Studio Ghibli Film beautiful scenery. And that’s like the highest compliment you can get when it comes to your work’s scenery.

(x)

This is from Howl’s Moving Castle, my favorite Studio Ghibli film, and I’m pretty sure this isn’t even their best work. Studio Ghibli has a knack for picturesque, dreamy, nostalgic scenery and that was what we got for Rumbelle on OUAT this episode.

(x)

OUAT, The Edge of Realms

Like, I watch this and I almost forget that Rumbelle is problematic. Almost.

And let me tell you, usually Lana is each episode’s MVP, because for real that woman acts her heart out all the time. But this episode it was Rumple. For those who don’t know, SPOILER, Belle dies. And when she did I believed that Rumple was losing the love of his life, the woman he worshiped. It was all so convincing, it was kind of unsettling, really.

Rumbelle fans, if you’re reading this, look away, because this is about to get ugly.

You see, a couple of 2 minute moments of romantic bliss and it’s easy to go “Wow, that couple is perfect together. They have it all.” Doesn’t mean it’s true.

In fact, we’ve seen that Rumbelle didn’t have it all. They showed us. Which is fine, depending on the definition of “not all”.

But we saw Rumple be abusive and possessive and pretty much a danger to Belle and his son. A man doesn’t just go from that to someone you can have a life of marital bliss with, just like that.

And they never showed us Rumbelle dealing with their shit. Some of the last we saw of Rumbelle was how Rumple helped orchestrate the casting of the Dark Curse that pulled his family apart. And isn’t that fitting since he also orchestrated the original casting of the Dark Curse. 

I’m not saying people can’t change-when it comes to TV that is- because in real life the lesson that was passed down to me all the way from my great-grandmother is that you do not wait around for a man to change. Ever. You do not try to help him change. That’s not your job. He hits you once, even if it’s for the first time the day after your wedding, you leave and don’t come back. Because if you don’t leave or leave and come back that’s your way of telling him it’s okay to hit you again. It’s your way of letting him know you value him and being with him more than you value yourself. And he will use it against you, make no mistake. So he starts drinking, you leave, he starts smoking and it bothers you, you leave. There is no in-between. Goes for a woman too, by the way. I live by that code. Because if you give people the room to disrespect you, they will, it’s that simple. It’s human nature to test boundaries and therefore it’s also human responsibility to set ours with other humans because of it. 

I’m also not saying people can’t change in real life. It’s just that in real life if you wait for that to happen, even if it does in the end, by then you’ll most likely be collateral damage to the hurricane they’ve been, while you were waiting for them to settle down.

But for the sake of beautiful, complex characters and beautiful, complex love stories, we always assume they can and do change. The thing is, even for that to be assumed there needs to be some kind of convincing, lasting indication in that direction. And Rumbelle didn’t have that. Rumple made one good decision by the end of season 6. Well, big deal, he’s done it before only to fall off the wagon again. You know what he’s done a lot more more than make good, wholesome decisions though? Deceived Belle into thinking he made good, wholesome decisions. Hell, even this episode it was clear he was still an addict struggling with his addiction. Belle warning him off and being able to tell if he pulled something given what he wanted to pull, like make her young and healthy again, probably being the only thing standing between him and going ahead with things his way. And I know that even alcoholics that have been sober for years struggle sometimes. But still. There’s just something about him grabbing for the dagger any time it seemed convenient, not just when Belle was dying and that was understandably hard, that was significant.

They also basically told us that in his last years with Belle before she “found the solution” Rumple pretty much turned into Arthur with Guinevere. Obsessed with finding the solution to his problems “out there”, outside of himself. And we know how that went for the two of them. I think Arthur’s solution even contained a sun symbol.

For me, the ending to Rumbelle’s story line more than anything confirms that Emma eventually got away from Rumple. It might have taken her months or even years. And it might have felt like a lifetime. But she got away. Which makes me happy.

It’s also interesting that they used the Up-couple to tell Rumbelle’s story. because two things about their story stand out.

1. They never had a child. Or if they had one, they lost it. Which I think fits Emma’s story.

And 

2. Mr. Up-I forgot his name and am too lazy to look it up- never actually lived up to Mrs. Up’s, Ellie’s, expectations. Which in the original couple’s case was fine with me since the way in which he felt he hadn’t, the big dream they didn’t realize was traveling together. But here they show us that Rumbelle does actually manage to travel. And the truth is that for Rumbelle all Belle ever wanted from Rumple was for him to be a good man. Which tells me he wasn’t. 

Then there’s another thing.

They finally made the connection beyond a shadow of a doubt between Belle and Emma. Through Alice. They had Alice tell Rumple he was a good man, almost like a prayer. As if she was convincing herself as much as him.

We also had her on drugs given to her by Rumple, her abuser. Drugs that was supposed to make her foggy, make her forget, blind her and settle her confusion about her life, since we have a confused Alice when she’s off her meds. Asking questions about her location and why she’s there. To Victoria, but still. Sounds about right.

We were also shown that the drugs were put in Alice’s food. Which, since before we’ve seen drink laced with drugs, Emma’s, suggests that drugs might have been in everything Emma consumed while with Rumple to keep her docile.

Another thing is that the first time Rumple gave Alice the sandwich he told her it was her favorite and she said she’d never tried it. Which tells me he also made suggestions as to what she could eat and like, etc. Very Fifty Shades, very Fifty Shades indeed. Yeah, I started reading the book a couple years back. I remember the contract. The guy. I only got about 1/4th? of the way through before I got too nauseous and depressed because of it to continue.

We also had Alice shooting Rumple this episode. 

(x)

Which once again drives home that Emma injured or killed someone and it was probably Rumple. He survived it. Which, I mean he’s immortal on the show. So of course he did. But the real question is, is it because he survived the actual injury? Or is it because even if Emma did kill him, given his role in her life, him dying didn’t take away from the fact that his memory still haunted her.

The truth is that even when people die, they don’t, because they live on in our memories of them, in what they taught us, how they loved us and what they meant to us, in how they hurt us...

(x)

Emma also shot at an ogre and it didn’t make a dent. I think it’s the only time we actually see Emma use her gun on this show. And by use I mean actually shoot a bullet.

We’re told Rumple should’t have survived getting shot. That it was a miracle he survived. So the question really is, did he survive? Or did Emma’s memory of him? For now at least I’m gonna go with “Emma killed Rumple, but didn’t manage to kill his memory.”

The chipped cup also comes up again.

The other interesting thing is the way the story is shaped. Rumple is seemingly set up as a puppet, a pawn, maneuvered around by a puppet master, an expert chess player.

Here’s the thing with that, I would have less of a hard time believing Rumple as a pawn if I hadn’t seen him be the puppet master in almost every scenario we’ve ever seen Dark One Rumple in.

We’re supposed to believe he’s being maneuvered around by Victoria Belfrey, whom I think might very well be Emma herself. Last season he was supposedly being maneuvered around by The Black Fairy, whom is definitely Emma.

Then, we had him sometimes being maneuvered around by Regina, whom was his pawn long before and for far longer than he was ever hers.

The truth is, if I squint just right and given the authorities’ involvement with real cases this season, this could be a he-said-she said-case. A case of blaming the victim.

Like Rumple intentionally making a monster out of Regina, manipulating her into submission only to turn around and feel victimized whenever she managed to turn his tactics around on him.Who says that isn’t what we’re seeing with Emma? Emma finally finding ways to outsmart Rumple? Only for it to make him look innocent and victimized? Which may be what Cora and Victoria were born from.

There is also this:

(x)

Interesting Halloween costume choice. I haven’t seen anyone talk about it other than to say the blonde curls must be because she’s subconsciously thinking about Emma. Which hey, works for me.

But...

Marilyn Monroe was mostly known as a sex symbol. Only, she was so much more than that. I saw a post on Marilyn that talked about how she was a sexual abuse survivor and someone who talked openly about sexual abuse and stood up for LGBT and Racial rights. She actually made it so Ella Fitzgerald could sing at a club she wasn’t allowed to sing at.

And it makes me wonder if that’s perhaps also why Regina went as her.

Not to mention that the poisoned apple now being an alcoholic drink offered by Regina at a bar vs. poisoned baked goods offered by The Evil Queen kind of makes you wonder.

I feel like the writers are really trying to pull the story together now. More obviously telling us what the real story is. And inviting us to put all the pieces of all the stories together in order to get the big picture. To solve the puzzle.They have Alice tell us that.

Now they have Drizella forced to chaperone a kid she does not seem to care about or want to be around. To the point that said kid feels the full force of that and runs off. Kind of brings me back to the season 1 premiere with Henry running from Regina. Not to mention Regina being forced into marrying Leopold. While I think Leopold is at least part Henry.

I really loved the Drizella/Ivy-Henry dynamic by the way.That was some good story telling.

(x)

Interesting that they made Drizella’s Curse name Ivy.

Makes me wonder what the deal is with that.

First things that came to mind

1. Blue Ivy, Beyoncé’s daughter, which made me wonder if it’s possible the Blue Fairy might have always been Regina. (Hey, they may be using Beyoncé to guide us on this journey, you don’t know)

2.The other thing I thought of was Poison Ivy, which automatically made me think of this:

(x)

Since this is about the only thing I know about Poison Ivy. You know, since I’m part of a largely gay fandom and this made waves when it happened. Big ones.

The other thing I know is some vague stuff about Harley’s past. Basically that she had a horribly abusive relationship with the joker that I think almost destroyed her. And did his bidding for a good while.

Makes me think about how Alice is Rumple’s informant.

That’s all for today folks. This is about what registered with me about this episode. 

[thebluegrasstraveler-blog]

  New Orleans, a city steeped in rich history and its vibrant celebration of life! This year for Christmas, instead of buying each other gifts, we decided that since travel is our passion, this was the city we wanted to visit. Two days after Christmas with bags packed, off we went. No journey is ever exactly how you think it will be but for us, plenty of pre-planning helped to insure that we would enjoy a wonderful time in New Orleans without breaking the bank! We have another big trip that we are planning for later this year that requires a lot more of our resources than usual and we didn’t want this trip to interfere with that in any way.

Travel lodging: As a military member there are quite a few travel options that are available to those in uniform if you know when and where to look. Every military base that has billeting in the Department of Defense offers lodging on a Space Available basis. Since this was not peak season for tourism (or so we thought, more on that later) we decided to take book at the Reserve Naval Air Station, New Orleans for accommodations. At $65 a night and only a 20 minute drive to anywhere in the city, this was by far an easy decision for us. The rooms where very large with Queen size beds, walk-in showers, refrigerator and WiFi. if you have animals with you, they are pet friendly as well. They have a full commissary, Base Exchange, fitness center etc. all of which makes for a very safe, secure and super nice place to stay. They also have an RV park right on base with full hook-ups! We had already winterized the RV so that really wasn’t an option for us on this trip. In comparison to nearly $400 a night downtown this was by far a bargain! If you are a military member, Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve or Retired, I highly recommend looking into this option for you and your family.

Inside the Crescent City:

Belle Chase:

Our journey began the night we arrived into town. Staying outside the downtown area is an advantage for travelers because you get out of the immediate tourist areas and into the local community. We ate our first meal at Salvo’s Seafood and it is definitely the place to go! Our waiter (his name escapes us) was super friendly and the food as you can see was off the chain!  All you can eat (Yup, I said it!) Blue Crab, Shrimp, Sausage, potatoes and corn in a seafood boil. A local eatery that was actually the culinary highlight of the whole trip.

Also located in Belle Chase is Town View Cafe. a local eatery/bakery that has been in business at the same location for over 50 years. Open 24 hours a day and serving breakfast at anytime day or night. Almost everyone who walked in knew each other (except us of course) and chatted up with warm welcomes and small talk with each other. The ladies behind the counter welcomed us with open arms and we felt immediately welcome! Awesome experience for sure!

The French Quarter:

The oldest part of New Orleans and the place where the party literally never ends! We thought we were booking during a slow time in New Orleans but I don’t think there is ever a slow time in this city. The Sugar Bowl was being played in the Superdome and Clemson and Alabama football fans descended upon the city by the thousands!

Every street is loaded with bars and restaurants every few feet combined with alcohol at any time, in any flavor 24/7.  We tried Absinthe for the first time and realized that you have to be very careful. At 110 proof it needs to be handled with kid gloves otherwise it’s gonna bite you hard!! There are no open container laws (except no glass) and this guarantees a good time by all. Drink while you walk and see all the sites! Street performers keep the entertainment alive and live music from nearly every open door add to the festive air and celebration. From street musicians, escape artists, fortune telling, and artists the city’s vibrant charm is sure to please everyone.

DCIM100GOPRO

DCIM100GOPRO

The next morning, we got up and decided that we wanted to go to the world famous Cafe Du Monde. Now for travelers, here is a big tip, DO NOT stand in line. We ended up first in a line waiting to be seated in the main area, Two nice young ladies came by and informed us that we just needed to step around the corner and go inside to a smaller area. We walked around the corner and ended up in another line for carry-out (our mistake). Finally after a few minutes, Tiffanie walked into the Cafe Du Monde and immediately called me to meet her in a smaller room away from the main room, she had a seat! Did we cut line? Nope, just walked past unnecessary lines that people themselves created. It is strictly a first come, first serve area! The Cafe Du Monde serves one food and one food only. Beignets which are small, deep fried square donuts covered in confectionery sugar. Enjoyed with a dark roast coffee and chicory blend mixed with hot milk that make up the their Cafe Au Lait you quickly realize why the place is as famous and as busy as it is.

Jackson Square is a local landmark surrounded by some of the most historic buildings in the country. Buildings such as the Pontalba Apartments. The oldest apartments in the United States and St Louis Cathedral, where Pope John Paul II worshiped during his visit. On a whim, we stepped inside an old building that sold tickets for the haunted tours. The first floor was modern and very nice and inside a very nice lady let us explore the other three floors of this old home. She advised that the owners were fixing the upper floors up to Air BnB the rooms but we were more than welcome to look around. During our self-guided tour we discovered that it was rundown, in disrepair and absolutely beautiful.

Birthplace of Jazz and so much more:

New Orleans is known for its artistry and culture. We took a haunted tour at night narrated by a enthusiastic young actress known to us only as “Lucy”. who expertly wove history with myth, the paranormal and superstitions and made it a good learning experience into the cities past.�� Local artists paint, draw and display their work on the square’s iron fence. Here is where we found a talented young man playing his trade performing a Houdini straight-Jacket escape for the people.

We have a sweet spot in our hearts for street performers and artists. As a young man on occasion I too played guitar along with friends on the streets of Bardstown and Lexington looking for tourists and passer-byes to throw a bit of spare money our way. These folks are living their art form and many are very, very good at it.

  Outside the Quarter:

On Frenchman Street is where to true party is. Open air markets, Jazz, blues and funk music pours from every bar and restaurant. Take note though, very few are free. Most require a substantial cover or tickets to get in and all have at least minimum one drink requirements. We had dinner at the Snug Harbor and where treated to the live sounds of legendary Jazz pianist Ellis Marsalus Jr. playing in the next room. If your like us and travel on a budget though, if you really want to hear and see great art in all it’s forms, Just walk! You can find the best shows as you just walk along and see amazing contortionists, skilled poets and talented musicians that rival the greats as well as visual art that could be displayed in any fine art gallery in the world and its all free!

The absolute highlight of the evening was the performance on the street corner of the Young Fellaz Brass Band! A talented group of young men performing their unique style of music that covers many genres, including traditional jazz, hip-hop, R&B, rock and pop tunes . All in an old style Dixieland jazz brass band!! they tore the music up and had everyone dancing in the streets!

  National WWII Museum:

Next up, the National World War II Museum. Here they have done an awesome job of telling the story of a nation that came together during one of the darkest times in history. There we met 92 year old WWII veteran, Reid Sonnleitner who served on a tug during the war. The fact that the few men and women still with us of the Greatest Generation are there and willing to volunteer to tell their story is so awesome. Small children can meet people of a generation that literally saved mankind.  In just a few short years those first hand accounts of the the most devastating war in human history will be lost to time and the world will will never be the same. Because of them we enjoy the freedoms and liberties granted to us as Americans and as a nation, we are forever in their debt.

      During one of our short lulls in the action while sitting in our room, we turned on the TV and began watching the news. After a few minutes we realized that all with all the  negativity that you hear in this world about how divided we are and yet no matter where we have traveled across this nation from the subways in New York City to Venice beach, to the Gulf of Mexico and the deserts of the American West and everywhere we go everyone is always friendly and accommodating and New Orleans was no different.   We shook hands, asked for pics and delved into complete strangers personal pasts to learn more about the great people that make up this amazing world.  We can’t wait until the next adventure to see who we will meet next. 

Check out Facebook or Instagram.

You can find much of what we saw and discovered at the websites below.

http://www.salvosseafood.com/

http://www.dodlodging.net/

https://www.hauntedhistorytours.com/

http://www.snugjazz.com

Happy Travels!!

Craig and Tiffanie

The Bluegrass Traveler

The Big Easy New Orleans, a city steeped in rich history and its vibrant celebration of life! This year for Christmas, instead of buying each other gifts, we decided that since travel is our passion, this was the city we wanted to visit.

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Last week I had to travel for work to San Francisco, CA. To help hold myself accountable and show that healthy traveling can be done I decided to document my journey for you – both what I ate along the way and all the activities I got up to.

Just as a disclaimer: I was not 100% on Ideal Protein protocol phase 1 during this trip. I tried the best I could, considering I couldn’t cook my own food while in a hotel. The point of this post is to prove that you can make the healthiest choices for yourself (whether on protocol or not) and choosing not to completely fall off the wagon while doing so. Don’t fall down the rabbit hole of bad food choices! Just make the best choice you can at the time and hop right back on whatever food plan you have. 

Ok, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff! First of all – San Francisco is an amazing city! This was the first time I had ever been! So while I had to spend the first part of my trip in meetings, I did extend it a couple of days to be a true tourist in the area. It was awesome and if you ever get the chance I highly recommend it!

MONDAY

My first food choice of my trip was at the airport on my way to San Francisco. My flight was early in the morning and I had to get some breakfast before boarding. I opted for Starbucks (even though I really wanted a Chitople breakfast burrito! Yes, they do have those in select airport locations). Anyway, I got a coffee with skim milk and Splenda and a turkey bacon breakfast sandwich – minus the English muffin.

During the flight, I had water, some Ideal Protein packs, celery, and hard-boiled eggs.  However, I should have thought this choice through because a 6ish hour flight is a long time to not have a real meal. I should have brought a salad or something more substantial…by the time the plane landed I was starving.

After getting my rental car I took a trip to my favorite place on the west coast – In N Out Burger 🙂 The protein style burger, wrapped in lettuce, was even better than I remember. Evidently, distance really does make the heart (or stomach) grow fonder!

After getting In N Out, I found my hotel, unpacked, and did some work. Then, it was time to find some dinner. I was really feeling salad so I was hoping to find a Whole Foods, but unfortunately, there wasn’t one close by. So I Googled “Salad Bars Near Me.” A lovely little place about 10 minutes away came up called Sprout’s Farmer’s Market.

I had never heard of this place before, but it’s basically an organic market with a salad bar and hot food options. Think of a smaller Whole Foods – or if you are near where I live the Common Market Co-op. It was definitely what I was looking for! I got a salad and grilled jerk chicken – all for under $10. Plus, I got a super cool bag that you can see over on my Instagram.

  TUESDAY

The next morning I had to be up and ready for a day full of meetings. Fortunately, because of the 3 hour time difference, I was up at 5:00am (ugh!) even though I didn’t need to be at the office until 8. So, I decided to get up and go to the hotel gym. I ended up doing this every morning I had to go to work.

I did about a half hour on the elliptical. Then, went and got ready for the day. As far as breakfast, I had grabbed some hard-boiled eggs at Sprout’s and I had an Ideal Protein pack. Then to top all this activity off I ended up walking to the office which was about an 8-minute walk from the hotel.

Then, there were meetings, meetings, meetings all day…with work provided lunch. Work provided lunches are the bain of my existence. For some reason, they always want to serve pizza or sandwiches. This time around it was sandwiches….and I just deconstructed them and ate all the insides 🙂

That evening we did a team building activity that included a hike and dinner. We hiked up the hill at Bernal Heights Park and got beautiful views of the city skyline. Then we went to a sushi dinner…

Again, sushi is not the best option for me, but I made it work. I decided to stick with 2 rolls with no tempura. I hadn’t had sushi in a really long time so it was quite the treat, but I made sure not to go overboard.

WEDNESDAY

The next morning was exactly the same as the one before it. Elliptical, eggs, walk, and another day full of meetings.

There was another dreaded work lunch. However, this one worked out better. We had 2 types of pasta…and SALAD!!  Yay! I found the cafeteria in the office and supplemented my salad with some other vegetables and protein.

That evening we did another team building activity. This time we went to Urban Putt. This place was awesome. Basically, the owners took an old funeral home and turned it into an indoor miniature golf course. They have a bar and offer food, with a restaurant upstairs. We played a round of golf and had a buffet style dinner. There was spinach salad, empanadas (I had 1/2 of one), sliders (I ate without the bun), tacos, and pizza (which I didn’t eat.)

I had so much fun with this activity. It was probably the best game of miniature golf I have ever played! Our team came in second out of five teams.

THURSDAY

Thursday morning looked the same as all the others. However, my meetings only ran until about 1:00. So no dreaded work provided lunch! And I got to actually start my “vacation” part of the trip.

I was headed down to San Jose so I needed to grab a quick lunch….so I visited In N Out again. I mean you really can’t beat a lettuce wrapped burger for like $4.

Then I made my way down to San Jose. I had two objectives �� 1) Visit the Winchester Mystery House and 2) Go to Apple Headquarters (my techie mecca).

The Winchester Mystery House is a San Jose landmark. It is a mansion that was once owned by Sarah Winchester. She was the widow of William Winchester of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. After her daughter and husband died Sarah believed that she was haunted by those that had been killed by a Winchester firearm. To help with the supposed spirits she visited a medium who advised her to move West and continuously build a home for them – The Winchester Mystery House is the final result. It has 160 rooms, doors to the ceiling, doors to nowhere, etc.

It was a weird and eccentric little tour that I went on. Would I do it again? Probably not. But I think its something different that you can only visit while in San Jose. Also, if you are a history nerd or Travel Channel watcher you will already know about it and definitely want to experience it for yourself.

Next, I was off to Apple! I feel like you can’t drive through Silicon Valley and not stop by. I am a lover of pretty much all the Apple products and wanted to see the place where Steve Jobs used to work. The staff in the Apple Store there were awesome and willing to share lots of information and stories about Steve and the surrounding area.

Finally, that evening I made it back to Sprout’s for dinner and had the same thing I did on Monday night! It was so good…and a pretty healthy choice, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong there. Plus, I didn’t want to tempt myself with anything else.

FRIDAY

On Friday, I was up bright and early to fit in some hiking in the Muir Woods. I had never seen Redwood trees before and I wanted to experience it. I had researched the Muirwoods prior to going and decided to do the 2-mile hiking loop.

So, with some eggs, protein pack, and water on board I went for a beautiful, peaceful morning hike.

After my hike, which took about 2 hours (after walking, taking pictures, and visiting the gift shop) I also visited the nearby Muir Woods Beach.

After the beach, I made my way over to Tiburon, CA to catch a ferry to Angel Island.

Angel Island is the much larger island that sits behind Alcatraz. It served as an army base during WWI and WWII. Also, it was an immigration post for those coming from Asia – kind of like the Ellis Island of the West Coast. I learned a lot about its history and got to see some great views of the San Francisco Bay.

After my tour of Angel Island, I was super hungry! I hadn’t had lunch because I was having so much fun. I did snack along the way on celery, tomatoes, and cucumbers – but that was it! So I made way over to Sausalito, CA to have dinner.

I had researched where to eat in Sausalito and decided on the Napa Valley Burger Company. They had a bunch of different types of burgers with the option to wrap them in lettuce and they came with a side salad – it was perfect! (Also, I realize there seems to be a lettuce wrapped burger theme to this trip haha!)

I went for the Spicy Chicken Burger and it was so good!

SATURDAY

Saturday was another jammed packed day of fun activities – this time in the city! I  decided to do breakfast at the hotel. They offered an egg white frittata that was pretty good….and of course some coffee!

After fueling up for the day, I headed into the city. The hotel, luckily, had a shuttle right to Union Square. I did all the stereotypical San Francisco tourist things – Fisherman’s Wharf, Trans American Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Ghirardelli Square, the cable cars, etc.

The city is packed with things to do and fun things to see. Everyone I encountered was super nice. I especially liked this storefront that I had to take a picture of…because we are all a little weird 🙂

Now here is where things get a little dicey. I had been pretty good food-wise this whole week. I had skipped bread and pasta just for this moment. I was at Ghirardelli Square buying some chocolate for some friends at work. That place hands out chocolate like crazy. Every door I walked through they would hand me a piece of chocolate. However, I said no to those pieces and shared them with people when I got back. No….I went straight for the sundaes…..

Now…I am sure some of you think of this a failure, but I don’t! I consciously made the decision to eat this beautiful hunk of ice cream. I knew that I would probably never have the chance again – and this is why I had been so good the rest of the week.

To me this is the reason this isn’t a failure: Before I got on my healthy lifestyle journey I would have put anything in my stomach without thinking it about it. But this time I thought through the consequences and I accepted them.

And just to note: I wasn’t able to finish that sundae (at one point in my life I would have been able to murder that whole thing!) Also, I didn’t gain weight….or lose any weight. I was able to have fun and feel satisfied but still maintain everything.

And that is the end of my trip! Thank you for coming along with me! I hope that seeing how and why I made my decisions help you on a trip in the future!

Where are you traveling soon? How will you try to make it a healthy trip? Would love to hear from you in the comments!

Traveling Healthy in San Francisco! Come along on my overview of my trip and see the food choices I made and all the fun stuff I got up to! Last week I had to travel for work to San Francisco, CA. To help hold myself accountable and show that…