Frances Ellen Speaks!

Archive for March, 2009

Since I’m encouraging vacation travel on a budget, I’ll rerun part of a previous post I wrote a while back.

If you’re looking to hear the blues, Memphis is the town.

Looking to savor the sweet taste of BBQ? Memphis is a good choice.

A word about Beale Street–I was expecting something similar to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, but Beale Street is much shorter, only extends about a block or two. Therefore, it doesn’t have as many shops, but what it lacks in shopping, it makes up for in good food and fantastic music. The entire time spent on Beale Street is a party for the senses.

There is one important fact to know about BBQ, it comes “wet” or “dry.” At the Pig On Beale, you can order your ribs with a dry rub. Take it from me, if you’re ever at the Pig, dry is the way to go.

The final Memphis highlight that I will touch on has a lot of “soul.”

photo from

We only had time to visit one museum and, boy, did we make a good choice–STAX. Museum, with just the right mixture of history, made for a memorable visit.

There are bus tours galore that will take you to Graceland, if you yearn to see the King’s home. We ran out of time.

The Big Apple

When you read that title, New York, New York, tell the truth, didn’t you automatically hear the lyrics in your head? I can almost picture a line of dancers kicking up their heels in unison at the Radio City Music Hall.

New York City is the next city on my countdown for vacationing on a budget and where to do it in the U.S. To be absolutely honest, New York City is pricey, but when compared to hopping a plane abroad, it’s a real bargain. It has everything, including the most diverse cross-section of ethnicity in this country.

How does one describe the city that never sleeps?

I’m just going to tick off  “some” of the things you will find in NYC.

• Central Park, which encompasses the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, (2) Ice-Skating Rinks,  and an outdoor Theatre in the Park. (If you’re a birder–Central Park is your own personal heaven.)
• Statue of Liberty
• Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center
• Chinatown
• Harlem
• Broadway (You haven’t experienced a play until you’ve seen one on Broadway)
• Museums (My favorite–Metropolitan Museum of Art– you can spend days there and still not see it all) There are loads of other museums, though. Another popular museum is MoMA, Museum of Modern Art
• Times Square (If you visit, be sure to grab a burger at the McDonald’s at Times Square. You won’t believe your eyes.)
• Greenwich Village
• The Garment District

There’s more, but the list would go on and on into infinity. Suffice it to say, every neighborhood has something new and different to offer and you can see it all because cabs are at your beck and call day or night.

And there is actually one freebie in NYC. The Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museums are free on Friday evenings. Not bad!

I’ll close by reminding you that shopping in New York is phenomenal. Bring some extra cash.

Most people think if you’re going to visit New Orleans, it should be during Mardi Gras.  That’s great, I admit. The parades are not to be missed and the craziness on the streets adds to the raucus, carefree atmosphere.

But there’s so much more to New Orleans: Bourbon Street, the French Market, the Garden District, eclectic shopping on Royal Street, the fantastic architecture throughout the City and the Riverboats on the Mississippi River. And there’s more, much more.

But for me, it’s all about the food and the music. I’ll never forget savoring the taste of my first beignet at the Cafe du Monde, or the taste sensation of gumbo at the Gumbo Shop in the French Quarter, or authentic cajun food found throughout the City.

And the music?

You can hear music everywhere, at any time, by day, or by night. If you want to experience music at its very best, make plans to attend the Jazz Fest, which is held in April each year. Tents and open-air stages abound with every imaginable type of music: jazz (of course), gospel, oldies, big band, zydeco, blues, country, bluegrass, dixieland, even latin jazz. If you can dream it up, you can probably find it at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. All live. All sensational–and the food at the fair? Every bit as savory as the music.

Sculling on the Schuykill

If you’re vacationing in the U.S., Philadelphia is a good choice. It’s got a little bit of everything: history, art, sports, Broadway-caliber theaters, nightlife and great food.

It’s an historic city. Just a handfull of sites you can visit: Independence Hall, Betsy Ross House, the Liberty Bell, the Mint, although they don’t give away any of the money.

It houses some great art: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rodin Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Norman Rockwell Museum, and the little known, Mutter Museum. They call this museum “disturbingly informative, heh, heh–the kids will love it–skulls and body parts.

Speaking of kids, a visit to Philadelphia isn’t complete without a trip to the Franklin Institute. Actually the adults enjoy it, too. A little bit of science about every conceivable subject, even sports. And the Philadelphia Zoo is a must.

If you’re into sports, Philadelphia is a real sports town. Their professional teams: Phillies (baseball), Eagles (football), Flyers (ice hockey), and 76ers (basketball). If you’re more interested in water sports, go down to Boathouse Row along the Schuykill River. On weekends, you can see the scullers practicing on the river and if you’re lucky enough to be in town for one of the big regattas, all the better. You can even take a sculling lesson or two yourself, if you have a mind to.

If you plan to visit, the best places to stay are in Center City. South Broad Street has the best hotels and they’re all a short cab ride to all the trendy haunts, theaters and tourist spots.

And NEVER, NEVER visit Philly without sampling an honest-to-goodness cheesesteak. Lord, that’s something not to be missed.