Heat and Humidity has been fierce in Manhattan so our upcoming family reunion/vacation further south into New Orleans and Cajun country didn’t sound too inviting. Nevertheless I searched for travel guides and a book that would have some flavor of the Big Easy. My New Orleans edited by Rosmary James was the perfect read. Short stories written by some hometown chefs, musicians, writers, restauranteurs, and poets created a desire to find out more about the area. Many of these authors are famous personalities such as Wynton Marsalis, Rick Bragg, Bret Lott and Paul Prudhomme.

This book was edited by Rosemary James, owner of Faulkner House Books, one of the country’s most famous bookstores which is located in New Orleans. It was conceived in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to benefit writers and was produced by Touchstone Books- Simon and Schuster who contributed considerable funds to hurricane relief.

There is much of the heart of New Orleans written in this tribute. I enjoyed this varied look at a city that is struggling to come back from such destruction. From a tale of discovery of the love of egret-watching at Audubon Park lagoons to the life of stripping on Bourbon Street, the flavor of New Orleans comes through.

Now back from our trip I can say New Orleans was a great place to visit. The weather was hot, but Manhattan was equally as hot and even more humid on my return. We just need some gumbo and a bayou.