The best gumbo I found so far in the French Quarter was at 441 Royal Street. If you have any suggestions for next time I visit please let me know in the comments section below

So when I recently visited New Orleans I figured I would find out who had the best seafood gumbo in the French Quarter. I posted on Facebook to hear others favorites and then mapped them out and off I went. Here is a breakdown of what I discovered in order from good to the best from my taste test. And I only room for 5 bowls in me :)

• Stanley: Dark Roux kinda watery good mix of seafood. B
• Mr. B’s Bistro: Classic dark, thick roux, could use more seafood in it, the flavor was bold, but not as complex as I like it. B+
• Coop’s Place: (as a note, be ready to wait in line outside, even for bar seats.) The atmosphere was fun, and the gumbo looked perfect. Dark roux, but a tad thin, but good chunks of various seafood Needed just a little more umph to get an A. A-
• Lebayou Oyster Bar: Dark mustard color Roux. Lots of crab meat. Kinda thick. Big strong flavors! A
• Royal House Oyster Bar: Dark Roux, thick, big complex flavor. Perfection. This was also a top pick by Southern Living Magazine A+

Looking Glass Falls just outside Brevard, N.C. in the Pisgah State Forest

I loved the area. I have been here several years ago to mountain bike a trail called Eastern Slick Rock and it was a top ten ride for sure. This whole area is legendary for mountain biking, but even more so for the waterfalls.

We first hit the small and quaint downtown Brevard that seemed straight from a Rockwell painting. It had an amazing Toy Store, O.P. Taylor’s, that we had to check out. The toy story alone is worth the side track, they dont call it the “Coolest Toy Store on the Planet” for nothing. We then ate lunch at a really cool Irish pub and restaurant, Dugan’s Pub. They served locally brewed beer and fish and chips. Perfect! While in there we mapped out a few waterfalls to go photograph and show Nora. Nora loves waterfalls.

But Nora was pretty tired and it was approaching nap time, so we headed towards the first waterfall and located a great picnic area in the forest on the way there and we put Nora down for a nap There was a fast flowing stream that was running next to us and the sound was intoxicating.and took small ones ourselves after letting the dogs explore a bit.

After waking up the waterfall was just a few miles down the road. The drive itself was great. The road was winding but well paved. The stream was tumbling along side the whole way. We were rather amazed at the size of the waterfall we got to. There was a lot of water roaring over it and it was quite high. VEry impressive for being right next to a road.

We didnt have much time to hang around as it was time to be on our way. We were all ready to get home.

We plan on making this stop over be a few days next time and really check out all the area has to offer. It was gorgeous up there.

As you can see, the playground area of the museum is incredible!

Located in walkable downtown Chattanooga it is close to some great restaurants.

This is another Children’s Museum that we got to visit. Now remember these reviews are from being with a shy 2-year-old and are not so much to be used as a review, but just to point out its existence. And just whether or not it is worth visiting.

This museum has the usual playground activities, water-based activities, and crafts all based around learning. While not quite as large as some of the ones located in big cities, this is still a good-sized and nice museum. We recommend this place, and if we had time we would have explored the aquarium near by, which can be added as a package deal.

Here is a link to their website http://www.cdmfun.org/

This is the front of Devil's Backbone Brewing Company. Part of the Brew Ridge Trail. THE BREW RIDGE TRAIL - MORE BREWERIES THAN STOP LIGHTS. The Brew Ridge Trail celebrates the craft beer industry in Nelson and Albemarle Counties. The five breweries and two cideries that comprise the Trail offer award winning beer in unique and scenic settings.

As we continued our trek down the less-traveled highway, we found several more breweries and brewpubs. Come to find out they are associated with the Brew Ridge Trail. And along this highway were also several wineries and vineyards. We plan on taking our time the next time we go through there, maybe stay a few days :)

The outside of BJ's in Culver City, CA

The restaurant combined my 2 of my favorite things. Fish Tacos and on-site fresh brewed beer. First the tacos.

While I assume I could have asked for them to be grilled, the fish in the tacos comes fried. I prefer grilled, but pretty much only for the health factor.

These tacos were really good. The tortillas were very fresh and they were rolled tight with lettuce, tomatoes and with a side of a creamy avocado sauce. I would have to rate them a 8.5 out of ten.

The menu had many other great sounding choices as well. Something that stood out were the reasonable prices, especially for being in California and close to LAX and Marina Del Ray.

And even a better deal were the $3 pints of their draft beer. There is something about finding a deal that always makes something better. I am not sure if that is what added to the high rating I would give their beers or not.

The beers were really good, very smooth and drinkable. Nothing tasted over the top in the ones I sampled, those being the porter, the stout, the brown and the Irish red. I of course opted for the brown ale, for my full pint, aptly named, Brewnette. It really stood out as one of the top brown ales I have encountered, Full flavor, but not heavy. A beer you could end up drinking too many of before you knew it. A true session beer.

This is a shot from Spring Break 1988. From top left to right: Scooter, Me, Sean, Mark, Jason, Jeff, Chris, Gary and Skippy at far bottom left.

I must add, Jim did not get the name Skippy until he was 17-18 years old but that is a story for another time.

I guess the earliest memory of us belongs to Skippy. He claims that he remembers in kindergarten me telling our teacher, “Miss Benny, I gotta go potty.” Now how he can possible remember such a trivial event is beyond me. Part of me thinks he is making it up to try and embarrass me. But since he is self-declared, sharp as a tack, he probably really does remember it. But this story is going to be told as I recall it, not him. I am sure after he reads this that some facts would be under dispute by him.

It was summer break and we were both 6 years old. I was playing in a fort I had constructed using scrap wood braced up against the back fence with a sleeping bag draped over the fence with a hole in it so I could spy on the kids in the yard behind us. This day there were a few new kids playing. A boy, and from what I could tell, his sister. I assumed that fact because only siblings would fight like they were.

After a bit the boy noticed me looking through the hole in my sleeping bag and came over to the fence. “Hey” he shouted, “I see you looking at me! What are you doing?” he asked as he stood at the fence. I was caught. I peered out and did the only decent thing I could think of. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Jim, who are you?” he responded.

“Randy.” I then asked him if he wanted to come over and check out my fort.

He jumped over the fence and proceeded to crawl into my makeshift shelter. Now being only 6 years old I was not allowed to use hammer and nails so the structure was not very sturdy. I warned him as he came in. “Just be careful and don’t hit the main board.”

No sooner did I get those words out did he brush against the board in the middle and the entire fort came crashing down on his head.
I asked him if he was okay and he was somewhat laughing and replied, “yes, I have a hard head.” Only after several decades as friends did I find out what a profound statement that was. Skippy undisputeabley has the hardest skull I have ever encountered.

I came to find out his family had just moved into the house caddy corner behind mine. And that was in fact his sister Jennifer. And man did they have a volatile relationship.

From that day on we were inseparable. And I could not ask for a better best friend. He has been there through it all. Deaths, Weddings, Births and numerous adventures that provide me with an almost endless supply of subjects for my stories.

We have had our fights but always work them out. The only regret is that we do not nearly get to see each other as much as I would like. I wish our kids knew each other better.

Now I was not the first one in The Gang to be friends with Skippy. Jason actually gets that honor. Jason and him met around age 3 and were partners in crime while being neighbors until both moved away.

It was not until Jason and I became friends through little league baseball that Skippy and him reunited through me. Were we all an easy fit and immediately became like the 3 musketeers. Jason had been friends with Wayne and brought him into the group.

During high school Skippy went to a different school than Jason and I but we all still hung out a lot.

At high school Jason started hanging around Mark, who was best friends with Sean. Mark’s brother Gary was just 2 years younger and was best friends with Scooter, a.k.a. Marvin. The 4 of them all hung out and soon the 2 groups of friends get close. It was now a group of 8.
Mark had been dating a girl but broke up soon after, however they remained good friends. At a high school dance at her school, we met her new boyfriend Mike. Mike had 2 other friends with him, Chris and Jeff. And as usual as the circumstances were, we all just seemed to click. Now we were a group of 11.

The real foundation for the relationships and the beginning point of the Gang was spring break 1988. Sean, Mark, Jason, Skippy and I’s senior summer! We built bonds that week that have lasted our entire lives.

Eventually we took on new members. Almost like a fraternity, we made them go through initiation and even called them pledges. We added in order, Scott, Ryan, Kramer, Trish (did not have to pledge officially but still earned her way in) and Kevin. Bringing us to 15 strong, but we never really stayed at 15, we lost Scott to a parental ban, and Chris to religion. Officially the gang now stands at 13.

We range quite a bit in personalities and we all live scattered about the U.S. Somehow our friendships break all the barriers. Every time we see each other it is like we never missed a beat. We love talk a lot about old times and the fun we had whenever we get the rare chance to all be together.

I am now on a jet headed for Sean’s wedding in L.A. Present will be myself, Skippy, Jason, Mark, Gary, Scooter, Jeff, Ryan, Trish, Kevin, and of course Sean. All we are missing is Kramer and Wayne. Except for Kevin and Sean, all the guys are riding solo this trip and I am sure there is going to be a story or two to be told of what holds to be an epic weekend.

I just love the bar with exposed brick. (Not my photo)

The Ale House is home to Oliver Brewery who makes some great brews. I only tried a couple, and looking back not sure why I didnt try more.

Cherry Blossom Ale: A fantastic wheat ale with pureed dark cherries added to it. Unlike many fruity wheats, this one really worked great, not overly sweet but the cherry flavor was perfectly represented. This reminded me of a cherry lambic, or on of my favorite all times beers, Lindemann’s Framboise. A+

Old Habit: As you can tell by my beer choices on my favorite beers list, that I love brown ales. And this one was pretty good in my opinion, but not quite a favorite. I need to start paying better attention maybe as I have drank so many they are become to all blur together. With that said I apologize I am not giving a better review, but I believe this beer gets a B rating from me.

Three Lions: This was another brown ale. I did not like this one, mainly because it is a high alcohol content beer. I am not fond of them as the alcohol has a little burn and bitterness that detracts from the taste to me. Because of that fact I am not going to rate this beer as I am not a good person to ask about this style.

Beyond the beer, I found the menu to be really good. I had the rockfish italiano and it was exceptional. Now Sharon and Glenda were also with me and were not as enthused with theirs but still liked them, Sharon had the corn and crab quesadilla and Glenda the Thai chicken salad.

Overall I give the Brewpub an A-. I would like to return and try more of the beers.

The National Aquarium at Baltimore is a fantastic aquarium, it ranks in the top on my list. Not quite the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, but it is a great place nonetheless. It has a really nice layout where you wander up ramps to the numerous levels of exhibits.

The highlights are the large shark and ray tank, the dolphin show and the indoor rain forest. The price is very reasonable and the place is great for kids.

Another big plus is the location. It is set right in the heart of the inner harbor in Downtown Baltimore, on the water. The inner Harbor is a large area with shops, museums, activities, pubs and restaurants. It has been developed into a great family destination.

They may use paper plates, but they do use glass for their pints at least!

Koko’s is somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall kinda place. The food is served on paper plates and only recently have they changed over to actual silverware instead of plastic. It is away from the beaten path of downtown and pretty much only locals know of it. The funny thing about this place is if you want to eat dinner there you better make reservations.

Sharon’s aunt Glenda took us there proclaiming she was taking us to the place of the best crab cakes ever and they did not disappoint. First thing you notice is the size of them. They are huge! When you first sink your fork into them you notice how moist and soft they are and just full of large chunks of bright white lump crab meat. I mean these are so heavily packed with crab I don’t know how they stay together. I guess it must be the creamy sauce they saute the crab in. I dont know exactly what made them so heavenly, but I could not get enough of it.

I am here to tell you, those crab cakes are the best I have ever had and almost guarantee you will feel the same way. So if you are a crab cake fan, and are ever in Baltimore you MUST have a crab cake at Koko’s pub!!