Munching in Monterrey

Having completed our tour of the US, we were anxious to get home.  Although the Laredo border crossing was on the direct path to Oaxaca, it was rumored that this section of the border is controlled by the Zeta cartel.  With some trepidation, we decided to risk it.  To my pleasant surprise, we were in Mexico without any problems.  Our first night was Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.  We climbed to our thirteenth-floor hotel room, and looked out of the full-wall window.  As we stood, admiring the jagged  mountains surrounding the city, an angelic voice softly intoned "Welcome to Mexico.  Let go of your stress."   We looked at each other, and hardly exchanging a word, we extended our stay in the city.

Monterrey's prosperity is due in large part to the many foreign factories based here.  It proudly displays tall modern architecture, and it also boasts a fine culinary landscape.  With a large Korean expat population, I anticipated dinner in a good Korean restaurant.  However, 'good' was not on Adi's mind.  On the third floor of a busy shopping mall, in the far corner of the food court, a small Korean booth served the dish Adi craved.  Tokpoki, Korea's most popular street food, are elongated rice cakes, served in a warm and spicy chili paste..  As she took the first bite, Adi's apprehension broke into a happy smile.  She fed me a sample, and even I could tell that it rivaled the best of Seoul's street stalls.  Su-Ni, the Korean owner, joined our table, and was so overjoyed with Adi's ravenous appetite, that she plied us with additional spicy dishes, some, were off the menu.  Adi, with my help, demolished it all.  The two quickly bonded.  Su-Ni was glad to have a friend that was busy chewing while she did the talking, and Adi was happy to enjoy her excellent cooking.

Thus, our routine for the following days was established.  Light tourist activity in the morning, and Su-Ni's food in the afternoon.  When we finally said goodbye, she insisted that we take with us more dishes, for the drive.

Postscript
Comfort food consumed for three consecutive days, will cause gastric discomfort for the following three.

Party Street Revisited

After publishing my previous post,  I realized that our next stop will be New Orleans, and since Bourbon Street is perhaps the world's most famous party destination, I wondered whether my conclusion was premature.  Now, I am afraid that I need to revise my opinion.  Without doubt, Bourbon street is a blast.  Like Nashville, the stretch  is stocked with many live-music bars, and it even has the advantage of being a pedestrian walkway.  Like Nashville, the crowds are cheerful and energetic, however, in my observation,  Nashville visitors come to enjoy music and to drink while doing so, while on Bourbon street, the priorities are reversed.  I prefer the former.

But not so fast.  New Orleans being the wonderful city that it is, also offers a saner alternative.  The active stretch of Frenchmen Street is only a couple of blocks, but within it are many live-music bars.  The crowds are slightly older, and are not there to get drunk.  I enjoyed Snug Harbor where the performance area is adjacent to, but separate from, the bar.  In that space, jazz is appreciated quietly.  We listened to a young Jazz group which exhibited remarkable skill.   They played modern Jazz, but it was close to my comfort zone, thus allowing me to appreciate the music and enjoy it immensely.

In conclusion, for me, Frenchmen Street, though not exactly a "party" street, is more attractive than Nashville.

Party Street in Music City

Fifteen thousand attended the Isagenix convention in Nashville, and we met them all on Broadway street.  With a smile on their face and a plastic cup in their hands, it was clear that they are anticipating fun, and had plenty of energy to make sure they get it.  It was afternoon,  yet music  already poured onto the sidewalk from the many honky tonks that line the street.  Strolling to the captivating rhythms, it didn't take us long to join the general mood.  Often, enthusiastic singing overpowered the background music.  It emanated from party bicycles cruising the street.  These contraptions, allows a group of a dozen or so (usually women), to pedal a stocked bar while singing, cheering, and hooting.  Louder music still, accompanies the open-decked buses which blast the beat to ecstatic dancers on board.  Once inside the famous Legends Corner, the sound and energy level climbed even higher.  The band may not have been the best, but good enough to fill the dance floor, and convert Adi and I into country music fans.  We tried our Danzon steps, then we tried our Salsa moves, neither quite worked, but soon we got into the groove, and had great time.

I have been to the Vegas strip, and I have been to Memphis' Beale street, but the experience on Nashville's Broadway, topped them both.