Plied with Persian food

Since I have been back in the Bay Area, my mother has been making all kinds of delicious Persian food, something I never get when I am at home in New Orleans.  I can always make it, but most recipes feed a small army!  Anyhow, I will enjoy it while […]

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Reliving the past at La Cumbre

Ever since I moved to New Orleans, I have needed for nothing in the realm of incredible cuisine. From gumbo to pho, the Crescent City has a lot to choose from, but there is one item it lacks: an delectable, yet affordable burrito. Whenever I come back to visit my […]

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Much needed serenity at the Japanese Tea Gardens

In the past month, I discovered that my father’s health was rapidly deteriorating. Through the years, he’s endured asthma, emphysema and two triple-bypass heart surgeries. After several frantic telephone calls and too many unanswered questions, I returned to my birth city of San Mateo to be with my family during […]

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Michelle Levine’s “Pillars”

Known globally from famous photographs taken in her own flamboyantly vivid Mardi Gras costumes, Michelle Levine is more than just one of New Orleans’ most recognized characters.  She’s an incredible artist who is not only enthusiastic about her work, she is excited about anyone who is excited about art. Michelle’s […]

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Do you see a giraffe?

Whether it be due to divergent cultural influences, the sticky swamp air or too much cayenne pepper, you can expect the unexpected when you live in New Orleans.  I’ve had some of the most intense, most vividly colorful experiences of my entire life in this city, from getting hit on […]

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The abandoned house on Magazine Street

I’ve always been fascinated by the supernatural.  Ghosts, spirits, and poltergeists became a small obsession of mine, especially when I was younger.  Books relating “true” ghost stories and haunted houses littered my shelves and captured my imagination.  Quite often, these stories would take place in a small rural neighborhood, completely […]

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