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drnucleus · 4 years

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Bedroom Hymns - A Reylo Fic by drnucleus

Author: drnucleus Rating: E Genre: Modern AU, Romance, Mild Angst, Semi-slow burn Pairing: Ben Solo | Rey, Minor character pairings Warnings: Healthy BDSM, D/s relationship, Male submissive, FemDomme Summary: For much of his life, hotshot architect, Ben Solo, lived a life full of privilege and entitlement. Son of a Senator and Admiral, the world was his oyster. He slid easily into the alpha male persona that was expected of him. Yet, running his own architecture firm by his late twenties he’d never expected to be saddled with the control behind every single decision. And underneath that façade lay a man, yearning to lay it all down at the foot of a powerful woman. What happens when he uncovers that side of himself and that leads him right to Rey Erso; a psychologist and domme who decides to help him navigate the world of dominance and submission in the local scene. That is until they find they’re more compatible with one another than either of them previously thought.

Chapter playlist: Cherry – Lana Del Rey; Cool – Gwen Stefani; No Cars Go – Arcade Fire; Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen; Oh Woman, Oh Man – London Grammar; American – Lana Del Rey; Something – Jim Sturgess (Originally the Beatles); and Electric Feel – MGMT

Chapter Sneak Peek

Ben pulled the car around the circular drive halting it just before the entry way to the main garage when he saw an elderly man poke his head out of the massive oak front door. Ben grinned. “The old man is still truckin’, I see.”

“Who?” Rey asked as Ben pulled the car into park and turned to her.

“You’ll see, come on,” he said, motioning for her to get out of the car with him. The two of them got out as Rey took in Ben grinning widely from beneath his black Ray Ban Wayfarers looking less like a successful entrepreneur and more a son home from college in a gray v-neck t-shirt and black jeans. “Threepio!” He called out to the man, holding his arms up.

The elder man grinned and made his way over. “Master Ben! Oh, what a pleasure it is to see you come home!”

Rey watched as the two embraced and the older man clapped a hand to Ben’s back before turning to the silent observer Rey had become.

“Oh!” Threepio said, surprised to see a young woman. “Oh! Your mother did mention you were bringing your girlfriend home, now that I recall!” He said happily as he came over. “I am Chadwick Threepio the third, caretaker of Varkyino, and you are?” The man asked, holding out his hand for her.

Rey grinned warmly, stepping forward to shake his hand. He was a kind looking elderly gentleman who looked no older than his mid-seventies even though the delicate almost frail British tenor of his voice told her that he was far older. “Rey, Rey Erso,” she replied warmly.

He grinned and turned pointing his arm out to the house, “Welcome, my lady, Rey to Varykino.”

“Thank you,” Rey added as he turned and frowned at Ben who was carrying both of their overnight bags.

“Master Ben, must you carry your things.”

“You’re not a spring chicken anymore Threepio and I can handle two overnight bags, old man. Besides, why don’t you regale Rey with a little history lesson?”

Rey chuckled at the exchange between the two. “I had a feeling your family was disgustingly wealthy but Ben I didn’t realize it was McMansion estate and lifelong Butler wealthy”

Threepio turned to her with a horrified glance. “Butler! Miss Rey, no I am no butler. I have been caretaker of the estate since I came home with Master Anakin after the war. The Naberrie family took me right in.”

“He’s not a butler,” Ben interjected at the same time.

Rey raised her hands up and corrected. “Oh, sorry my mistake. Caretaker wealthy then.”

Ben shook his head. “I mean – where do you think the Naberrie’s got the money for a house like this.”

“Ben this isn’t a house. The Taj Mahal is a house by comparison,” Rey countered.

“The Taj Mahal is a tomb,” Threepio countered, making Rey grin. “The Naberrie family, which was a bright mix of Spanish and Israeli ethnicity heralding from the Sephardic Jewish culture, originally emmigrated from their chosen ancestral home of Malta in the early 1800s with the promise of American religious freedom that brewing antisemitism in Europe had made them consider the move in the first place. Varykino was originally built in 1849, after the California Gold Rush where Mistress Padme’s great-grandparents decided to move. The Naberrie family was wealthy in banking including helping to fund much of the railroads of the early frontier. Although they didn’t know about the underhanded practices and Robber Barons of the day. Here they decided to build their home. Their grandson, Ruwee Naberrie married the young and vibrant socialite, Jobal Thule, who would become parents to sisters Sola and Padme. It was while the girls were young in the 1920s that Jobal herself undertook overseeing the major renovations to the manor to bring it to the twentieth century with full indoor plumbing and electric thanks to the innovations of the Wizard of Menlo Park,” Threepio added, making Ben huff under his breath about what a thief and a charlatan Edison was.

Read more now on AO3

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cc: @thereylowritingden, @reylofic, @reylofanficclub

#bh update #drnucleus writes things #reylo #reylo ff #house swolo #swolo fic #house thirst order #fucking finally again

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harryisntstraight · 4 years

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Hi bethannnn what are your favourite things about london? I’m visiting soon and wanna hype myself up for the vibes

oooooh by favourite things do u mean specific places or just like general vibes? if u mean vibes then my favourite thing about london is just the sheer volume of ppl which is weird bc my least favourite thing is going places and too many people being there LOL but.... the thing with london is that if u Know then its easy to go places and do things and enjoy them without feeling like the entire world is also there. i just love the fact that like.....nobody knows me lmao... it might be bc i grew up in a very small city where u could not walk down the street without seeing someone u know or ur mum knows or whatever and i found that so suffocating so honestly london feels genuinely liberating to me lmaoooo bc everyone is so focused on themselves and what theyre doing that u can feel truly anonymous and i love that sm! and also moving here i just found that... there is always. something. like it really is hard to be bored. genuinely tonight i was feeling very sad and down in the dumps so i went for a bike ride (i dont even own a bike u can just go and borrow a boris one for like 2 quid) and rode around for like two hours and found the most beautiful canal with the cutest house boats and grafitti and little cafes w fairy lights and the sun was setting and it was so lovely and i had never seen any of it before even tho i have lived in this particular area for like two years now!! so yeh i really think one of my fave things is just how many amazing green spaces we have and how london is this giant metropolis concrete city but also at the same time there is so much greenery and woodland and parks and cycle tracks and also even in right in the center of the city theres all this old ass architecture and little mews that look like they r still in the 1800s and then u have like... the shard 5 minutes away. i think that is actually a really big that i love about london is how almost every part of it feels so different to the rest. like how u can have little villages that are super suburban and feel like the english countryside like... a 25 min tube journey away from the city. AND speaking of the tube even tho i complain about it 24/7 and i have never wanted to die more than sitting on the central line in 35 degree heat wearing a facemask........ it does just make the city so easily accessible. like u are truly almost never more than like 20 mins away from a stop that can take u literally from one end of london right to the other (apart from proper south LOL but who wants to go to croydon truly) i could go on... i luv 2 romanticise london so much it keeps me sane even tho i complain about it at any given opportunity. if u want actual recommendations of things to do though hit me up!! soz this is so long and cringe <3

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pencapchew39 · 7 years

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Something has been bugging me about the Fullmetal Alchemist Fandom

1)Amestris doesn’t represent Germany.

2)The War of Ishval isn’t ALL about racism.

Let me Explain point by point:

1) Hiromu Arakawa confirmed that Amestris is inspired by the Industrial Revolution that took place during late 1800/ early 1900.... in the UK. The architecture comes from various different countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and ALSO Germany. The whole WW2 vibe that everyone I trying to attach the story is partially misplaced and incorrect. Yes, there are some similarities, but as a European allow me to tell you that Amestris is more of a melting pot of the whole Northen Europe territory, with Briggs representing Sweden, Norway.. etc., the center resembling more the UK and Germany and the sounth being hotter and reminiscent of Italy and Greece (Even tho Greece would be Milos and Italy would be Aerugo, while Drachma is obviously Russia and Xing.... i don’t need to explain.) So in all of this where would Ishval be?

My guess links to the next point so bear with me here

2) Ishval is kind of a complicated subject. It obviously represents the Middle East but at the same time it really doesn’t. On a ethnical level yes, of coure, Scar looks much more brown than black or asian, but his clothes and the history of the whole region to me didn’t make any sense, so I dug down the rabbit hole.

Arakawa confirmed that Ishval is PARTIALLY inspired by an ancient Japanese tribe situated in Hokkaido called “Ainu”, the whole conflict about the Ishvalan race and culture is a subtle critique to how Japanese people nowadays discriminate the descendats of this tribe without any reason other than the fact that they are considered almost as savages.

Historically speaking there are 2 thing that are much closer to the Ishvalan Massacre than the Jews extarmination that took place during WW2, and those are the Armenian Genocide and the Tibetan Genocide.

Both were (and ARE, sadly) caused by a willingness to annihilate an entire region to obtain more power and a larger territory, the racial card is just something that has been used for CENTURIES to convince the people that war was essential, to build the will to fight and the grudge necessary for the soldiers to be completely numb towards other human beings being burned, slaughterd and raped.

The reason why the Ishvalan War started was simply political. There was no racial conflict before that, there was only one reason: Ishvalans needed to be sacrificed. The government built a nice story around it to convince people that THAT was the right thing to do and it worked.

There are many scenes that show that most soldier don’t really understand why they’re there or why they’re killing people who share their same home. Many of them tried to do somenthing about it and died, others ran away from the horrors they had just witnessed. The Ishvalan War was more about understanding how dirty politics and corruption can destroy countless lives, entire nations even. Racism is a really minor part of the whole picture (still important nonetheless)

Aaaaand that’s it folks, sorry for the wall of text, but I really wanted to write this down because I think that too many people simplify the whole Amestris VS Ishval thing in a way that is too superficial. Hope that this cleared some doubts, I’m here if you wanna talk about it :D

#fullmetal alchemist #racism #war #analysis #scar #roy mustang #fma

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myhahnestopinion · 7 years

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The Night A CANDID SEXUALLY-LIBERATING CLOCK Came Home: AMITYVILLE 1992 - IT’S ABOUT TIME (1992)

Happy Halloween, everybody! As we reach the end of another October, we also reach the end of this second installment of The Night X Came Home. This year, to celebrate the big day, I want to introduce a film that is truly special. I think I’ve done it, guys. I hereby present my nominee for the dumbest movie title in all of film history. Yes, you can forget your Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo’s and your 2 Fast 2 Furious’s. There is no movie title more groan-worthy, more baffling, more laughably bizarre, more beautifully blunt than this one. I present to you: Amityville 1992: It’s About Time.

Amityville 1992: It’s About Time is, indeed, about time. It revolves around a family being haunted by an ancient clock. There’s something charming about how upfront this movie is about this premise. Not since 1977’s Death Bed: The Bed That Eats, another delightfully inept horror gem, has a movie title felt so compelled to just lay out its central conflict for its audience. Just imagine, if you will, the producers’ meeting surrounding the naming of this film:

“Gentlemen, it’s about time for another entry in the profitable Amityville Horror series,” says the chairman. “Now, how do we convey to our audience that this film has something new to offer compared to the prior entries?”

As the rest of the board members mumble among themselves, one fresh-faced executive sits in the back of the room, his mind overcome by a single thought. He stands up suddenly, startling the rest of the board. “Say that again,” he says to the chairman.

“Say what again?” the chairman responds, confused.

“What you just said.”

“How do we convey…”

“No! The other part!”

“Gentlemen, it’s about time for…”

“Guys, I’ve got the perfect idea,” the young executive says, as a smug smile creeps onto his face.

And so, Amityville 1992: It’s About Time was born. And yes, this was definitely a case in which the title was designed first, and the plot crafted to fit into its absolute marketing genius. Now, of course, the true genius of this title stems from the fact that it can be read in multiple ways. One can of course read it as a blunt declaration of the film’s subject matter, but it also works as an exclamation that “It’s about time!”, as in something is finally happening that should have happened a long time ago. See, it works because it’s about time… for another Amityville movie…?

Wait, no, that doesn’t work on two levels. It had only been 2 years since the franchise’s last installment, and no one was really clamoring for a fifth entry. And by throwing the year of release in the title, for unknown reasons, it actually makes it look like you’ve already made one thousand, nine hundred, and ninety-one of these Amityville movies, in which case it would most definitely not be about time for another one! To top it all off, the film doesn’t even take place in Amityville. Not a single element of this perplexing title works, outside of the embarrassingly proud declaration that this movie is, in the most general sense, about time. But even then, just barely.

The film opens on a house. No, not the iconic 112 Ocean Avenue Amityville house, with the gambrel roof and the quarter-round windows that almost look like eyes. No, we are left with that house’s stouter, blockier cousin, with two small square windows and an arched doorway. In a bewilderingly miraculous bit of incompetent production design, the attempts to make the construction of this house resemble a face, mirroring the original’s structure, is both extremely obvious and entirely unconvincing. But, hey, the “face” of this house is still more expressive than half of the actors in this crap.

Jacob Sterling, an architect, returns to this half-faced house, a package in his arms. He is greeted by his teenage children, Lisa, an agreeable teen dressed in overalls, and Rusty, whose attempt at edgy attire is as flagrant as the title of this movie. Also there is Jacob’s ex-girlfriend, Andrea, an art student who was looking after these children while he was away on a business trip. Jacob enters the house and opens the package to reveal an antique clock. “It’s what our house has been missing,” he says as he places it on the fireplace mantel. Yes, Jacob, some would say… IT’S ABOUT TIME this house had a clock on its mantelpiece! Ha ha ha ha!

Guys, these aren’t going to stop, so if you can’t handle it, better stop reading now.

Anyway, Jacob talks with Andrea about their past romantic relationship. Despite having broken up and Andrea dating another man, Jacob invites her to spend the night. “I don’t know,” she replies. “I hate having regret for breakfast.” Well, hey now, regret ain’t so bad! Just add a little sugar, pair that with your toast and orange juice, you got yourself a well-rounded breakfast! Pack up the leftovers, send it with your kids to school!

“What did your mom have for you today?”

“Oh, just regret.”

“Yeah, same. Wanna trade anyway?”

Well, turns out Andrea doesn’t mind the taste of regret after all, because she ends up sleeping with Jacob. During the night, the clock drills into the mantelpiece, firmly cementing itself. This is both an relevant and irrelevant plot point.

The next morning, Jacob goes for a run around the suburban neighborhood. While passing an undeveloped section, his watch breaks, because remember people, it’s about time. Suddenly, he spots an old woman and a dog. The dog lunges at him, tearing into his flesh with his sharp teeth and ripping his legs to shred. Cut to the hospital. The doctor comes up to Andrea and says, “He’ll be okay. He’s just suffered some discomfort.” Some discomfort? That dog completely eviscerated him! Well, I suppose that given the state of health care in this country, probably is best to downplay a dog shredding your legs apart to some mild discomfort.

So, Jacob becomes confined to house rest, and begins obsessing over his new architecture project. He starts building a model of a suburban neighborhood, with tiny model houses that resemble the Sterling home. “I’m thinking too small,” he mutters to himself when evaluating his model work. He violently pushes all the model homes off onto the floor, shouting, “It’s too small!” Yes, the suburb needs to be at least… three times bigger than this!

While Jacob works on his neighborhood, his edgy son Rusty is just too cool for school, so he skips to go… hang out with an old woman…? Huh, didn’t expect that. I guess he is kinda edgy!

Rusty tells this woman, Iris, about a weird event he experienced in the house last night. He flipped a lightswitch, and the room with the clock in it was transformed into a torture chamber from the 1800s. Both Iris and Rusty obviously conclude that there is something evil going on in the house. “It’s like that Skull Crusher song,” Rusty says, quite edgily. “Evil rules, it has it rules, and the world’s your oyster, grab her and hoist her.” Um, sure, yeah, the situation is exactly like those lyrics. There’s evil… and oysters… and hoisting…

Unfortunately, before Rusty is able to hoist his oyster, he is questioned by the police after a swastika is painting on a neighbor’s house. Amityville 1992: It’s About Hate Crimes!

Andrea begins staying at the house in order to care for Jacob as he recovers, but, while there, strange things start happening. Black sludge starts forming on the floors. Hours to some are minutes to others. Her boyfriend starts hanging out around the house, taking baths, and wearing a bathrobe about. …Okay, the strange element of that boyfriend subplot is supposed to be a scene where the boyfriend hallucinates Jacob confronting him at gunpoint, but, let’s be honest, this man wandering around his lover’s ex-boyfriend’s house all alone in his bathrobe is weirder than an evil clock hallucination. Amityville 1992: It’s About Taking Baths In A Stranger’s Home!

The most dangerous aspect of this haunted clock has yet to be revealed though! Because Andrea is now using her bedroom, wholesome daughter Lisa is sleeping in the living room with the clock. The clock ticks too loud for her to sleep, so she gets up and walks over to examine herself in the mirror. She blows her reflection a kiss, but suddenly the reflection begins to run its hands over its body in ways that Lisa never did and never would dare dream of, being the well-behaved daughter that she is! Reflection Lisa reaches its hands out, through the mirror, and begins caressing regular Lisa’s breasts, before sliding its hand down lower on her body. Amityville 1992: It’s About… well, you know. Lisa is seduced by this reflection’s power, but, come on, let’s be honest, who among us would go for a little mirror reflection action if given the chance? I mean, let’s be honest!

So, having been awaken to the wonders of the clock’s powers, Lisa becomes a full-blown sexual deviant, replacing her wholesome overalls with a short dress and suit jacket combo. Wow, this clock truly is an evil foe! Like Hello Mary Lou! Prom Night II before it, Amityville 1992: It’s About Time shows a profound understanding of the most terrifying thing that can ever exist. Say it with me now, everybody! Women… in… control… of… their… sexuality! Quickly, we must stop this clock before it gives autonomy to more of our daughters! Won’t somebody think of the children?!!

Having now seen the true extent of the powers infecting his house, Rusty returns to Iris to pinpoint the source of the evil. Recalling the details of the red torture room he saw to Iris, they are able to discover that the clock once belonged to a schoolteacher who wished to become immortal. “He had a habit of choosing the best and brightest of his students and eating them,” Iris reveals. Eating the best and brightest of the class? Now, I don’t know much about rituals to become immortal, but based on all the schoolteachers I’ve known in my life, I feel like they would be much more prone to eating the unruly troublemakers of the class instead.

While Rusty learns of the clock’s origins, Lisa is putting her newfound sexual liberation to evil use, seducing her boyfriend Andy. Following a trail of removed articles of clothing back to her garage, Andy discovers Lisa dressed only in his varsity jacket, lying in the middle of a train set. Yes, she’s seductively laying in the middle of a model trainset. “Choo, choo. All aboard,” she says in a suggestive tone. Hey, give her a break! It is her first attempt at seducing someone ever!

And, as it turns out, this horrible punny line works on Andy, who walks over to her, only to find his food stuck on some black sludge on the floor. The sludge melts his body into goo, and he goes down the drain, in what is a perfect metaphor for the quality of the Amityville franchise.

Lisa and Jacob are completely under the control of the clock’s dastardly influence, and so now it is up to Rusty and Andrea to stop them. Rusty heads up to his bedroom and finds Lisa on the floor, covered in blood. “It’s so horrible,” she stutters.

“What is?” inquires Rusty, as he picks her up off the floor.

“That your my brother,” she responds, as she licks the side of his face.

Amityville 1992: It’s About Incest!

The bedroom door slams shut behind him. “Open it!” he shouts angrily, and Lisa begins to slowly take off the varsity jacket she’s wearing. “No, I mean the door!” Rusty responds.

I don’t even have words for that moment. I’m just going to present it to you, make of it what you will.

As his sister pins him down and attempts to kiss him, Rusty grabs the plug for his electric guitar amp and jams it into Lisa’s nose, electrocuting and killing her. Sure, whatever. That’s not how electricity works, but this film isn’t about electricity, it’s about time, dagnabbit! Plus, there’s some phallic/penetration symbolism that could be gleened from this amp-plug-into-nose bit, but analyzing this movie in depth for symbolism wouldn’t really be worth my… time… Man, this film really is all about time! I’m wasting my time on it! Argh! You got me, evil clock!

While this incest thing is going on, Andrea confronts Jacob downstairs. Fully under the influence of the clock, he pins her to the wall. “This is about power!” he tells her. Wait, this is about power? I thought it was about time? Amityville 1992: It’s About Power, I Guess! Grabbing Jacob’s large architecture compass, Andrea stabs him through the legs, immobilizing him. “Time!” he shouts, while withering on the ground. “I need more time!” No, fairly certain you need new legs, dude.

So, with Lisa and Jacob taken care of, attention turns to the clock. “It’s time!” Andrea cries, as she grabs a T-square and charges at the clock! Oh, wow! How riveting! The whole movie has been building towards this conflict! How will our dashing heroes defeat this… inanimate object… Huh. Yeah, why was a clock the villain in this again? Something, something, about time…?

Yes, the climax has all of the riveting action you would expect from a battle against a clock. They can’t just throw the clock on the floor, because it has drilled itself into the mantelpiece. Told you that was a somewhat relevant plot point. So, the clock starts fighting back. It spins its hands, and turns Rusty into a baby. It spins them again, and pushes Andrea away. Andrea swings at the clock with the T-square, hitting a gas pipe instead. She then lights a match, engulfing the clock, and the screen, in flames.

We’ve travelled back in time to the beginning of the movie. Rusty is back to normal age. Jacob is well again. Lisa no longer has any independence as a woman. Everything is back the way things are supposed to be for the Sterling family! Andrea retains all her memories though. Just like in the film’s first scene, Jacob comes in with a package, and opens it to reveal the clock. Andrea instantly picks it up, and smashes it to pieces, storming out of the house. “What the hell was that all about?” Jacob asks, puzzled.

“It’s about time,” Andrea responds.

Just… slow clap, everybody. Slow clap for this movie. Slow. Clap.

This has been Amityville 1992: It’s About Time. I don’t know what more can be said about this film that wasn’t already there in the title. That’s all you need. True, the title doesn’t convey everything. Only by watching this masterpiece can one understand the dangers of unmovable clocks, of taking a bath in a stranger’s home, and of sexually liberated women. This are the things that will forever haunt my dreams now. For those not capable of stomaching the terrifying horrors that await within this movie though, do not despair! For this film has so wisely given us a title that is so candid, so beautifully blunt, that one only needs to read it to feel as though they have had a satisfying experience.

Amityville 1992: It’s About Time. It truly was about time.

And, so, it is also time for this volume to come to an end. I hope you’ve all enjoyed joining me on this strange and often painful journey into the weird world of horrible horror. Despite being exposed to far more incompetent plotting, illiterate scripting, and incest than any person should ever be exposed to, I believe it has been another successful year. Can’t say I’m not ready to take a break though, for the sake of my sanity. But, worry not, for it won’t be long before it’s time for The Night X Came Home to come back yet again.

Amityville 1992: It’s About Time is available on DVD.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!!

#film #halloween #thenightxcamehome #amityville #itsabouttime #horror film #bad movies #so bad its good

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sentrava · 7 years

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5 Ways to Get Out and About in New Orleans

The problem with New Orleans, in my opinion, is that all you’re going to want to do while you’re there is eat … and drink … then eat and drink some more. I totally endorse this method of travel, by the way, especially when visiting the South’s most delicious city.

But as you might guess, there’s more to the Big Easy than a sophisticated cocktail scene and extensive culinary playground—it would be a shame to vacation at such a cultural hotbed and not try all the other things to do in New Orleans. So next time you’re visiting, put these activities on your itinerary as a means to get your heart pumping (or simply to stave off a food hangover and prepare room in your stomach for the next meal).

Take a Walking Tour of the Garden District

We touched down in New Orleans on a Monday morning and right off the bat headed to the Garden District—a historic neighborhood formed shortly after the Louisiana Purchase for the new Americans who didn’t want to live in the French Quarter—for lunch and a walking tour with Sheila Ferran. I recommend doing this on your first day in town as it will allow you to get your bearings and learn more about the city’s storied past.

Sheila started us off like all good NOLA tours begin: in a cemetery. I was having flashbacks to Ashley Judd being locked in a tomb in Double Jeopardy and told Sheila as much—to which she said, “well funny, they actually filmed that scene in this very cemetery.” (Parts of Interview with the Vampire were also shot there.)

New Orleans may be known for vampires and voodoo, but you don’t get that creepy feeling while going on a walking tour during daylight. Sheila showed us several notable tombs and gravestones in Lafayette Cemetery, and I learned that much like in Tennessee, yellow fever claimed the lives of many of NOLA’s early inhabitants.

From there, we wandered down Coliseum Street and wove in and out of the district, as Sheila pointed out who lived where: Sandra Bullock, there; John Goodman, over there; and Anne Rice, here and there and there (it seems that at one point or another, Anne Rice lived in every stately home in New Orleans!). One highlight was when Sheila pointed out the house where Archie Manning still lives today (and which Eli and Peyton once resided in, as well).

We also got a crash course in New Orleans architecture, from the old-school shotgun houses to the ornate-style Italianate homes, and we even saw a house that could almost be a doppelgänger for my own 1800s beauty: a mash-up of a Queen Anne and Greek Revival.

Overall, this tour is ideal for any lovers of history or architecture or the visitor who wants to get the lay of the land. (price: $35)

Pro tip: Come for the history; stay for the three-martini lunch at Commander’s Palace, a Garden District icon. After walking around in the Southern humidity, you’ve earned it. You can save your feet and take the St. Charles streetcar back to your hotel.

Mix Up a Hurricane with New Orleans Drink Lab

Who doesn’t want to learn to shake it up like a pro? I confess that while I consume a lot of cocktails, I don’t do much mixology at home other than adding a bit of tonic to my gin or ginger beer to my bourbon, so it was interesting to learn how to make New Orleans’ signature cocktail—the Hurricane, of course—the way the pros do it. Enter: Drink Lab.

Situated above Victory, New Orleans Drink Lab explores the cocktail culture that fuels the city, as well as how many of its iconic drinks came to be. We had a crash course in cocktail culture while sipping on a glass of champs and manning our own bartending stations as we prepared our drinks for consumption. Newsflash: I actually like Hurricanes when made properly (with real, homemade passionfruit simple syrup). Who knew?

Keep your eyes peeled for Drink Lab’s monthly prohibition parties; they also offer two-hour classes several days a week, as well as cater to groups like birthday parties or bachelorettes. (price: $65 per person)

Bust a Move with Bounce Ya Brass

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to take Bounce Ya Brass class when I showed up. It was the end of a long day, I hadn’t been sleeping well, and I’d consumed a particularly gluttonous lunch so was feeling rather lethargic. But as Alex, Angie and I walked up to Crescent Park where Shanda, one of the teachers at Move Ya Brass, had already started her class, I heard her whoops and her “love yas!” and I immediately dropped my belongings and jumped right in to join the fun.

Shanda’s energy and positivity are infectious, and even if you’ve never danced a day in your life, it doesn’t matter—no one cares, no one is going to laugh at you, heck, no one will even be looking your way as they’re all paying attention to the teacher anyway and trying not to trip over their own two feet. While Move Ya Brass founder Robin Barnes’ classes may be based on NOLA dance moves backed by recorded tunes from a brass band, they’re mixed with aerobics and rather formulaic—after a couple measures, you’ll find your groove. In the summer New Orleans humidity, I was sweating hard by the third song; it helped to justify that second dessert for the day I’d have later that night.

There are free Bounce Ya Brass classes beneath the Mandeville Shed at Crescent Park every Tuesday from 5:45 to 6:45. Move Ya Brass also offers other classes like hip hop and stretching throughout the week. (price: free)

Pro tip: After you’re nice and sweaty, stick close to the Bywater neighborhood where you can have a drink at the Country Club and cool off in the pool before moving onto St. Roch Market for a casual dinner in a food hall environment.

Bowl a Strike at Fulton Alley

On my last day in town, we had a few hours of downtime to rest, during which Alex texted me, “wanna go bowling?” And while all I really wanted to do was take a nap (a lot of late nights and cocktailing led me to this point), I wanted to throw a strike a lot more than I did snooze. So off to go bowling we did!

And Fulton Alley was the cutest boutique bowling alley we ever did see, too. We booked a lane for half an hour (they’re available to rent in 30-minute increments), which was just long enough for us to bowl two games and order a round of cocktails before dinner.

I love this trend of swanky lounge-meets-bowling alley that’s been popping up across the United States. In addition to its 12 lanes—and full food and drinks menu—Fulton Alley also has Bocce ball, shuffleboard, foosball and other games, but we only had an hour to spare (no pun intended) and stuck to bowling this time around. (price: $30/hour per lane)

Paddle Bayou St. John with Kayak-iti-yat

Does it seem like everywhere you go now has a kayaking tour as an option? I must say, I love this shift to fitness-based travel. Still, whether you’ve done one kayak tour or a dozen, I guarantee you’ve never been on one like what Sonny and Sara offer at Kayak-iti-yat.

Kayak-iti-yat’s tours tackle New Orleans from both a historical and ecological perspective, exploring the placid waters of Bayou St. John. Located just outside of City Park, Bayou St. John is the oldest part of New Orleans’ with many buildings dating back to the late 1700s and early 1800s on this formerly bustling trade route.

A trained marine biologist, Sonny led our three-hour tour through the bayou—which started in a district that was part commercial, part residential, and wound its way through a waterfront community where we saw mansions and bungalows galore—during which he also gave us the backstories on the first settlers in the area and Louisiana’s fragile eco-system. And yes, we even spied one lazy alligator bobbing in the water, but no fear—he was more afraid of us than we were of him as he drifted out of our path.

Kayak-iti-yat offers tours every day of the year provided there are at least two kayakers signed up. (price: $65 per person)

Pro tip: Head to Parkway Bakery for lunch or dinner after your paddle. There, you’ll find the best po-boys in town and a plethora of local brews on tap to sample, too.

Now, tell me: What’s your favorite way to get out and enjoy New Orleans?

This post was sponsored by the New Orleans CVB. All opinions are my own.

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sentrava · 7 years

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5 Ways to Get Out and About in New Orleans

Take a Walking Tour of the Garden District

Overall, this tour is ideal for any lovers of history or architecture or the visitor who wants to get the lay of the land. (price: $35)

Mix Up a Hurricane with New Orleans Drink Lab

Bust a Move with Bounce Ya Brass

Bowl a Strike at Fulton Alley

Paddle Bayou St. John with Kayak-iti-yat

Kayak-iti-yat offers tours every day of the year provided there are at least two kayakers signed up. (price: $65 per person)

Pro tip: Head to Parkway Bakery for lunch or dinner after your paddle. There, you’ll find the best po-boys in town and a plethora of local brews on tap to sample, too.

Now, tell me: What’s your favorite way to get out and enjoy New Orleans?

This post was sponsored by the New Orleans CVB. All opinions are my own.

PIN IT HERE

5 Ways to Get Out and About in New Orleans published first on http://ift.tt/2gOZF1v

0 notes