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Monday, August 17, 2009

Gonzales

My appointment this morning was in Gonzales, LA. Not very far afield - in fact it only took me about 15 minutes to get to the appointment from my home. Located in Ascension Parish, Gonzales is primarily known for two things by non-residents (if it's known at all). It's either the I-10 exit between New Orleans and Baton Rouge with the outlet malls and Cabela's, or known as the place where many relief efforts were staged in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Outside of those two things, you may also be interested to know that Gonzales plays host to an annual Jambalaya Festival, and in 1968 was named the "Jambalaya Capitol of the World."

For those that merely pass Gonzales on their way between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, these photos will look familiar...








...But for me, these give you a little more feel for Gonzales. The town does have a little central business district, characterized by low-slung, nondescript buildings, punctuated by a few nicer Acadian style buildings (as pictured below).





























Unfortunately no other appointments scheduled for a couple weeks. I'll check back in if I have any interesting travels in the meantime.

3 comments:

  1. I personally like the Jambalaya picture. Is Blair "Cockadoo" Lamendot the reigning Jambalaya champ?

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  2. Actually the end of the name is cut off - it's "Lamendola." The name of the little grocery store on which it's painted is "Lamendola's." There's lots of great places to eat in South Louisiana in unexpected places... little grocers, gas stations and convenience stores often have the best cajun cooking.

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  3. Oh, and... it appears Jody Elisar is the reigning Jambalaya champion, according to the Jambalaya Festival website. :)

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