The Big Easy, Crescent City – NoLa here I come

I’ve been thinking about taking a writing break for a while, and I considered a few locations for my trip. I ultimately decided on New Orleans, LA (NoLa) as my destination. I’ll stay there for nearly three weeks – the longest writing break I’ve ever taken, which is very exciting.

New Orleans has been on my mind since 2005 and Hurricane Katrina. I’ve been looking for the chance to go back to the city (I’ve been there once before) and spend tourist dollars to support the local economy. This extended trip will allow me to do that.

I’ve been able to rent space in a furnished apartment – something I’ve never done before – which will put me in a nice neighborhood within walking distance of public transportation, all without killing my lodging budget. In fact, based on the number of days I’ll be away, my daily lodging costs will be less than $40 bucks a day. Add in big bonuses of having access to a kitchen to do cooking some of the time, a refrigerator to store food and drink, and wireless internet access so I can post here and check email, and it makes the acc0modations that much more enticing.

It was important to me for this trip to not have to worry about renting a car and New Orleans has plenty of public transport, including a streetcar line rolling through the Garden District. I’m sure I’ll be using it heavily. My ‘host’ mentioned the trip to the French Quarter is less than 15 minutes away which gives me tons of opportunities to explore all the nooks and crannies of the neighborhood.

New Orleans is such a melting pot of cultures, cuisines, music and art, it can’t help but be an inspiring place to soak up impressions for interesting stories. So much of a writer’s life is spent observing others, and smelling, tasting and experiencing the environment around us. I know from my past travels a change in scenery can start the creative fires burning so I’m hopeful NoLa will lend me her gracious southern hospitality to achieve my writing goals.

I won’t be leaving for a few more weeks, but my mind is more than halfway there…

What is a Writing Vacation?

Have you ever wanted to get away from it all to clear your mind so you could write?

I have.  I haven’t ever had a long stretch of time available to just write everyday and I thought it might be interesting to go on a “Writing Vacation“.

Here are a few rules of thumb that might apply to a writing vacation:

1. Get out of the usual surroundings

Don’t stay in the house, don’t stay in town and don’t do all the things you normally do .

      2.  Don’t go someplace too remote OR too interesting

A cabin in the woods is probably too remote for me.  I’ve done this before and I went bat-shit crazy for three days without anyone to interact with and no one but myself to bounce off the walls. 

Similarly, a big city like San Francisco, Chicago or Washington, D.C. has too much going on and would be over-stimulating.  A big city says “come explore me” which could take all day, every day for your entire time away which is not what you want when on a writing vacation.

    3.   Ideal places for a writing vacation (on the East Coast)

While this would be a matter of opinion and preference, in my many East Coast travels I’ve come across some cities which I think could be ideal for a writing vacation. I wish I had more experience with the West Coast but I don’t know any places there that I’d choose for a writing vacation.

(If you are reading this and you are from CA, OR, WA or coastal British Columbia – please leave a comment if you have suggestions!)

• Asheville, NC – a 2 hour drive from Charlotte, Asheville is tucked away in the mountains of N.C.  It is home to a few colleges, a museum, art galleries, some nice restaurants and is charming and down home.  Downtown has just enough stuff to do without being over-stimulating, in my opinion.
• Annapolis, MD – centrally located on the eastern seaboard, Annapolis is a mostly sleepy town that is the home of the Naval Academy. Again, numerous B&B’s and plenty of charm, good seafood and restaurants, a few mom and pop ice cream parlors and a lot of quiet during the day
• Burlington, VT – this is an amazing village or small town really almost in the middle of nowhere in the northern part of Vermont. I wouldn’t recommend this as a winter writing destination but the other seasons are a good bet. As with the other locations, this is a walkable downtown, charming boutique stores and good restaurants but not a lot of nightlife or distractions.
• Lambertville, NJ – this town boasts tons of antique and art galleries and has an artistic vibe to it. There aren’t that many good restaurants in town though. Right across the Delaware River (walkable since there is a bridge with “sidewalk” space on both sides) is New Hope, PA. New Hope has a funkier vibe and hosts a few good bookstores, more art galleries and more restaurant choices.
• Woodstock or New Paltz, NY – both of these towns are small Catskills locations. In the case of Woodstock it’s got a few art galleries, some funky boutiques, a great bookstore and it’s very quiet. (Some would find Woodstock too quiet.) New Paltz is a college town and has a little more energy, especially when the kids are back to school. There’s an art store, record store, funky clothes and cheap eats, along with some mid-range restaurants. The best bet in both these places are B&B’s.

    4.   Must-Haves for the Vacationing Writer

• Writing time – you should be writing every day on your vacation if it is to be a writing vacation. But it is up to you how much of your day or evening will be spent that way. I’d suggest at least 3-4 hours a day should be spent writing, and the rest would be spent relaxing and exploring the limited surroundings.
• Internet connection – some B&B’s are charming, quaint and provide a great breakfast but they have no internet connection. You need to ask and make sure you will be able to do research or look something up, check your email, or work on your submissions (this may apply more to short story writers, freelancers, etc.)
• Comfort – don’t skimp when it comes to your comfort. It’s better to have a small kitchenette area where you can store some items in a refrigerator so you don’t have to run out every time you want a cold drink or a snack.  Now that you’re on vacation, let someone else clean up too. That’s why you are staying somewhere so you don’t have to worry about that.  Of course, if you like to write in your pajamas, by all means bring them with you.  If you need your bunny slippers, then pack them too.  Finally, make sure that you are going to get a great night’s sleep.   A Note about B&B’s – Don’t stay at the B&B downtown if there is too much noise.  Also, if you aren’t planning to get up early for the provided breakfast, you may want to skip the B&B entirely. This is a personal choice because you will be left alone most of the time in a B&B, but you will also have some social interaction at breakfast.
• Books – bring a few books with you to read that will help spur you on your writing vacation.  If you are writing short stories, bring some well-worn dog-eared story collections you’ve read and enjoyed.

Do you have a place you like to go that you think would be great for a writing vacation? Please share – I’d like to hear about it!