Krystal Norris
Bio
I'm a passionate young lady from Louisiana where food, music, and fun have always been a part of my culture. I'm an inspiring blogger enthusiastic about sharing my life experiences with my readers. Join me on my journey.
Stories (2/0)
The Oldest Christmas Celebration in Southern Louisiana
My latest adventure goes back to 90 years ago. Natchitoches, LA has been known for their Festival of Lights since before I was born. In 1927, Max Burgdof thought it would be exciting to find a new way to celebrate Christmas. Mr. Burgdof was the superintendent of utilities at the time. He provided a 10 watt Christmas tree bulb to post along Front Street, which is in the downtown area of Natchitoches. Every year since then, Natchitoches adds a new piece to light up the Cane River. This year Natchitoches celebrated their 91st Festival of Lights. They decided to name it Christmas on the Cane. It was such an amazing experience to be a part of. Around 1 PM on Saturday, December 2, there was a parade prior to the concert at 4 PM-6 PM. There were several different artists, vendors, and people from different parts of Louisiana. This day full of activities was set up to welcome December and to celebrate the city's history. Unfortunately I missed the parade, but I was able to hear some awesome music from some of the artists they allowed to perform. Heads up, make sure while preparing to participate in the festivities that you try to make it there early; it helps the process of finding seating downtown and parking. The climate was hot, starting off in the middle of the day, but the darker it got I could feel more of a breeze, so a blanket would be nice to bring, and also a lawn chair. Many people including myself had to sit on the ground due to not bringing a lawn chair. OK! So upon arrival I had to park within the downtown neighborhood so that I would be walking distance to the downtown area where the light show would take place. The admission of the downtown area is $10 per person 12+ years of age and under 64 years old. In order to buy food from the vendors you must purchase food vendor tickets at the entrance of the downtown areas where you purchase your wristbands from. While I was enjoying the festivities I did remember how famous Natchitoches is for their meat pies, so I made sure that I purchased a meat pie from one of the food vendors that was located downtown, but I would honestly suggest for future reference visiting Lasyone's Meat Pies and Maggio's for a daiquiri. These two places are within the city but not downtown. The meat pies from the food vendors downtown were overpriced and the meat pie was fairly hard. However, the actual light show was AMAZING. When I was younger I came to see the lights, but I could barely remember anything. Visiting as an adult literally has left a mark on me in a tremendous way. While Louisiana is full of great places to see holiday lights, Natchitoches is known around the country for its festivities. The fireworks were paired to holiday music, which made the show that much more exciting. Right after the show, the city turns on all 91 lights that are showcased, and seeing the Cane River lit up made me feel like a kid again. I was more excited than I'm sure I was as a child. This year's theme was "Christmas on the Cane." I participated in the kickoff day which was December 2, the first Saturday of December. The Festival of Lights will display their show every Saturday until the last Saturday in December. Each Saturday they will have different live entertainment, art, food, and vendors. If you're looking for something exciting and fun to experience before Christmas this is the ideal event to attend. For more info you can visit their website here.
By Krystal Norris6 years ago in Wander
Where to Experience Floor-to-ceiling Panoramic Views of Toronto, Canada?
Before arriving in Toronto I made sure to look at different interesting things to do. You'd be surprised to know that Toronto is full of fun on every corner. After googling I came across The World's Tallest Tower. It is also the very place that well-known rapper Drake took his famous picture for his album "Views" that dropped in 2016. So I know you must be curious about what tower I'm referring to and it is the LA CN Tower. This tower is famously known as the tallest tower and is acknowledged by Guinness World Records for being the tallest tower. I was informed that the CN Tower stands at 1500 feet. In order to get to the top of the tower you must take an elevator, well, of course, I'm sure no one would want to take the stairs. Imagine having to walk up 1,776 stairs. Sheesh, I'm tired even thinking about it. When I was getting on the elevator it was over 15 people bundling up in order to fit. The bottom of the elevator floor was made of glass, and as I was going up the elevator my ears popped due to the height of elevation and speed of the elevator. Ultimately once you step off the elevator you reach the floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows which are breath-taking. I was able to see my hotel, Lake Ontario, and many other buildings right from where I stood. The sun was setting so it was perfect. I spent about 30 minutes just taking in the view. The only thing I didn't care for was all the traffic it can be hard capturing photos due to everyone trying to capture the same view or just sharing the space of staring in amazement. After overlooking the city I took another few steps down the stairs where the glass floor was. The glass floor was cool but difficult to capture photos of including yourself. There also was an outside view beyond the glass windows when I stepped outside I was consumed by wind it was EXTREMELY cold. I think the coolest thing to me was that at night time the tower changes colors. The best time to experience the tower would be at night. It was a cool experience but that was it I expected to see more of the tower after the glass floor, but unfortunately that was not the case unless you pay extra to experience the edgewalk. The edgewalk is where visitors walk in a group of six and are harnessed to an overhead safety rail via a trolley. The participants are allowed to lean off the edge of the tower with nothing but air and breathtaking views of Lake Ontario beneath them. Which could be very scary for most people but very reviving for others. Within the tower, there is the 360 restaurant that allows guest to have lunch or dinner while overlooking Toronto. The CN Tower also has its own wine brewery in the inside. My experience at the CN Tower was pretty cool I was expecting more but the amazing view kind of made up for that. Toronto by itself was amazing and I wouldn't change anything. I would advise anyone to take a trip to Toronto it's well worth it. Being in the sky made me appreciate the beauty of the busy world we live in every day. Experiencing the CN Tower made me feel special and alive to be apart of a place full of beauty and overlooking such greatness. I feel like I made a great decision picking the CN Tower as a must-see spot on my to-do list while in Toronto.
By Krystal Norris6 years ago in Wander
