Wandering Money Pig - A journey of early retirement and FIRE (financial independence retire early)

  Jackson Square, New Orleans  Mark Twain:  “New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.” When my wife and I were planning our cross country trip going from North Carolina to California, we wanted to make sure we add New Orleans to the mix.  The reason for adding the “ Big Easy ”, or the “ Crescent City ” is simple:  we love Cajun/Creole food!!! It made perfect sense to go to New Orleans, as we were spending a week in Biloxi (MS), and the drive would take mere two hours via I-10.  After spending the afternoon touring the Destrehan Plantation , we checked into the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown New Orleans. As soon as we got to the hotel, we knew we weren’t going to like what we saw, in terms of parking situation.  There was a convenient valet parking, but it also cost $48!!!  I couldn’t justify paying that kind of money, so I instead opted for self parking for $30 per day.   Self parking situation was inconvenient to s...

  Destrehan Plantation Abraham Lincoln:  “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.” My wife and I had checked out of our one week long stay at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi the morning of December 7th, and we were getting ready to head west to our next destination, New Orleans .  It had been over 19 years since we had visited the “ Crescent City ” or the “ Big Easy ”, and we were definitely stoked for the trip. We left Biloxi around 10 a.m., and our trip would take under 2 hours to Destrehan, Louisiana , where the Destrehan Plantation is located.  A day prior, I had purchased discounted tickets to the plantation via Groupon , saving us about $7.   We planned on eating at a local restaurant nearby, Taste of Tokyo , which turned out to be a great choice.  The restaurant, located in a busy strip mall, in a beautiful neighborhood, was really popular with locals.  We walked inside and found the place packed for lunch. We got sea...

  Bozo’s Seafood Market, Pascagoula, MS Hippocrates:  “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” My love affair with American food started when my family immigrated to the United States when I was 9 years old.  I had my first taste of a hamburger in a small diner in Astoria (NYC) under the N train.  Back in South Korea, a ‘hamburger’ was a patty made out of mostly flour and possibly some meat.  It surely didn’t taste anything like a real hamburger in the land where the hamburger originated! The elevated train rumbled above, cars honked their horns, and I was about to bite into my juicy, tender American hamburger for the very first time that day.  My eyes went wide as my taste buds exploded from sheer delight.  It was a taste I had never known in all my 9 years of existence! The combination of tender beef patty with ketchup, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and a soft bun, made me a believer in American food.  Paired with crispy French fries...