The Natchez Bridge of Sighs and its magnificent view

The Mississippi River as seen from the Natchez Bluffs

I was born and reared on the side of the Mississippi River so it holds a special place in my heart. Many’s the time I spotted ships moving past higher than my head when the river rose in the spring and there was only a levee between my New Orleans home and those muddy waters. Later, I would work along the river in Baton Rouge and never fail to pause and admire the third largest river in the world.

But it was those levees that kept that river from me. When you visit towns such as Natchez, Mississippi, a city built upon a bluff, the river stretches before you like a goddess. My favorite activity when visiting Natchez is to stand beside my river and absorb that magnificent view along the Natchez Bluff.

All along the riverfront in Natchez is a walking-biking trail, one high upon the bluff, and one closest to the river’s edge. In 2015, to connect the two sections of the bluff-side Spanish Esplanade or Promenade, the city of Natchez built the “Bridge of Sighs,” a footbridge allowing pedestrian traffic over Roth’s Hill Road. The recent addition is a replica of a 19th century bridge that spanned Roth Hill Road, and that bridge got its name from an ancient one in Venice, Italy.

Walking across the Natchez Bridge of Sighs, visitors will spot numerous padlocks, some sporting initials and names, a tradition that lovers use as a public token of their affection. Placing padlocks on bridges is popular in Europe, including Italy.

The Bridge of Sighs in Venice, by the way, was built to connect the city’s New Prison to the interrogation rooms within the Doge's Palace. It was the last view of Venice convicts saw before their imprisonment. There are similarly named bridges in Cambridge, England; Stockholm, Sweden; Glasgow, Scotland; at The Venetian in Las Vegas; connecting The Tombs with the Criminal Courts Building in New York City; and within the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in California. Richard Russo wrote a novel titled “Bridge of Sighs” and the bridge has been used in operas as well as the title song of Robin Trower’s album, ”Bridge of Sighs.”

And I’m not the only one who fell in love with the Natchez bluff, although I didn’t leave a padlock behind. Frederick Law Olmsted, known as founder of landscape architecture in America, said this: “But the grand feature of Natchez is the bluff, terminating in an abrupt precipice over the river, with the public garden upon it…. So, after supper, I went to the bluff again, and found it most solemnly beautiful; the young moon shining through rents in the clouds: the great gleaming crescent of water; the dim, ungapped horizon; the earth sensibly a mere swinging globe.”

Perhaps Olmsted would have left a padlock behind as well.

Cheré Coen is a food and travel writer who loves weird and unusual things, and hopes the owners of these padlocks truly find everlasting love.

Biscuits, pour-over coffee, poetry and love at Greenhouse on Porter in Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits.

Carl Sandburg

When someone tells me there’s a new restaurant serving homemade biscuits and pour-over coffee, I don’t hesitate to haul my butt out of the chair. Couple that with the quaint Mississippi Gulf Coast town of Ocean Springs, and you’ve got a winning deal.

            Greenhouse on Porter only serves coffee, beer and delicious crispy homemade biscuits. The day I visited I sampled a savory cheddar and mushroom biscuit that was out-of-this-world good, followed by a sweet potato biscuit with honey butter. The insides were soft and chewy while the outer skin a nice brown crust. Perfection. They serve Reve coffee out of Lafayette, my town where said chair is located, so I was familiar with this craft coffee roaster and knew of their rich, smooth javas.

            The Ocean Springs restaurant is located in an actual greenhouse. Co-owner Kait Sukiennik said the greenhouse had existed on the spot for years, fallen into disrepair. She and partner Jessie Zenor lovingly renovated the greenhouse, although it still owns a rustic ambiance — no air conditioning but fans, plants everywhere, free books inside an old suitcase and poetry lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling.

Kait Sukiennik

            Sukiennik sold her biscuits at farmer’s markets and other places and when she decided to open a storefront did so with only $10,000 to her name. The front of the house (which is air conditioned by the way) contains a tiny kitchen and seating area for about six to eight people, plus a restroom. The seating was made by hand using bare particle boards (although you hardly notice) and the front of the counter is an old door, glass knob still attached. Sukiennik said they used lots of recycled architecturals in the design and enlisted the help of family and friends to help build the interiors.

            The walls are filled with local artwork, various works of poetry and posters by Amos Kennedy. Greenhouse also offers special events such as meditation classes, benefits, cat bingo and live music.

            If only I lived closer!!

Poetry lining the walls at Greenhouse on Porter.

The tiny kitchen with a door as the counter.

 

Honoring the three-legged cat of Natchez

A limping cat showed up at the Natchez City Hall in 1979 and employees couldn’t turn away the adorable feline, giving him veterinarian care, food, water and a litter box. The injured cat lost a paw and his teeth but gained an enormous amount of love. Employees, including the mayor, were so enamored with the cat that he became a permanent part of City Hall and the town. "Tripod" was even the star of TV talk shows — including “P.M. Magazine” — and the recipient of gifts from around the country.

Former Natchez Alderman Hal Wilson, however, wasn’t too keen on having Tripod around; he was allergic to cats. He tried to have the cat removed from City Hall but his motion failed to get a second, according to a story in The Natchez Democrat. Former Mayor Tony Byrne then made a motion to remove Wilson from City Hall but the vote was split and the mayor broke the tie in favor of keeping the alderman around.

Wilson eventually changed his mind, the article states. He was the only one able to reach City Hall during a snowstorm (he lived downtown) and he and Tripod kept each other company in the empty building.

Tripod died on Oct. 9, 1983. But his legacy lives on. He’s buried on City Hall grounds underneath an oak tree. There was a full memorial service and Brookhaven Monument Co. and Natchez Monument Co. donated a headstone bearing his name. The engraving reads: " The City's Kitty."

Neshoba County Fair highlight the daily chair races

            Jan Risher is an author, freelance journalist and popular columnist for the Lafayette Advertiser in Lafayette, Louisiana. She’s also a transplant from southern Mississippi and loves to share her crazy state with readers. Crazy with deep affection, mind you, since no one in south Louisiana can throw crazy stones.

Photos by Neshoba County Fair

            This past week she shared stories and images from the Neshoba County Fair, which happens every summer about 25 miles from where Risher grew up. The annual event is more like a party, Risher explained, where people from the area come home and stay at "cabins" owned by residents. Camping, a few hotels and the Dancing Rabbit Casino are some accommodations available for tourists.

            “And basically, it's a giant reunion,” she said. “If you're from Neshoba County, you go home for that week and stay at the fair. If your parents are from Neshoba County that week, you go and stay at the fair.”

            Like most county fairs, there is plenty to do, including over at the racetrack.

Of course there's a pageant!

            “For the record, it is ridiculously hot there and people stay for the week, relaxing, watching horse cart races, riding rides, looking at the pickles and jam that won various contests and enjoying nightly performances (usually concerts),” Risher posted on Facebook. “This happens every afternoon when they open the racetrack for seating for that evening's concert.”

            When she posted, that night's show was the Miss Neshoba County contest.”

            The real fun, however, happens pre-show. When they open the area for lawn chairs at the afternoon and evening events, things get a little crazy — and we mean Deep South crazy. Participants wanting a good seat — and hauling their own lawn chairs — race to the best spot. It’s so funny, there are numerous videos on YouTube documenting this craziness.

            “The chair races are simply an afternoon ritual of Mississippians entertaining (and hurting) themselves to get the best seats for the nightly show,” Risher explained.

Chair races at the Neshoba fair.

            Want to see what the chair races looks like? Here’s a clip.

            According to Risher, cabins get all lit up and decorated for the event.

            “Years and years ago, National Geographic did a story on the Neshoba County Fair,” she said. “It's changed since then — for one thing, people have a lot more access to twinkly lights!”

            Just don’t forget it’s still Mississippi in July.
            “Those lights don't fool me,” Risher said. “I know how hot the fair is.”