While a visit to NOLA is filled with nostalgia for me, it’s also about gluttony and fun, and celebrating life! What better way to do all that than spend your days at a music festival scattered throughout the Quarter. You can always be sure that in New Orleans every good party will start with a parade. As you can see, even at 10 am, it’s never too early here to get your drink on.From big stages down by the river……to small stages all the way down at The US Mint.There is something for everyone. I love Jazz fest, but there is something nice about rolling out of...
A well-known and extremely fun New Orleans tradition is the Jazz Brunch. It’s a great way to kick off the day with an abundance of food, music, and good times. We entertained the idea of going to a brunch one morning. Instead we figured not to bother, given the World’s Largest Jazz Brunch was right at our fingertips: the French Quarter Festival. That didn’t mean we couldn’t have breakfast too though! There is one spot we discovered last year that had to be the breakfast before the brunch: P&G Restaurant. I love P&G because I can keep things simple with an...
While I’m on the topic of New Orleans traditions, I must include one that many people can’t live without. Cafe du Monde When the line gets too long, get your beignets to go.It’s been so many years that I’ve dined in for beignets, but I suspect they are better eaten in-house. Or maybe it’s not that at all. Maybe I should just confront my denial and confess to the world that I’m not really that crazy about beignets. I like them, but I don’t LOVE them.I want to love them because I love the history and the culture… and maybe...
I’m embarrassed to admit that in my 4 years at Tulane, I did not go to Galatoire’s once. College was a funny time for me– it was such an adventurous, yet simultaneously sheltered time. It was as if my friends and I were living in a bubble. I justify it with the excuse that when you first venture out into the world on your own, there is so much of the unfamiliar to experience that it’s hard to see beyond your newly expanded world. It’s as if there is only so much growth you can take at once, or you will go into enrichment overload. Your world has stretched so...
It’s a good thing for the show Treme. I’ve had little motivation to write lately. It’s mostly because I have been so busy with other things that I have procrastinated… a lot. It’s Sunday evening, and while I have committed to writing a weekly post, I haven’t done it yet this week. So here I am watching Treme and it suddenly hits me. The nostalgia sets in, and I’m ready to write. Thank you for your help, Treme.Every city needs to have a fun Mexican restaurant– even New Orleans. Days and days of traditional N’awlins food can make me feel stuffed....
I’m a little picky about my hotels in New Orleans. This time we stayed downtown at the W. It’s a great spot, and I just don’t like to risk my hotels here. A few years ago I had a mouse in my hotel room at the Best Western on St Charles. We came back from a late show at Tipitina’s, and the mouse ran right into our room. I was scared to go to sleep that night, but luckily, was so tired that the idea of this mouse in my room did not keep me awake. It wasn’t one of...
Knowing that I would be without a camera in New Orleans, I tried to devise some ways around this little problem. I could certainly use my Blackberry, but it’s not that good, and the battery seems to die on me all the time. I could borrow an iphone at every moment from my bro and sis-in-law. How annoying would I be? Not to mention that at the end, they would have to email me every picture I took. And I always take a few photos of the same thing to increase my odds of getting a good shot. That would mean a lot...
Does this ever happen to you? It happens to me every time I go away… I feel like I have packed everything I need, but I always worry that I’m forgetting something– even if I’m not. I guess that neurosis falls into the same category as another neurosis of mine: every time I leave the house, I feel compelled to check and make sure I’ve locked all of the doors, turned off the stove and oven (even if I haven’t used them in days,) and closed the garage door. On my way to New Orleans though, I was confident that...
Today I feel like I have blogging A.D.D. This jumping from Mexico to Colorado back to Mexico, back to Colorado again, to Panama, and now back to Colorado has me a little foggy. Where am I? And where am I going next? Did I really eat Tacos al Pastor in Snowmass, or am I just that confused? Well, I have the proof that I did indeed have tacos al pastor! Finally, a photo of these tacos. Thanks to Venga Venga in Snowmass Village, I was able to warm up with these tasty tacos that brought back memories of my time in Mexico. This isn’t the typical...
If you know me well, you’ve probably heard me mention once or twice that I never win anything. I always feel like I have to clarify it by saying, “I have a very lucky life, but I’m not lucky with gaming.” It’s true. If I stop and observe my life, I feel like I am quite lucky, but I have only won 1 prize ever in my life. It was a Super Bowl pool last year, and I had the square that won me $75 at halftime. It was right at that moment, at the end of halftime, that I...
