"All Aboard" - the trademark phrase of jazz trumpeter extraordinaire, Kermit Ruffins.
We are on our way to New Orleans!
We'll be under a week long spell of flamboyant, frivolous, fun.
We arrive in time for the Saints game. The stadium is in walking distance from our home away from home, The Lafayette Hotel, on St. Charles Avenue. Managers Kerry and Geishla will be waiting for us. They treat us like family. We love everything about this hotel. It is unassuming, quaint, charming, comfortable - but most of all, personable.
There will be plenty of pre-game and post-game parties along the way - so we'll need to pace ourselves, and peruse the neighborhood.
Monday and Tuesday is reserved for real estate hunting with Eric Bouler. We would love nothing more then to call New Orleans our home. Until then, we are going to visit as often as we can.
Wednesday night there is a free concert at Lafayette Square Park, next to our hotel. We'll be catching the Blind Boys of Alabama - living legends of gospel.
Thursday night its Bassnectar - a freeform electronic dubstep artist we were introduced to at Burning Man.
Friday begins the Voodoo Experience, a three day music and arts festival held in City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Voodoo fest is known for blending high profile artists, from all genres, with local favorites.
This years headliners include: Soundgarden, The Raconteurs, My Chemical Romance, The Original Meters, Fatboy Slim, Blink 182, and Snoop Dogg.
Alongside them are local favorites: Bonerama, Dr. John, Walter Wolfman Washington, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Morning 40 Federation, Ani DiFranco and Ivan Neville, to name a few.
Getting there is stress free - no pedicab rides for me - we'll be riding the Canal line streetcar to and fro.
In between all this there are after parties, Halloween parties, and favorite haunts. We'll also be hooking up with good friends Jack and Cindy, cousin Jane Harvey Brown and her husband Kerry Brown, and my new Burning Man buddies, Butta and Peanut.
French Quarter Festival 2011 - Jane Harvey Brown Traditional Jazz All-stars
My daughter Lindsay and her boyfriend, Mr. Stolfi, will be joining on Thursday. We introduced them to NOLA last year and they too are smitten by it. Not just by Bourbon Street, a place we typically avoid unless we're going to catch legendary jazz pianist Lawrence Cotton at Maison Bourbon, but they get the overall vibe.
Why am I telling you all this? This is my official "excuse" for being absent from my blog or from reading your blog. I promise to return with a tale or two.... and pictures.
Here are some of my favorites...
Miss Lucy acting cool in the French Quarter
9th Ward Memorial beside FEMA asbestos tainted trailers
Window in the Sky - lower 9th Ward
Musicians Village
Jane Harvey Brown Traditional Jazz All-Stars
featuring Mr. Lawrence Cotton on the piano.
featuring Mr. Lawrence Cotton on the piano.
Enjoy!
Wow! What a wonderful week you're going to have. Have fun, can't wait for the pictures :-)
ReplyDeleteAlways wanted to go... Haven't made it there yet. :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
So jealous! Have fun & post plenty of pictures when you get back.
ReplyDeleteThank You! we are all checking in and getting ready to head out to the Saints Game!!!! WHO DAT! WHO DAT!
ReplyDeleteHave a great trip! Can't wait to see the pictures!
ReplyDeleteI've never been there. So hope you have double the fun and share it with me when you return. Look forward to your stories and pictures.
ReplyDeleteMonkeypuss.......I love your blogs! Yet I have to catch up. You're a prolific little minkey. I think I would love to visit NOLA w/ Bull, and meet you there and be introduced to it through your eyes.
ReplyDeleteThat is an impressive line up of musicians too! IHave a blasty blast!! Love, Dustbunny
New Orleans is on my list of places to visit. Enjoy the trip, the music, the art, and the culture! Can't wait for more posts.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy! My wife and I did a trip to the Big Easy last year and had a blast!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is wonderful.... i like this very much.
ReplyDeletegreetings, Joop
God I'm jealous!! Dr. John, Ivan Neville... music to die for. And that Lucy is just to cool, keep her away from the Jello shots. :)
ReplyDeleteJules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
i LOVE it there... so jealous. have too much fun !!
ReplyDelete~laura
Shannon
ReplyDeleteU r a riot.
I have decided I am gonna vicariously live thru u. R u really considering moving to New Orleans. I so want u too. Then we can see each other--what is 6 hours driving time. Nothing to me. My sophomore year in college I out 50K miles on my car. My dad started making me send him my mileage. He was like what r u doing. R u a saleswoman on the road and I do not know about this. I was like no dad when I have to think I drive. I was going to school at Appalachian State in Boone, NC at the time. I would get on Blue Ridge Parkway and just drive and drive and drive. It was so pretty there.
Romney made me mad. One day in Coffeehouse, all of a sudden I saw all my coworkers staring at me. I was sweeping the floor near the front door. Sweeping is therapeutic for me. Anywho I stopped and started looking at them looking at me. And then I realized why they were staring at me. They were afraid of what I was gonna do to this customer who was telling them about Romney putting his dog on top of his car blah blah blah. The man thought it wad the funniest thing. Then he came over to me and tried to tell me the story. I just looked at him went over to the door, opened it and indicted he needed to leave. He kept giving me this puzzled look. I said to him I do not think ur story is funny at all. Abusing an animal is not amusing at all. He walked out the door and said "Uh uh uh--". I just shut the door and went back to my sweeping. My supervisor heaved a sigh of relief. He said later I was worried how u were gonna handle that situation. I am the puppy person at the Coffeehouse. If there is a puppy anywhere near the Coffeehouse, I hear loudly across the room, "Dawn come here.". I love pups.
What an idiot putting ur dog on top of the car. Oh he enjoys 70 mph of air in his face. Well let us put ur ass up on the roof of the car and see how u like it. I cannot stomach to read anymore about him. I know that is foolish of me.
Girl I would have been screaming my head off when u fell off that pedicab. I would have had to lay down beside u on the road and we both would have been carted off in an ambulance.
I get lots of attention at my vet. They quickly get me in the back away from everyone. I tell Buttons and Patches u know sometimes it pays off being emotional. We always get tended too.
Shannon u made me laugh today. Ur stories r quite entertaining.