Living in New Orleans – the first 10 years

My family is from Louisiana for generations on both sides but I didn’t move to New Orleans until late 2009. I’d lived in Maryland, Japan, Washington D.C., Alabama, New York, and almost 18 years in Los Angeles before finally following my heart home. Looking through photos for this blog post, I saw the story of a New Dat becoming a Saints season-ticket-holding Who Dat, a parade-goer becoming a Pussyfooters parade dancer, strangers becoming friends, and a blogger becoming an author. I saw the evolution of my love story with this city, and with the man I met my first year here.

I’d just produced Hell Ride with Quentin Tarantino when I decided to leave Los Angeles.

Favorite Things 2015

Better late than never, I’m finally updating my favorite Things list. First, I’d like to thank everyone who reads this blog (in over 100 countries!). Here are Your Favorite Posts of 2015:

5 – French Quarter Fest – Sunday

4 – Southern Decadence 2015

3 – Big Easy Birthday

2 – Endymion Extravaganza – My First Ball!  (your favorite post of all time)

1 – Street Musicians – Tanya and Dorise

Now to the list! The categories are: Food & Beverage, Music & Entertainment, Culture, Shopping and Giving & More. 

Mardi Gras Indians Super Sunday 2015

This was my 6th Mardi Gras Indians Super Sunday and it still shocks my senses. Music swirls with the smell of grilled meats as everyone gathers at A.L. Davis Park to see the Indians’ elaborately crafted suits which weigh up to 150 pounds, cost up to $5000 (though I’ve heard $9000 once) and can take up to a year to design, construct and bead. When I moved here in 2009, the tribes were still fighting  for their right to a permitted parade. This year, I spotted Mayor Mitch Landrieu shaking hands with police parade escorts before things got rolling.

Mardi Gras Day in the French Quarter

Everywhere else, it’s just Tuesday. Just one block from the debauchery of Bourbon Street, for many locals Mardi Gras Day in the French Quarter is a day of elaborate costumes, wandering bands and dancing in the streets. It was see-your-breath cold but after the crap-weather last year, icy wind seemed like a cakewalk. No time to write but they say a picture’s worth a thousand words so here are about 150,000 words.

Krewes of Thoth and Bacchus

As a member of the Pussyfooters, I danced in 2 Mardi Gras parades this year, Muses and Krewe of Thoth. Best known as “the children’s parade for it’s inclusion of the children’s hospital, Thoth has the longest parade route at about 11 miles. That’s a lot of dancing, but I comfort myself thinking of the kids carrying sousaphones and bass drums. The weather was nice again and crowds were thick. We passed Okeanos lining up on our way to Thoth then jumped into the parade a few floats after the Muff-A-Lottas passed by.(Okay, first there were about 2 hours of waiting but we kept ourselves entertained).

Krewes of Iris and Tucks (and Endymion on TV)

It was another perfect day for parades, warm and sunny with a cool breeze. We arrived in time to see the end of the Krewe of Iris’ pretty parade and caught bands and dancers from Harney, Super Star Steppers, Mary D. Coghill, Xavier and McDonogh City Park Academy. Krewe of Tucks is a parade named for a bar that doesn’t exist anymore that features a giant toilet float and throws rolls of toilet paper. But, it’s great fun with stunning visuals like the neon foam monsters, the beaded corsets of Dames du Perlage, Kolossos (and their dancing sharks), the Star Wars-themed 501st Legion and dance troupes Disco Amigos, Muff-A-Lottas and Organ Grinders.

Hermes, D’Etat & Morpheus with Thomas Morstead

One of the great things about Mardi Gras is that it serves as a gathering point. People have “their spot” and you know where to find them. And there are the annual house parties along the route. After Katrina, this was the only way some people had to find each other after having been washed away.  When I was Pussyfooting in Muses, I knew where to look for friends and neighbors. Float riders send out notes to their friends letting them know which float they’ll be on and which side they’re riding – sidewalk side or neutral ground side – so they can give them special throws or shower them with beads. We come together at Mardi Gras, we find each other.

Pussyfooting in Krewe of Muses

This was my second year Pussyfooting in Krewe of Muses and it was amazing! Between the sisterhood, the non-profit work and the resources available through the organization, I have plenty of reasons to love being a Pussyfooter but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that parading in Muses is reason enough. Muses is one of the ever-increasing number of female Krewes. Like many of the parades dance troupes, our organization strives to empower women of all kinds. After years of being terrified of large groups of women, I’m dancing in a group of over 100 women over-30 among over 1000 Muses Krewe members and it just feels good to be a part of it all.

Krewes of Druid and Nyx

Wednesday night, the final week of Carnival kicked off with the Krewe of Ancient Druids and Krewe of Nyx parades. Last year, we braved freezing rain but the skies were clear for this year’s festivities. Druids may have taken their ribbing of female parades too far with their Louisiana Purchase card (our version of food stamps) float displaying a sign reading, “Preferred Card of all Female Mardi Gras Krewes.” But the parade was fun, traditional and featured fun female dance troupes like Organ Grinders and Amelia Earhawts (who seem to be parading every day!).

Barkus, Allah and Femme Fatale Parades

Sunday’s parades enjoyed perfect weather. You can’t do it all during Mardi Gras so we picked the Krewes of Barkus, Allah and Femme Fatale parades. A local favorite, Barkus is the dog parade and this year’s theme was “BARK WARS: The Return of the K9” so many of the costumes and floats celebrated Star Wars. For more about the hilarious history of the ever-growing parade and the special lunch the rescue-dog King and Queen enjoy at Galatoire’s, click HERE.