French Quarter Fest 2022 – Thurs.

I missed many things during the pandemic, but most of them are available at French Quarter Fest, my favorite festival of the year. The 20 stages of indigenous music and 60 local food booths provide the best of our city’s offerings and it was great running into friends after so long – and seeing so many people wearing Pelicans basketball gear!

We started our day by the Aquarium with Margie Perez serenading a brunch-time crowd of visitors and locals from tiny tots to great-grandparents.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, located in the heart of New Orleans alongside the mighty Mississippi used to be one of the preeminent aquariums in the world with over 10,000 fish of over 500 species. Then Katrina came. Nearly all the animals died with the exception of the white alligator, the birds, a 250 pound sea turtle, the otters and the penguins. Apparently, a few police officers checked in daily to feed the animals and I heard a story about one policeman who brought ice for the penguins everyday.