Wednesday starts 7 straight days of parades ending with Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). Things used to get off to a quiet start with just the Krewe of Ancient Druids rolling, and mostly locals sparsely dotting St. Charles. Once the all-female Super Krewe of Nyx joined the lineup in 2012, the crowds have gotten thicker by the year. Whereas Druids is a smaller krewe with less than 200 members, the Krewe of Nyx boasts thousands of members in over 40 floats – all with treasured hand-made glittery purses to give to a lucky few along with the tons of beads and female-friendly throws. Continue reading
Tag Archives: drew brees
Krewes of Druids and Nyx Parades 2020
Filed under Carnival, Culture, decorations and costumes, free events and lagniappe, Mardi Gras 2020, parade
Tagged as 610 stompers, beads, carnival, drew brees, floats, krewe, Krewe of Ancient Druids, Krewe of Druids, Krewe of Nyx, latonola, marching band, mardi gras, Muff-A-Lottas, new orleans, parade, parade death, Pussyfooters, Saints, Sirens, st. charles, throws
New Orleans Mystery Books
When I started this blog, I was working on a novel, Lemonade Farm. Ten years later, I’ve finished that novel, an acting book, Know Small Parts: An Actor’s Guide to Turning Minutes into Moments and Moments ints a Career with foreword by Richard Dreyfuss and endorsements from Kevin Costner, Lou Diamond Phillips and many more – and with the release of The Family Secret: A Charlotte Reade Mystery – I’ve just completed a 5-book series.
The first book of the mysteries-not-murders series begins as the Saints are marching toward their Super Bowl victory during Mardi Gras in 2009-10. As actor/producer Charlotte aids in the search for a birth mother, she comes across a haunted chandelier, and a mystery in her own family’s past. Continue reading →
Filed under Carnival, Concerts, Culture, decorations and costumes, entertainment industry, free events and lagniappe, history, Local Cuisine, Mardi Gras 2013, parade, shopping, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints
Tagged as A Charlotte Reade Mystery, acting, acting book, actor, Allison Leotta, amateur sleuth, bayona, behind-the-scenes, birth mother, book lovers, book promo, book series, book signing, Bryan Batt, carnival, Charlotte Reade, Charlotte Reade mysteries, concert, cozy mystery, cozy mystery series, Dancing Man 504, dancingman504, Django Unchained, drew brees, Easter Parade, family secret, FiFi Mahoney's, Fifi Mahony's, floats, french quarter, garden district, Garden District Book Shop, gift ideas, gifts, Glen David Andrews, good book, haunted chandelier, heist, John Schneider, kevin costner, Know Small Parts, Know Small Parts: An Actor's Guide to Turning Minutes into Moments and Moments into a Career, latonola, Laura Cayouette, Lemonade Farm, los angeles, Lou Diamond Phillips, M.S. Rau, M.S. Rau Antiques, mardi gras, Muff-A-Lottas, mystery series, new orleans, New Orleans mystery, Nola Snow, Nola Snow Snoballs, novel, parade, Pinterest, Pussyfooters, Q&A, Quentin Tarantino, readers, rebirth brass band, Red Fish Grill, Restaurant, richard dreyfuss, roots of music, Saints, second line, series, st. charles, Super Bowl, Superdome, The Family Secret, The Family Secret: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, The Haunted Heirloom, The Hidden Huntsman, The Missing Ingredient, The Secret of the Other Mother, theft, thief, Trashy Diva, treme, Wednesday at the Square, who dat, YouTube, YouTube playlist
Who Dat Nation Boycott Parades
I don’t have it in me to explain what it’s like to be a Saints fan right now. Pain and pride, I’ve been feeling a lot of both. But we grieve loss differently here, so this Sunday – while the world watched the Asterisks Bowl – we partied and paraded. There were literally parades from morning throughout the game. Many bars played the Saints victory in 2010 rather than the game. There was even a day-long concert with 10 bands. Choppa led the dance moves. The front page of the paper featured a football field grid with all the activities listed, but we started off the grid at the 25th Treme Sidewalk Steppers second line. Continue reading →
Filed under Culture, decorations and costumes, free events and lagniappe, parade, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints
Tagged as boycott, Boycott Parade, brass band, carnival, drew brees, french quarter, latonola, mardi gras, new orleans, parade, Pussyfooters, Saints, treme, who dat, Who Dat Boycott Parade, Who Dat Nation Boycott Parade
Saints Playoffs in the Superdome
As Saints season ticket holders, we get first dibs on our own seats when the Saints have a playoff game in the Superdome. This season, both our games will be at home in the Dome and the Who Dat Nation couldn’t be happier.
It was a perfect day starting with a walk through the French Quarter past bars filled with black-and-gold-wearing fans. We made a few stops to have drinks with friends we spotted. Spirits were high, the music was loud and it felt a lot like 9 years ago when the team went all the way, winning their first Super Bowl. It was the first time the team had even been to the Super Bowl at all. The victory marked a rebirth for the city. As recently departed Saints owner, Tom Benson, said, “The best thing we can do for New Orleans is WIN. Our city holds its head higher, walks taller and shines brighter when the Saints win.” Continue reading →
Filed under Concerts, Culture, decorations and costumes, free events and lagniappe, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints, Uncategorized
Tagged as Big Sam, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Big Tymers, brass band, Champions Square, Choppa, Choppa Style, concert, drew brees, Eagles, french quarter, Get Your Roll On, latonola, Marching 100, marching band, mardi gras, music, National Anthem, new orleans, noise, Philadelphia Eagles, Preservation Jazz Hall Band, Pussyfooters, rebirth brass band, Saint Augustine, Saint Augustine's Marching 100, Saints, Saints Superfans, season ticket holder, Super Bowl, Superdome, Tom Benson, who dat
The Who Dat Nation Wins
Sure, the Saints lost the playoff game against the Vikings last Sunday, but winning rarely teaches us about the character of a person, a team or a place. Most of us don’t really know who or what we are until we’re faced with failure. As an actor, my life has been nearly defined by rejection. My life credo has long been “Dare To Fail.” Maybe that’s why being a Saints fan has come so easy to me. So, the Saints lost in the last millisecond of the game and, of course, we’re all disappointed. But Saints fans can turn any loss into a win.
Though I have roots reaching back centuries in this city, I didn’t move here until 2009 as the Saints were heading to their amazing Super Bowl victory. That made me more of a “New Dat” than a Who Dat. But I watched every game in bars throughout the city, Continue reading →
Filed under Charity, Culture, decorations and costumes, parade, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints
Tagged as acting, charity, dare to fail, defeat, drew brees, failure, football, latonola, Marcus Williams, new orleans, New Orleans Saints, parade, playoffs, punter, Pussyfooters, Saints, Super Bowl, Superdome, Thomas Morstead, Viking fans, vikings, What You Give Will Grow, who dat, Who Dat Nation
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
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. Continue reading →
Filed under Carnival, Charity, Concerts, Culture, decorations and costumes, entertainment industry, festival, free events and lagniappe, history, Local Cuisine, Mardi Gras 2014, Mardi Gras 2015, parade, Pelicans, shopping, the Saints
Tagged as abita, Abita Beer, Abita Grapefruit, Allen Toussaint, Alphonse “DooWee” Robair, Alphonse Robair, Angelo Brocato, Anthony Davis, armstrong park, bayona, Beverage, Big Chief, black and gold, bo dollis, Bourbon French Parfums, Brandan "B-mike" Odums, Brandan Odums, brass band, cafe du monde, carnival, ChadQuentin, Checkpoint Charlie's, Chris "Shaggy" Davis, Christine Miller, Commander's Palace, concert, Continental Provisions, Cosimo Matassa, Crescent City Comics, culture, d' Juice, Dano’s Pizza, Dooky Chase's Restaurant, Dorky Chase, Dr. John, Dreamy Weenies, drew brees, Entertainment, Favorite Things, FiFi Mahoney's, Fleur de Paris, Fleurty Girl, floats, Fogo de Chao, food, Frankie & Johnny’s, french quarter, French Quarter Fest, garden district, Garden District Book Shop, Giving, Goorin Bros., GR Automotive, Gus Bennett, Ignatius Reilly, Igor's Lounge, jazz fest, Kern Studios, Krewe of Orpheus, Larry Jehle Jr., latonola, list, Loretta's, Louisiana Music Factory, Love at First Bite, M.S. Rau Antiques, magazine street, Manny Randazzo, mardi gras, mardi gras indian, Mardi Gras Indians, Maskarade, Mia Borders, Miss Linda, muriel's, Muriel's Jackson Square, music, New Breed Brass Band, new orleans, NOLA Crawfish King, Original Pinettes Brass Band, Orpheum Theatre, parade, Pelicans, Phat Word, Photo Works, Pinettes, Pinettes Brass Band, Pippen Lane, prytania theatre, Pussyfooters, Queen of Burlesque, Raintree, Raintree Children and Family Services, Restaurant, roots of music, Rouses, Rouses Market, Royal Sonesta, Ruby Slipper, Saints, Saints Fett, Scream Queens, second line, shopping, Sky-Writing, snowizard, Sr, Steve Gleason, Susan Spicer, sweet olive, Tanya and Dorise, The Singing Oak, Tory McPhail, Trashy Diva, Travis "Trumpet Black" Hill, trombone shorty, Two Chicks Walking Tours, United Way, Vieux Carré Pizza, Walker's Southern Style BBQ, Wednesday at the Square, Wild Magnolias, Willa Jean, Willie Mae's, Willie Mae's Scotch House, Winks, Winks Bakery, WWOZ, Yakamein, Young Leadership Council
Saints From On The Field!
When I moved to New Orleans in 2009, the Saints were on their way to the Super Bowl. It was a magical time to be a Saints fan as the whole Who Dat Nation seemed lifted by team spirit. Though I saw the team in the Victory Parade and Drew Brees rode as the King of Bacchus in their parade, I never actually saw the Saints play in the Dome that season. From the next season on, I’ve attended most home games and in 2014, we became season ticket holders. This year started off on a whole new level – ground level. My husband won 3 of the 4 fantasy football leagues he entered and among the many prizes he won were field passes for the preseason game against the Patriots. Continue reading →
Filed under Culture, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints
Tagged as Brandin Cooks, dancingman504, drew brees, field, field pass, football, Garrett Grayson, Khiry Robinson, latonola, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, new orleans, parade, pat o'brien's, Saints, Super Bowl, Superdome, Thomas Morstead, trombone shorty, who dat, Willie Snead, Zach Strief
Jazz Fest Sunday
With more reasonable crowds and lots of favorite local musicians playing, Jazz Fest’s final Sunday was a balmy-weathered blast. Big Chief Kevin Goodman & the Flaming Arrows were on the Jazz Fest Heritage Stage and I spotted Alphonse “DooWee” Robair, my favorite Mardi Gras Indian artist, dancing among them. We started the day with a delicious Cochon de Lait ($9) from Love at First Bite and a Nectar Creme from Plum Street Snoballs ($4). When I worried I wasn’t going to get a “local” pour of the sticky, sweet syrup, the woman next to me in line laughed, “If you ordered Nectar Creme, they already know you’re a local.” True Dat. Continue reading →
Filed under Concerts, Culture, festival, Local Cuisine
Tagged as Alphonse “DooWee” Robair, Alphonse Robair, anders osborne, Art Neville, Big Chief, Big Chief Bo Dollis, bo dollis, concert, cyril neville, drew brees, Flaming Arrows, Gaynielle Neville, George Porter Jr., Glen David Andrews, ivan neville, jazz fest, John Gros, Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, Jr, Kajun Kettle Foods, Kevin Goodman, latonola, Leo Nocentelli, Love at First Bite, mardi gras indian, music, new orleans, NOCCA, Orleans Avenue, Plum Street, Plum Street Snoballs, Restaurant, Saints, shamarr allen, skywriter, skywriting, stage, Taqueria Corona, The Meters, trombone shorty, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, United Houma Nation, who dat, Wild Magnolias
Living in New Orleans – the first 5 years
My family is from Louisiana for generations on both sides but my path home was winding. After living in Maryland, Washington D.C., Japan, Alabama, New York and Los Angeles, I finally moved to New Orleans in late 2009. And I’ve never been happier. When I got here, the Saints were on their way to winning the Superbowl and the city was vibrating with optimism. Most of the people who would come home after the Storm were back. Katrina money was being spent on street repairs and schools were getting instruments from places like Tipitina’s Foundation. Buildings, homes, t-shirts and more exclaimed, “Believe” and “Renew, Rebuild, Rebirth.” It was intoxicating. Continue reading →
Filed under Carnival, Charity, Concerts, Culture, decorations and costumes, entertainment industry, festival, free events and lagniappe, Mardi Gras 2010, Mardi Gras 2011, Mardi Gras 2012, Mardi Gras 2013, Mardi Gras 2014, moving, oil spill catastrophe, parade, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints
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Gleason Gras, Krewe of Boo Parade, Pelicans and more!
As I wrote in my last post, I have no time to blog but it’s been a very eventful couple of weeks and I at least wanted to share some of the photos. I attended a bunch of movies at the 25th annual New Orleans Film Festival, including the premiere of Black and White starring Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer. It was great as were Imperial Dreams, Cast the First Stone, Imitation Game and the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prizewinner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Whiplash, to name a few. I also modeled in a fashion show for the St. Elizabeth’s Guild annual celebrity fashion show and “Volunteer Activists Awards” fundraiser. Saint Steve Gleason was one of the many honored and I was excited just to be in the room with him. Continue reading →
Filed under Charity, Concerts, Culture, decorations and costumes, free events and lagniappe, the Saints
Tagged as 610 stompers, Alfred Richard, ALS, America's Got Talent, anders osborne, Anthony Davis, basketball, Black and White, brass band, Cast the First Stone, catwalk, Champions Square, Chocolate Thunder, Commander's Palace, concert, Concerts, costumes, drew brees, Emil and Dariel, Farhad Grotto Bug Patrol, fashion show, Fletcher Mackel, football, french quarter, Gleason Gras, Grammy, Halloween, Imitation Game, Imperial Dreams, James Beard, John Gros, Kenny Stills, kevin costner, Krewe of Boo, latonola, Margaret Orr, model, music, New Orleans Film Festival, Nola Nyxettes, Octavia Spencer, Organ Grinders, parade, Pelicans, premiere, Pussyfooters, rebirth brass band, rock-cellists, Saints, speech, spiders, St. Elizabeth's Guild, Steve Gleason, Superdome, superfans, Tap Dat, Thomas Morstead, Tory McPhail, Trashy Diva, Volunteer Activists Award, WDSU, Whiplash, WhistleMonster, WWL