How To Birthday in New Orleans

From Sunday second line and Carnival parades to our many festivals and concerts, New Orleans is a city of celebration. If the city can party over everything from tomatoes to our departed, imagine how fun it can be to celebrate yourself here. For me, a New Orleans birthday has to include great company, incredible food, music whenever possible and the occasional “only in New Orleans” event.

Many people start the day by pinning money on their chest.

Kermit Ruffins’ Mother in Law Lounge

The Mother in Law Lounge is back thanks to NOLA favorite Kermit Ruffins. In 1961, New Orleans native Ernie K-Doe had a hit with his song, “Mother In Law.” He and wife, Antoinette, opened the Ernie K-Doe Mother in Law Lounge in 1994. Ernie K-Doe, the “Emperor of the Universe,” was known and loved throughout the community, but especially by his wife, who, upon his death in 2001, had a mannequin of him made and took it with her everywhere she went. She reportedly even took “him” to the lavish and historic Commander’s Palace for supper. Since her passing, the likeness sat in Carnival regalia inside the photo-bedecked lounge, surrounded by jukebox music and memorabilia.

Sweet Home, Louisiana

After a week in Los Angeles, returning to New Orleans felt great. On the plane, I ran into a fellow L.A. to N.O.LA actor who I’d carpooled with to Baton Rouge. I met a woman who’d run major art museums, taught college and painted part of the Ernie K-Doe mural on the (just-shuttered) Mother in Law Lounge. She was beautiful, smart, talented, over 60 and dying of cancer. I liked knowing that we were heading to a town where being older and dying wouldn’t detract from how sexy-cool she is.

Birthday Girl

My birthday was this past weekend. It started on Friday with an unexpected call from a new friend, Lena, a girl I’d worked with on my first film here. She was in the neighborhood so we decided to walk to Gott’s and have a yummy lunch.

Treme and I go down memory lane

This week’s Treme episode was like a walk down memory lane for me. I guess it shouldn’t come as too big a surprise to me that David Simon, the show’s creator, notices many of the same things about this city that I do. We were both born in D.C. and grew up in Maryland. We both work in entertainment. And we both clearly LOVE this city and want to give the world an insight as to why.

Mother-in Law’s

In 1961, New Orleans singer Ernie K-Doe had a hit with his song, “Mother In Law.” He and wife, Antoinette, opened the Ernie K-Doe Mother in Law Lounge In 1994. Last week, I attended a crawfish boil there.