Fun Stuff, Local Traditions (and a little advice)
March 30th, 2010Shelley
More breakout session previews to come, but thought I’d take a break and share some suggestions for having fun while in the Crescent City. There’s a great search feature in the travel section of the New York Times. Simply search New Orleans, Louisiana. You’ll find all kinds of articles, plus links to hotels, restaurants and attractions.
My search found this wonderful article, 36 Hours in New Orleans. Although, originally published in December 2007, its got great suggestions for things to do while you’re in town. This brings to me to an important point. When making plans in New Orleans, always verify the information you have is accurate. Nearly five years after Hurricane Katrina, the city sometimes struggles to keep it together. Some businesses have not resumed normal hours of operation – even after all this time.
Also, consider trying some local New Orleans traditions!
- Lucky Dogs – Lucky Dog wagons have been a French Quarter staple since 1945.
- Sno-Balls – There’s always a line at Hansen’s Sno-Bliz, where the Sno-Balls (NOT snow cones) come in 150 flavors. The most famous is still the Nectar with Cream. Hansen’s is only open from early April through October. Grand opening this year? April 6. Perfect timing.
- Muffuletta – Olive salad, Mortadella sausage, Cappicola ham, Emmentaler cheese, Genoa salami, provolone cheese and round Italian bread. In 1910, the owner of Central Grocery (see Shelley’s Picks) combined all the ingredients so his patrons wouldn’t have to buy them separately.
Tomorrow, it’s back to breakout session previews. In the meantime, Laissez les bon temps rouler y’all!
It’s Carnival Time in the Big Easy
February 5th, 2010Shelley
That’s Mardi Gras to you. Today, I’m offering a few Mardi Gras basics. Hey, even though we can’t be there, we can at least get in the Carvinal spirit! Carnival refers to the season of revelry before Mardi Gras. It starts on January 6, known as Kings’ Day – named because it falls on the twelfth day of Christmas, the day the Wise Men are said to have reached Bethlehem.
Mardi Gras is always on the Tuesday that is 46 days before Easter. It’s always the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.
Today is the official start of the parade season – it always begins the second Friday before Mardi Gras. According to www.nola.com, parades are held on weekends only at the beginning of the season, then become more frequent until the week prior to Mardi Gras when there’s at least one parade a day. There are nine parades on Mardi Gras – most notably Rex.
Speaking of Rex, he’s considered the king of Mardi Gras and is always a prominent New Orleans businessman.
Every parade has a theme – usually borrowed from mythology, history or Hollywood. Most parades have mock royalty (kings, queens, etc.). This year, Drew Brees (beloved quarterback for the New Orleans Saints) is King Bacchus.
Parades are sponsored by krewes – named for figures in Greek mythology, like Bacchus for the god of wine.
The colors of Carnival are purple, green and gold. Purple is for justice, green is for faith and gold represents power.
This ends today’s lesson. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
