Gone to the Dogs

Usually I am commenting, profiling or otherwise ruminating on destinations quite different than today's entry. But I must tell you this one is most certainly no less interesting and boasts a cast of characters, both bi-pedal and otherwise, to rival even the quirkiest late night, French Quarter watering holes. I am talking about Cabrini Park, otherwise known  to Quarterites as "The Dog Park".  Nestled near the corner of Dauphine and Gov. Nichols streets, the dog park is a part of my every day routine...wake, coffee, take Maggie (our 8 year old 4 legged daughter) to the dog park. Deviation from this  ritual is not acceptable in her oblong head...nor mine for that matter. It is a time for us to hang out, chill out, wake up, pee, poop and navigate the circus that is Cabrini. A good portion of the dogs at the park were either rescued or adopted. Watching them and their owners, the joy they bring to each other...always reminds me why those of us involved in animal rescue do what we do...as painful as it so often is. We do it so THIS can happen. On a brisk Fall or Spring morning, it is a joy like no other. Perhaps the one place most responsible for our integration into our French Quarter neighborhood has been Cabrini. Why?...I suppose because dog people, much like the dogs they love, are just glad to meet somebody new. For that I am eternally grateful...to the dogs, to the people, and to "The Dog Park."

A message to our guests...

The Mardi Gras season is underway here in New Orleans...all the tradition,. pomp and circumstance, revelry, and beauty will be on full display over the coming weeks. Those of us who are residents of this great city welcome our guests with open arms. New Orleans needs Mardi Gras as much or more now than ever and the vistors are a huge part of the celebration. The only thing we ask is that as you return to your homes in cities across the country and all over the world that you remember what the people here have been through in the last few years. First Katrina from which the city is far from fully recovered then the BP disaster which continues to devastate our coastal communities. Please tell your friends and neighbors that we are open for business, the seafood is safe and we welcome all. Have a great time while you are here...she is STILL one of the greatest cities on earth.

Where Local Rock Lives!

What: Restaurant / Bar

Where: 3244 Severn Ave., Metairie, LA

Draw: Great food, great music, local music memorabilia

Next Show: VINTAGE LIVE Unplugged, Wed. Feb 2nd, 8 PM

Today I'm am going to wander out of The French Quarter/ Marigny Triangle and into Metarie. OK, hold up...before you rip me a new one for venturing into suburbia, bear with me would ya? Metarie happens to be home to one of THE coolest places in all of New Orleans musicdom..,The CAFE - Where Local Rock Lives. Owned and operated by none other that Scott Redmond aka Scoot in the Morning...legendary New Orleans Radio personality, The Cafe was designed to cater to local musicians and the folks who love and support locaal music. So much so in fact that they will be open before the big weekends shows, close for the shows then re-open afterward for the after party...these folks are seriously dedicated to local music! They have great service behind the bar (Thank you Tori) great food coming out of the kitchen (Thank you Joe!) and walls covered in instruments, memorabilia and signatures from local bands. So next time you are looking for a great gathering spot to meet friends before a local show, head over to The CAFE for a bite and a beer or two then after the show wraps up, head on back for the best late night meet and greet in NOLA!

Some REALLY scary stuff!

Popular lore has it that New Orleans' French Quarter is haunted...very haunted. Well, is it? Here's a good way to find out. Several years ago before we lived in NOLA, we came down several times a year...and always on Halloween. One year we decided to check out one of the ghost tours and one in particular came very highly recommended....Vampire Street Theater hosted by a hulking 6 and a half foot, top hat wielding character who goes by the moniker, Lord Chaz. We were NOT disappointed. The tour is equal parts history, dramatic story telling and 100% chilling. You will leave it with an utterly changed perspective. I won't give away the goods but know this, the finale of the tour is absolutely MIND BLOWING!

You can reach the tour at the contact info. below...

Call 504.832.3065 or 504.638.2895 for Lord Chaz booking information

All Tha Jazz!

While the French Quarter garners most of the public attention, she isn't the only game on the river. Just down stream (across Esplanade) lies her little sister, Faubourg Marigny, also known simply as The Marigny (pronounced Marin-ee). 

In the 19th century, Marigny was the old Third Municipality of New Orleans. The triangular area between Esplanade and Elysian Fields Avenue is sometimes called "The Marigny Triangle", and is part of the 7th Ward of New Orleans. The remainder is in the 8th Ward of New Orleans.

Fom Wikipedia...

The Marigny was laid out in the first decade of the 19th century by eccentric Creole millionaire developer Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville on land that had been his family plantation just down river from the old city limits of New Orleans. In the early 19th century, Marigny was where white Creole gentlemen set up households for their colored mistresses (and their offspring) in the tradition of "plaçage."^[5]

 The neighborhood declined badly in the mid 20th century, and the area around Washington Square was nicknamed "Little Angola" (after the prison of that name) for the dangerous criminals there. It came back strongly in the late 20th century. Profiteering around the 1984 World's Fair drove many long-term residents from the French Quarter into Marigny. Frenchmen Street developed one of the city's premier collections of live music venues and restaurants, and is a popular destination with music lovers from other parts of the city and knowledgeable out-of-town visitors in the early 21st century.

Marigny is one of the centers for homegrown New Orleans Mardi Gras (see Faubourg Marigny Mardi Gras costumes). The neighborhood is also home to the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts Riverfront facility.
Notable people from The Marigny include jazz composer/musician Jelly Roll Morton and singer Lizzie Miles.

Live Jazz at Maison in the Marigny

Whats cookin' in the old New Orleans Slave Exchange?

Some of the best food in New Orleans, that's what!

For years, long before the Quarter was our home (well, it's always been our home, we just finally got around to getting down here permanently) we have been coming to Pierre Maspero's Restaurant on Chartres and St Louis Streets. The food is exquisite and very reasonably priced. The gumbo, crab cakes and New Orleans Bar-B-Q shrimp are not to be missed and all served up in a building erected in the 1788.

Here is an exerpt on the history...
  
Of all the historic sites in New Orleans, none have witnessed more drama than the old exchange coffee house known as The Original Pierre Maspero’s Slave Exchange. 


This Building is one of the oldest in the French Quarter, having been erected in 1788 by Don Juan Paillet. During the first decades of the 19th century this coffee house was a meeting place where brothers Jean and Pierre Lafitte and their men met and planned escapes.
It was also in this historic site that Andrew Jackson met with the Lafitte brothers to plan the defense at the epic Battles of New Orleans. It was at this battle that the British surrendered to the American troops led by Jackson. America’s Independence was finalized and General Jackson went on to become the 7th president of the United States.

So next time you're in the Quarter and hungry, soak up some of the history and great food at Pierre Maspero's.

Let The Games Begin!

OK so we have had lots of folks suggest some very cool ideas but right now, the one we like most is the Mardi Gras Pub Crawl. So here's the deal, on Sat., Feb 19 we are going to gather at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop on the corner of Bourbon and St. Phillip at 6 PM sharp. After a cocktail or four we will walk one block to Royal Street to watch thr Krew Du Vieux parade...a true, WILD, old school Mardi Gras parade with mule drawn floats. We're not talking the tame goings on on St Charles, nope, this is the REAL deal...a French Quarter parade sans all the rules and niceties (leave the kids at home for this one). After the parade, we start crawling. We will hit a handful of the most historic bars in the Quarter for a night of fun and making new friends.

THIS IS IMPORTANT! in order to identify yourself as a part of the group, you will need a red mark of some sort on your right cheek (your face, not your butt... well OK, you can put one there too if ya want) Doesn't matter what kind of mark...an X, a cross, a question mark, a star... doesn't matter. Guys, just borrow some lipstick.

This is gonna be a great night, everyone is welcome so round up all your friends and LET'S CRAWL!