The Big Easy & Me

This is supposed to be a party, dammit!

Where do you want to be when you celebrate your 40th birthday? It’s a big milestone… you likely have a firm grasp on your life, lots of responsibilities, plenty of obligations from every angle…

If you are my sister, that all adds up to celebrating with a long weekend in New Orleans- aka the Big Easy- to do nothing but enjoy the absence of a schedule. Don’t worry, her husband Doug and I managed to replace her normally busy schedule with plenty of great music, fun joints, and late night canasta games.  While Dawn claimed victory in the first full game, I managed to snap what seemed a life long streak and take a game of my own during the weekend…

Dawn & Doug welcoming me to NOLA at Pat O'Brien's

I arrived Thursday (7/30) to join Dawn & Doug, who had arrived the day before.  Stepping off the plane at Louis Armstrong Airport, I was immediately greeted by a thick, damp heat that would be rather prevalent throughout the weekend.  It served as a great reminder of the weather from my youth… the weather I escaped by moving to San Francisco.  Luckily, the continuous heat was occasionally broken by warm-rain storms that lasted about 30 minutes every afternoon… nature’s way of telling you to step into one of the many (MANY) nearby bars to enjoy an ice cold beer and arctic air conditioning set to full throttle.

Rain, rain go away, make us drink another day...

A big thanks goes out to my oldest brother Cass (side note: I am the youngest of five, Dawn being my only sister) for guiding us to both the Preservation Hall on Friday night and the House of Blues on Sunday morning… both of which easily make this amazing list: the NOLA Top 5 (in chronological order):

Thursday: One more drink at The Blues Cafe – This place lured me in with the sweet sounds of Bill Whithers and we slid into the chairs, one drink minimum in hand to enjoy a great house band and rotating lead singers.  From the keyboardist channeling Mr. Whithers on ‘Use Me Up’ to the spandex dress clad Tina Turner lead singer, each front person brought their own energy and style to the stage.  The favorite of the night had to be El Sid, the best performer to grace the venue and wow the crowd.  ‘One more drink’ turned into both a couple rounds that night and a catch phrase for the rest of the weekend… words can not accurately describe the showmanship and joy we expeirenced, but unfortunately they will have to suffice… I snapped no pictures.  Trust me, it was great.

Friday: The Preservation Hall Jazz Masters – A legendary venue that has stood the test of time for more than 30 years of creating jazz history… without redecorating their performance hall once.  A room comparable to your living room was the scene of an amazing jazz performance for a small crowd happy to wait well over 45 minutes to check them out (unless you get a hookup from an older brother and walk right in…).  We saw the Preservation Hall Jazz Masters, an ensemble crew of jazz pros that were exchanging handshakes and hugs prior to show, comparing stories since the last time they had played together.  The whole place gave off a familial vibe, making the jazz that much more a personal experience.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Masters: amazing players in an amazingly (old) venue

Saturday (afternoon): Electric Ladyland Tattoo Shop – After years of talking the talk, they finally walked the walk.  Dawn and Doug got matching(ish) tattoos to celebrate 16 years of marriage and her 40th birthday.  I definitely did not talk them into it, but supported teh decision and design process along the way.  End result?  Dawn & Doug FOR-EH-VER.  If you are visiting NOLA and want to find a shop, check this place out and ask for Jason.

The interlocking D's and ankle placement make them a matched set... the borders make them uniquely their own.

Saturday (late): Coyote Ugly (yep.) – On Saturday evening we were sipping our boat drinks at a parrothead bar (who knew?) on Bourbon when Dawn suggested we each pick a spot for a single drink as we bounce through our last evening.  Great plan.  Doug tried to bow out by saying he picked the Buffett joint.  Dawn was in for her perennial favorite Maison Bourbon.  That left me remembering my last trip to NOLA with Doug and my brother Lance a few years back… we had a blast at this little place called Coyote Ugly.  So off we went to this bar my sister had never heard of… and wouldn’t you know we got three 2-for-1 coupons on the way there?  We arrive to a near empty bar with no music… so $5 later I had control of the juke box.  We all had our first round in front of us and Dawn was trying to figure the place out.  Then one of my songs fit the bill… and a bartender hit the bar, stomping out a great dance with her boots.  Then the second bartender took over, picking the best songs for them to dance to, berating guys in the bar that weren’t playing by her rules, and giving out shots to ladies.  It went down hill (read: really damn fun and laughably great) from there… competition shots, ladies *ahem* from the crowd dancing on the bar, and some general debauchery all around.  I had to promise I wouldn’t post the pictures…

Sunday: Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues – How do you handle waking up early after three or four days of late nights and hard drinking?  We opted for the route that included the earliest alarm of the trip, an amazing buffet, and a LOUD gospel band on the stage.  The House of Blues itself is an amazing venue full of folk art and just an overall feeling of music-soaked history.  And a giant Rolling Stones cover of the Blues Brothers above the main bar.  While the champagne served mostly as a reminder of the night before (for some of us, the morning too), the rest of the buffet proved an amazing spread that all three of wish our recovering bodies allowed us to enjoy a bit more.

Are you ready for a miracle? How about grits, jambalaya, french toast and a mimosa?