New Orleans: food, music and Mardi GRAS

My first visit to NOLA was during the summer of 2006 right after Hurricane Katrina. My mom and I were there to attend an +AWMA conference and to receive my award. The place was just recovering from the devastation. We stayed in the French quarter but it wasn't as busy or crowded or even as active as it is now. During that trip, I fell in love with New Orleans, the culture, food and the music. My Mom and I had a grand time, walking the streets of NOLA, listening to jazz music, eating oysters, crawfish, gumbo, creole food and sipping coffee and eating beignet at Café Dumont.

In 2011 my husband and I visited NOLA this time to get away from the new year's crowd in New York City and to see how much New Orleans has changed since Katrina. This was an unforgettable trip because I had the best time eating at some of the best restaurants in NOLA. Our culinary feast started at Cochon followed by Emeril's Restaurant and ended with a trip outside of the city to Nottoway Plantation. Of course, it will not be complete without hanging out at Cafe Dumont. We also had the chance to go visit the bayou and explore the air via air boat - which was a really amazing experience. For all those adrenalin junkies out there - an air boat ride is exhilarating.

 

My next visit to NOLA was this year to celebrate Mardi GRAS. We arrived Saturday and stayed until Fat Tuesday, in time to watch Endymion, Bachus, Proteus, Orpheus, Zulu, Rex. It was a wonderful experience to see all those colorful floats, elaborate costumes and those ingenious gadgets such as high chairs, fishing nets, etc. used by seasoned Mardi Gras spectators to catch beads and other souvenirs and to simply just enjoy the parade. It was also fascinating to see NOLA waste management workers clear the debris left over by Mardi Gras and to wake up Wednesday morning to a clean parade route. Our only regret is that we were not able to see the Mardi Gras Indians. According to a fellow traveler we met Wednesday, the best place to catch them is in Treme. Hopefully, we have a chance to visit New Orleans again and participate in future Mardi Gras events...this time we know not to miss Treme!