My Spring Break, Part 1: Don’t Vodka Them After Midnight

April 10, 2013 by

MY FLORIDA YO-YO: TO MOVE OR NOT TO MOVE

A Spring Break Beach Wedding

A Spring Break Beach Wedding

After St. Joseph’s Night I was buzzing on New Orleans, but prior commitments soon brought me back to Jacksonville. Although I supposedly moved to New Orleans February 7th, I’ve spent as much time back in Florida–the deep roots I’ve planted keep drawing me back. I had to return a few days earlier than planned to deal with personal business, though I’d known for a year that my best friend from high school, Todd VanDenLangenberg, was flying down from Wisconsin to spend the week and tie the knot.  He and Meg, his fiancé, used to visit annually and fell in love with St. Augustine so decided to marry on the beach there, arriving Tuesday March 26th and leaving to honeymoon in Key West the following Monday. (I’ve lived in Florida a decade now and my best friend gets married there the month after I move!?!)

Todd & Meg Hanging Out In St. Augustine Wedding Week

Todd & Meg Hanging Out In St. Augustine Wedding Week

That Sunday was Easter and spring break for half of America when two of my best friends from my camp years, Carson and Heather, come down annually with their two kids whom I’ve known since birth and call me ‘Uncle Eric.’ It’s one of the few chances I get to see these dear friends I left in Virginia, so how could I justify not staying another week?! Thus, like so many college kids half my age (sob!) I [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Restaurant Reviews

St. Joseph’s Night: Tradition In Transition

April 8, 2013 by

TRUCKIN’ (THE INDIAN-APOLIS 500)

Indian 8My heart raced with excitement as I shot down the narrow, rugged side streets of Uptown. Thinking my roommate had spotted a lone tribe of wandering Mardi Gras Indians, I was afraid of missing my chance.

As I approached 4th Avenue, there were already cars lining the sides of the road. I pulled onto an overgrown grass shoulder in between two large aboveground cemeteries of typical New Orleans style. The moon shining off the bone-white tombs amplified the mystical aura of electricity filling St. Joseph’s Night, and up ahead I caught glimpses of bright beads and feathers rising above the growing crowd that was snapping photos and cheering on the dancing explosions of walking art. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Greatest Hits, History & Trivia, Travel

St. Joseph’s Day: A Fading Tradition

April 5, 2013 by

THE OTHER WHITE (EUROPEAN) MEAT(LESS)

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Joe Talamo Along With Wife & Family Open Their Home To Strangers On St. Joseph’s Day

New Orleans is always celebrating something, whether enlivening national holidays with local color such as the four days of St. Patrick’s Day I’d just enjoyed or the magical Christmas I blogged about in my last post; growing local festivals into epic regional holidays such as Jazzfest, French Quarter Fest, and Voodoo Fest; or taking traditions from around the world, mainly of European and African descent, and celebrating them in ways unique to the United States. Mardi Gras is the most well-know of this latter category, but another Catholic European tradition, this one arising from the large Sicilian population, follows closely on its heels. On March 19th, in honor of St. Joseph, earthly father of Jesus Christ, churches as well as local families around the city build elaborate altars and cook large feasts (meatless, of course, as it fall in Lent season) open to anyone who [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, History & Trivia, Interviews, Travel

The Facts of Life: Taking The Good And The Bad

April 1, 2013 by

IT’S NOT WHINING, JUST HONESTY (THE BEST POLICY!)

Ingenious Way To Wear Green How Can You Not Have A Great St. Patrick's Day Meeting People Dressed Like This?

Ingenious Way To Wear Green
How Can You Not Have A Great St. Patrick’s Day Meeting People Like This?

I had a fabulous Mardi Gras and, upon returning to New Orleans, a fabulous St. Patrick’s weekend. In between, however, things went sideways immediately following Mardi Gras as I waded through illness, a truck accident, and a frustrating housing search. Shortly I fled back to Jacksonville to recuperate wondering whether or not to blog about my rough week since this is supposed to be a ‘fun’ adventure blog. Ultimately I decided adversity is part of any good story and besides, honesty is the best policy, right?

Several locals who later read about my week of tribulation all assured me that [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Travel, Venue & Band Reviews

My Year of St. Patty’s Day, Part 3: Riding, Walking, & Scooting From Downtown

March 29, 2013 by

DOWNTOWN IRISH CLUB WALKING–AND SCOOTER–PARADE

Tourists Descend On The French Quarter For The Downtown Irish Club Parade

Tourists Descend On The French Quarter For The Downtown Irish Club Parade

The Central Business District was empty as I passed through, but people were already crowded along Canal Street watching the beginning of the walking parade as I arrived. Unlike most elaborate float parades, this one was led by old men dressed in Irish garb driving dune buggies–very odd.  Behind them, revelers mostly walked and there were large gaps in the procession typically not seen in motorized parades. The straggling may have been caused by the fact that stops at local bars were listed along the official parade route. Now that’s Irish!

Add Your Own Caption To This One?!

Add Your Own Caption To This One?!

I walked over to Decatur where the unbroken chain of onlookers were calling out with outstretched hands for green and white beads. Many of the walkers wore tuxedos, a trend I’d encountered in the Irish Channel but have yet to figure out, while others eschewed formal wear for costumes, most notably a [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Travel

My Year Of St. Patty’s Day, Part 2: Irish Channel Redo & Irish House Bubble & Squeak Stew

March 26, 2013 by

SUPER SUNDAY OF SLOTH (THE 8TH DEADLY SIN WHEN IT’S YOUR PROFESSION TO PARTY!)

Lock & Reload: By Mid Afternoon I Was Ready to Rejoin the St. Patty's Party

Lock & Reload:
By Mid Afternoon I Was Ready to Rejoin the St. Patty’s Party

My Mardi Gras ailment had run smack into allergy season which, driving back and forth between Jacksonville and New Orleans, was compounded by completely different pollen potions. On February 9th the health insurance from my old job had terminated. On February 10th I had awoken sick, struggling on and off ever since. My religious notions are based more on irony and coincidence than faith. Some greater consciousness with a sadistic sense of humor seems to be pulling the strings, for such ironic juxtaposition occurs much too frequently in my life to dismiss as random chance.

On Thursday I had finally visited a Walgreens clinic to throw cash at a Nurse Practitioner for an Rx of ‘cheap’ antibiotics. I hadn’t been deathly ill since just after Mardi Gras but couldn’t shake ebbing and flowing congestion as well as bouts of achy exhaustion once or twice a week. I only mention this because March 17th was not only  St. Patrick’s Day–the climax of four days of celebration–but also ‘Super Sunday’ for Mardi Gras Indians–the one day when they all converge in daylight to show off their costumes and march together. My antibiotics apparently hadn’t worked their magic yet, however, and I woke up once again feeling spent. Instead of chasing Indians and leprechauns, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Greatest Hits, Restaurant Reviews, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

My Year of St. Patty’s Day Part 1: From Red Stick To Irish Channel

March 24, 2013 by

CALLING BATON ROUGE (RING LATE, HANG UP EARLY)

Me With the Tusas At Their Home for The Baton Rouge St. Patrick's Day Parade

Me With the Tusas At Their Home for The Baton Rouge St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Having detoured around an accident, I arrived in Baton Rouge late Friday night where I’d been invited to attend the parade Saturday morning at the home of Dirty Little Angels author Chris Tusa and his wife Pam. I still miss those late-night, heavy conversations from my days in academia and Chris and I immediately dove into formidable quandaries of art, politics, life and literature, pontificating until after 3 a.m. The only downside of this verbal rambling was that, unbeknownst to me, Baton Rouge is an early party town. The parade that would pass by their front yard began at 10 a.m., so guests were already arriving 8 a.m., reluctantly rousing me. I guiltily yet groggily rolled out of bed searching desperately for coffee.

Waiting for the Parade

The Parade Finally Arrives

As we waited on the parade, Chris played dueling stereos with his braggart neighbor, eventually turning off his system in disgust at the one-upper next door while I stayed inside and had a pleasant chat covering a few hundred years of U.S. history with his former neighbor, a retired firefighter. Two consecutive sprawling conversations with well-read sparring partners—it was nerdy nirvana.

B.R. SPD Parade 1When the parade finally did roll by it was [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Taking A Break And A Rookie Mistake

March 22, 2013 by

AN EXAGGERATING FISHERMAN & OTHER UNLIKELY BREAKFAST TALES

Slim Goodies: Rumors Of Our Demise Have Been Greatly Exagerated

Slim Goodies:
Rumors Of Our Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

After my wonderfully unexpected yet late Wednesday, I slept in before eagerly strolling to Slim Goodies for breakfast. I had stumbled into La Fin du Monde the day before only because The Captain had told me Slim Goodies, a greasy diner he had recommended last December during a visit, had burned down. I had had an amazing breakfast at this funky little dive with bright walls and an open, eclectic vibe and knew as soon as I learned they had WiFi that this would be a regular blogging spot when I moved town. Thus I was devastated by the news of their demise.

Walking back from La Fin, however, I peeped in and the place looked fine. A cook who was just leaving informed me [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Restaurant Reviews, Travel

A Typical Tuesday Night in New Orleans

March 17, 2013 by

WV GUMBO FROM DA BLOCK

I Finally Had Neighboors, This One Apparently Living Mardi Gras Year Round Too!

I Finally Had Neighbors,
This One Apparently Living Mardi Gras Year Round Too!

It was satisfying to unpack and settle into a space of my own. Although temporary, I finally had a room and a neighborhood. When I stepped onto the front porch to greet a beautiful spring day, I felt like a local at long last.

Part of me wanted to rush out and explore my new part of town–excited to actually have a part of town–but I decided to relax and soak it in instead. I’m not a smoker but enjoy a pipe or cigar on special occasions, so pulled out my guitar, lit a pipe, and sat on the front porch waving as locals wandered by like I’d been raised on the block.

FORGET ETERNAL DAMNATION, WE’RE TALKING GOOD ROUX HERE, PEOPLE

I was tired and still unsettled so considered staying in, but I’d moved here to write about the city and felt compelled to get going.  I hadn’t located an Offbeat or Gambit Weekly yet (free local publications that include music listings) but knew New Orleans well enough to know where to head on a typical Tuesday night: Oak Street.  Hiding all the way Uptown, as far from the French Quarter as you can get without swimming, this street houses one of New Orlean’s most popular and controversial [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, History & Trivia, Travel

The Pascagoula Run to Down Around Biloxi

March 15, 2013 by

MY GULF COAST LEMONADE STAND

The Scintillating Nightlife Along the Pascagoula Waterfront

The Scintillating Nightlife Along the Pascagoula Waterfront

As I drove I-10 West back to New Orleans, I gave a second wave at the Carnival Triumph before going under the Mobile Bay Tunnel. My convalescence had apparently been much shorter.

I had spent the morning packing and preparing, not leaving Jacksonville until noon. My temporary roomie worked nights so I wouldn’t arrive in time to get a key.  I could get a cheap room for the night in East New Orleans, but I had a futon strapped in the bed of my truck and figured there was at least a 43.625% chance I’d wake up in the morning with it gone. Being one who always looks for lemonade recipes when plans sour, I viewed this as an opportunity to see the Mississippi Coast.  I’d driven by a hundred times but had only stopped by Biloxi once a decade ago to see its lighthouse, which I read somewhere was [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Travel
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