Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Life is Good in the Big Easy

The  Annual  Carnival  Season  found  New  Orleans  in  an  intense  party  mood.    Laissez  Les  Bons  Temps  Rouler  (let  the  good  Ames  roll)  was  never  more  evident.    Reason:    A  Super  Bowl  jjust  happened  in  New  Orleans  and  it  was  followed  by  Mardi  Gras.    That’s  it!    Let’s  Party.    In  order  to  make  any  sense  out  of  this,  we  got  the  envious  assignment  of  going  from  L.A.  to  LA,  with  the  direcAve  to  observe,  partake,  and  report.

Carnival  season  runs  for  approximately  two  weeks  prior  to  Mardi  Gras  (Fat  Tuesday),  but  really  gets  into  high  gear  on  the  Friday  prior.    Mardi  Gras  weekend  is  five  days  of  non-­‐stop  partying  All  midnight  Tuesday.    And  we  do  mean  conAnuous.    24/7.    Five  days  of  parades,  fesAviAes,  events,  food,  drinks....you  name  it  and  it  happens.

The  center  of  acAon  is  Bourbon  Street  in  the  French  Quarter  where  balconies  are  decorated  and  crowded  with  people  throwing  beads  at  passers-­‐by  -­‐  especially  women  -­‐  who  are  willing  to  liX  up  their  shirts  and  show  their  chests.    It’s  all  in  good  fun  and  everyone  has  a  good  Ame.    The  officers  from  the  New  Orleans  Police  Department  are  such  pros  at  crowd  control  that  it’s  amazing  how  much  goes  on  and  how  few  disrupAons  there  are.    The  police  presence  is  everywhere,  but  it’s  benevolent,  to  make  the  revelers  feel  secure.

 

These are the Poles that are About to Get Greased

Grease Away Ladies

Acresses Camryn Manheim, wnd Wanda Sykes Greased the Poles in 2012

by Jon Bogart & Glenda Stewart

The City That Wrote the Book on

How To Party

Travel • Eat • Play Special Edition

The  fesAviAes  get  under  way  with  the  annual  Pole  Greasing  at  the  Royal  Sonesta  Hotel  on  Bourbon  Street.    There,  a  group  of  dignified  women  coat  the  poles  leading  up  to  the  balconies  with  Vasoline,  to  prevent  the  overly  aggressive  from  shimmying  up  the  poles  to  climb  on  the  balconies  -­‐  as  had  been  done  in  the  past.    However,  with  the  poles  covered  in  petroleum  jelly,  no  one  is  going  to  make  it  to  the  top.    The  ceremony  is  a  hoot  as  the  ladies  slick  up  the  poles  while  being  encouraged  by  the  crowds  to  really  “do  it  right”.  

The  event  is  a_ended  by  dignitaries  and  draws  a  variety  of  famous  people  to  partake  in  the  acAon.    in  Camryn  Manheim  and  Wanda  Sykes  have  made  appearances  as  the  greasers  as  ladies  entertain  the  crowd  with  their  anAcs  on  the  ladder.    Appearances  by  the  Super  Bowl  Champion  Saints,  media  celebriAes,  and  VIP’s  complete  the  program  and  by  noon  Friday  it’s  Laissez  Les  Bons  Temps  Rouler...big  Ame.

New  Orleans  is  unique  in  the  fact  that  it  has  the  most  relaxed  liquor  laws  in  the  country.    In  the  Big  Easy  it’s  perfectly  OK  to  go  out  on  the  street  with  a  drink  in  your  hand.    And  there  are  sidewalk  vendors  dispensing  all  kinds  of  libaAons,  with  such  exoAc  names  as  Hand  Grenades,  Hurricanes,  Big  Ass  Beers,  Frozen  Daiquiris  and  any  other  alcoholic  poAon  you  can  imagine.    And  you  see  people  walking  down  the  street  with  goldfish  bowls  filled  with  booze.    There  is  an  so  much  alcohol  consumed  during  these  five  days,  that  the  beer  trucks  are  dispatched  to  restock  every  morning.

The  parades  are  conAnuous  during  Mardi  Gras  with  organizaAons  called  KREWES  producing  and  financing  their  own  parade.    On  Saturday  night  the  Krewe  of  Endymion  parades  into  the  SuperDome.    On  Sunday  night  the  Krewe  of  Bacchus  ends  up  at  the  ConvenAon  Center,  and  on  Monday  the  Krewe  of  Orpheus  does  up  the  ConvenAon  Center  as  well.    This  all  leads  to  the  finale  with  the  Krewe  of  Zulu  starAng  fesAviAes  on  Mardi  Gras  Day,  followed  by  the  Krewe  of  Rex  -­‐  King  of  Carnival,  King  of  the  City  on  Fat  Tuesday.

During  the  parades,  riders  man  the  beauAful  floats  and  throw  beads,  doubloons,  cups,  stuffed  animals  -­‐  oh,  you  name  it  -­‐  at  the  people  lining  the  parade  route  with  the  hands  in  the  air  yelling  “Throw  Me  Something,  Mister!”    You’ve  really  got  to  see  it  to  believe  it.    And,  yes,  the  floats  are  loaded  with  alcohol,  as  well  as  throws,  and  by  the  Ame  the  parade  ends  a  lot  of  the  riders  are  totally  drunk.Party Central

Revelers

Everywhere – BEADS

Crowds?

A Fabulous Float

Travel • Eat • Play Special Edition

Extending  our  stay  past  Mardi  Gras  also  gave  us  the  opportunity  to  dine  at  Antoine's,  one  of  the  signature  restaurants  in  New  Orleans.    Antoine's  is  steeped  in  history  as  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  dining  establishments  in  the  city.  

         Since  1840  it  has  set  the  standard  that  make  New  Orleans  one  of  the  greatest  dining  centers  of  the  world.    For  over  160  years,  Antoine’s  excellent  French-­‐Creole  cuisine,  service,  and  atmosphere  have  combined  to  create  an  unmatched  dining  experience.    It  is  casual  elegance,  ushering  one  into  a  nostalgic  period  of  the  past.    The  waiters  are  all  clad  in  tuxedos,  while  diners  are  seated  at  tables  that  are  

laid  out  on  a  terra-­‐co_a  floor.    It  is  so  New  Orleans.    

         Antoine's  is  huge.    Covering  almost  a  city  block,  with  a  collecAon  of  14  dining  rooms,  each  with  their  own  unique  history  and  charm.    Memorabilia  from  its  many  notable  guests  line  the  walls....and  include  General  Pa_on,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Windsor,  President  Roosevelt,  Judy  Garland,  Carol  Burne_  and  Pope  John  Paul  the  II...to  

name  just  a  few.

         They  have  two  signature  specialAes  that  everyone  has  to  try...the  Puffed  Potatoes  and  the  Oysters  Rockefeller.    Antoine's  actually  invented  the  Oysters  Rockefeller  and  they  hand  out  a  postcard  with  Antoine's  grandson  being  served  the  millionth  oyster.    Oysters  Rockefeller  remains  one  of  the  great  culinary  creaAons  of  all  Ame  and  the  recipe  remains  a  closely-­‐guarded  Antoine's  secret  ...  though  it  has  been  imitated  countless  Ames.  Today  today  Antoine’s  is  shepherded  by  a  fiXh  generaAon  great  great  grandson  who  makes  sure  that  tradiAon  is  maintained.    Antoine’s  

is  a  must-­‐do.    It  sets  the  standard  for  French-­‐Creole  Cuisine,  not  only  in  the  Big  Easy,  but  also  for  the  world.  

So there you have it. An utterly fabulous Mardi Gras and a Super Bowl rotation

Three weeks in Party Central. The transition from Super Bowl to Mardi Gras seems seamless. The Super Bowl is an awesome experience and comes off exactly as planned. Everything is close by and it’s easy to walk just about everywhere - even to the game. Mardi Gras follows and on a Monday following the game the City takes on its Mardi Gras persona. To put the cherry on top of the Sundae, the last title game between the 49ers and Ravens was a classic, decided on the last play. Brother against brother. What an ending...John beat Jim.

Travel • Eat • Play Special Edition

 Mardi  Gras  Colors                              Are  Purple                                    Green  and  Gold