New Orleans Magazine February 2010

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Mayoral campaigns more often than not include promises to bring new business and jobs to the city, but mayors often allow themselves to get bogged down in meaningless activity to the neglect of more important business. Here are a few suggestions for the new mayor of New Orleans. Fear not the bold stroke. New Orleans […]

Mardi Gras

Half Fast at 50

Pete Fountain's Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras

Krewe du View

For most New Orleanians, Mardi Gras represents the magic of the Cresent City. For most filmmakers, it represents a bizarre world.

MARCHING ORDERS

2010 Parade Calender

Good news about local heart care

Heart disease is an unwelcome fact of life in the New Orleans area, in part because of our preference for the delicious – and rich – food found in just about everybody’s kitchen. Fortunately, the city’s medical centers are up to the task, offering cutting-edge treatments close to home. Even Hurricane Katrina, which dealt a […]

Heart to Heart

THINGS TO DO ON “V-DAY”

Food + Drink

New old fashioned at La Petite Grocery

The building that houses La Petite Grocery was once the site of the Central Coffee Butter and Tea Depot but suffered from a fire in the early 1900s. The restaurant’s name pays homage to the original site of the building. Chef Justin Devillier has a difficult time deciding on one dish that is his favorite. […]

Nola by #'s

1969The year Metairie’s Rhea parade began – the Krewe of Rhea decided to cancel the 2010 parade in case of the conflict with the Super Bowl. 1873The year Governor Warmoth of Louisiana signed the “Mardi Gras Act” making it a legal holiday in Louisiana. 173Years of Mardi Gras parading in New Orleans. 19On this day […]

Camelias on the coast

Mardi Gras can be strenuous, but those seeking to restore their energy and relax on the beach after a long, festive holiday can head to the Beaches of South Walton – a conveniently situated vacation spot featuring 15 beach communities connecting Destin and Panama City, Fla. Highlights include state parks, guided tours, restaurants, shopping and […]

Cocktails

Last Call

Mixing for the massesLet us say you’re one of New Orleans’ most talented and respected mixologists. Let us also say there’s a celebration in your town each year where the rule “anything goes” is in effect, giving you free rein to create any beverage concoction known to man or woman. Lucky you; and lucky Chris […]

History

THE THROW

At 7:14 p.m., Marty’s arm acted as a pivot sending a stash of throws from his spot on the float toward the crowd standing along the St. Charles Avenue sidewalk. An instantaneous jerk of the float caused the throw to be erratic. From his bag Marty had pulled five pairs of beads and two doubloons. […]

Marita Jaeger’s Boutique du Vampyre

“Listen to them. The children of the night. What music they make!” – Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula to Dwight Frye as Renfield in response to the howling wolves outside the Castle Dracula from the 1931 horror classic, Dracula. The Ultimate Vampire Weekend:” Now that’s a neat little package that could put some bite back into […]

Mardi Gras

Carnival’s Big Band Sound

My Dad played for 50 Comus [balls]. He even had a specially made gold tails jacket he wore just for that.” Henri Louapre’s father was René Louapre, conductor of the René Louapre Society Orchestra, a mainstay of the New Orleans Carnival season for most of the 20th century. Rene Louapre died in 1987 at the […]

LESLIE JACOBS – AN APPRECIATION

It is too bad education reformer Leslie Jacobs dropped out of the mayor’s contest after Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu joined the line-up at the last minute. Maybe she was correct in giving herself zero chance of winning with him in the competition, but it would have been interesting to see how the electorate would have […]

9-1-1 FARES BEST IN POLL

Retired New Orleans Police Capt. Stephen J. Gordon frowns suspiciously at the favorable results of a recently released poll on his old unit at the much-maligned New Orleans Police Department. It is Christmas Eve 2009. In an office window behind him, the parking lot of the Orleans Parish 9-1-1 Communication District empties government workers happily […]

History

A NOTE TO the PARKING DIVISION

Please have a heart during Carnival

Wellness

Health Beat

nDr. Robert Brannon, professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology of the LSU Health Sciences Center, has been reappointed by the Surgeon General of the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Charles Green, to serve a three-year term as the Civilian National Consultant for Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology to the Surgeon General. Brannon, a retired U.S. Air Force […]

Wellness

ADDICTED TO NOSE SPRAY

A case of “rebound rhinitis”

Funds for tracks

There is no doubt New Orleanians like their streetcars. Whether they’re the vintage models rumbling along St. Charles Avenue or the modern vehicles plying the Canal Street and riverfront routes, streetcars are celebrated as symbols of the Crescent City and serve as rolling tourist attractions and public transit all at the same time. Now, though, […]

Lagniappe

READ SPIN

PRESERVATION: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall and The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program is the kind of CD you should enjoy when picking up your Mardi Gras guests at Louis Armstrong Airport. Nineteen perfectly charming tracks by the Preservation Hall Band and special guests will have you singing aloud to “Blue Skies” in your […]

Music + Festivals

Urban Memories

Tom Morgan’s Historic Photos of New Orleans Jazz

Full circle for farmers market

Just as cycles of growth and rebirth set the pace down on the farm, a farmers market in Mid-City has recently come full circle, and hopes are high that it will bear new fruit. Before Hurricane Katrina, the Crescent City Farmers Market held one of its three weekly markets outside the American Can apartment building […]

Food + Drink

RESTAURANT INSIDER

Mike Fennelly and Vicky Bayley, who together had one of the best restaurants in the city in the early 1990s with Mike’s on the Avenue, are reuniting with a new restaurant, right, Mike’s East-West (628 St. Charles Ave., 523-7600), in the same space that housed their former operation. Fennelly’s cooking has always had an Asian […]

Food + Drink

tres experiencias espanolas

For a city with a lot of Spanish blood in its veins, it’s a bit surprising that Spanish cuisine in New Orleans restaurants has remained somewhat underrepresented. When untangling the influences that have come together to create our unique regional fare, French influence is typically cited as predominate, with Cajun fast on its heels. The […]

Food + Drink

COOKING FOR CARNIVAL

February brings the absolute busiest schedule of the year. Part of the commotion is a trip to Disney World, a must for my 6-year-old grandson, who claims to be the only one in his class who hasn’t been. That aside, we find ourselves merging Super Bowl with Mardi Gras, both a cause for much cooking. […]

Bead Counters: Carnival’s economic impact

Mardi Gras has been dubbed the “Greatest Free Show on Earth,” thanks in large part to the magnificent Mardi Gras parades that entertain the crowds on the streets of New Orleans. But make no mistake, Carnival season puts a lot of money in motion in the local economy, and a recent study from two Tulane […]

Personalities

Jimmie L. Felder – ZULU 2010

For most people, Mardi Gras is spent either on a float throwing beads and trinkets or on the other side, eagerly receiving beads and trinkets. Then there are those who work that day. Such has been Jimmie L. Felder’s Mardi Gras since 2006. As Zulu’s Parade Chairman, he was in charge of the Zulu parade […]

Things To Do

Marquee

Our top picks of the month’s events

SHOWING YOUR WITS

So my daughter Gladiola announces she and her friends are wearing body paint on Mardi Gras. “Sweetheart, body paint will rub off and ruin your clothes,” says my mother-in-law, Ms. Larda. Gladiola just smirks. Uh-oh. She means body paint only. It is a Gunch tradition for the entire family to go out together, dressed more […]

Julia Street with Poydras the Parrot

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Carnival’s Top 25 Parades (arranged by category)

Day Parades
1. Rex. Tradition, style, elegance; a classic New Orleans-style Carnival parade. Mardi Gras., St. Charles Avenue, 10 a.m.
2. Thoth. Getting bigger and better every year. Ambitious Uptown neighborhood route. Feb. 14, St. Charles Avenue, noon.
3. Mid-City. Visually exciting with Carnival’s only all-foil floats. Feb. 14, St. Charles Avenue, 11:45 a.m.
4. Zulu. Beginning its second century, Zulu is big and brassy and lately, especially last year, more on time. Mardi Gras, St. Charles Avenue, 8 a.m.
5. Carrollton. First weekend feel-good parade with its own floats and style. Feb. 7, St. Charles Avenue, noon.
6. Pontchartrain. Look for the Super Grouper float and, lately, whimsical themes. Feb. 6, St. Charles Avenue, 2 p.m.
7. Tucks. Has an Animal House feel. Not fancy, a bit naughty and lots of fun. Feb. 13, St. Charles Avenue, noon.
8. Iris. This all-gals group is also one of Carnival’s largest. Feb. 13, St. Charles Avenue, 11 a.m.
9. Okeanos. Good old-fashioned traditional parade. Feb. 14, St. Charles Avenue, 11 a.m.
10. King Arthur. Nice floats, especially early in the parade. Feb. 7, St. Charles Avenue, 1:15 p.m.

SUPER KREWES
A three-way tie. Endymion is the biggest. Orpheus is the prettiest. Bacchus has the history.
1. Bacchus. Feb. 14, St. Charles Avenue, 5:15 p.m.
2. Endymion. Feb. 13, Canal Street, 4:15 p.m.
3. Orpheus. Lundi Gras, St. Charles Avenue, 6 p.m.

NIGHT PARADES
1. Proteus. Forget about the throws, look at the floats – and the history. Carnival’s only surviving nighttime 19th century parade is something to behold, for its design and its tradition. Lundi Gras, St. Charles Avenue, 5:15 p.m.
2. Le Krewe d’Etat. Easily one of Carnival’s hottest krewes, with good design and satire. Feb. 20, St. Charles Avenue, 6 p.m.
3. Hermes. Visually exciting. There are whispers that this year’s parade will be the most glamorous ever. This 1930s-era parade introduced neon lighting to floats. Feb. 12, St. Charles Avenue, 6 p.m.
4. Muses. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this witty all-female krewe is a must-see. One of Carnival’s hottest with great marching groups between floats. Feb. 11, St. Charles Avenue, 6:15 p.m.
5. Chaos. With deeps roots to the old-line krewes, Chaos provides satire in the spirit of the former Momus parade. The group suffered an unfortunate, and time-delaying, breakdown last year; here’s hoping that order can be restored to Chaos this year. Feb. 11, St. Charles Avenue, 6:30 p.m.
6. Babylon. This old-style parade with smaller floats beds, like they used to be, and a theme that tells a story is a Carnival classic. Feb. 11, St. Charles Avenue, 5:45 p.m.
7. Sparta. Good, smart procession, best of the first weekend’s parades. Feb. 6, St. Charles Avenue, 6 p.m.
8. Ancient Druids. This is the only New Orleans parade to have a night to itself, the Wednesday before Carnival. This group, made up of parade bosses from other krewes, can be very good. Feb. 10, St. Charles Avenue, 6:30 p.m.
9. Morpheus. A change to the second Friday slot has forced this group to be ready for prime time. Look for better things at the end of a long parade night. Feb. 12, St. Charles Avenue, 7 p.m.
10. Pygmalion. Having moved from first Friday evening to first Saturday, in the slot formerly occupied by Pegasus, this parade has better presence. Look for Carnival-related theme. Parade at least has a presence to get things started. Feb.6, St. Charles Avenue, 6:45 pm.

BEST SUBURBAN PARADES
1. Alla. Best of the West Bank. Pride of float builder captain emeritus Blaine Kern. Feb 6, West Bank, 10:45 a.m.
2. Caesar. Jefferson’s largest krewe is always visually spectacular. Look for a time theme as the krewe stages its 31st parade. Feb. 6, Veterans Boulevard, 6 p.m.
3. Zeus. Now in its 52nd year, this is the krewe that began the suburban parading tradition. Feb. 15, Veterans Boulevard, 6:30 p.m.