NOLA Jazz Festival

In planning our trip we discovered that we were going to be near New Orleans during the Jazz Festival.  I have no clue what this is but Randy is really excited telling me that he's always wanted to go.  After googling it and reading about it, we redesigned our entire route to arrive in New Orleans in time for the second weekend of the festival. 

According to the website, the New Orleans Jazz Festival is an eight day festival that spans over two weekends and has been around for 40 years.  Sounds like an adventure made for us!

Our, New Orleans hosts Patrick and Stacie Ireland join us on this adventure guiding us to the festival via car, trolley and bus.

We ended up on the bus which was the cheapest and easiest way to arrive.   It's great to have "locals" get us around town.  The bus drops us off right at the Festival or so I thought - we still had to walk about a mile to the entrance.  The Festival is at the fairgrounds and horse racing track and is huge!  This is much bigger than I expected. 

We wind our way through the security and ticket lines and  pass the Gospel Tent and enjoy a rousing sermon and some southern gospel music.  I think this is a good way to start the day.   We land at a huge map and begin plotting our day.

We had a light breakfast because we had heard all about the food court and we are ready to eat lunch. We hit the first food court and to get our bearings. There are at least 20 foods booths filled with creole and cajun specialities.  So much food to choose from that it's hard to select.  We all debate the merits of each booth, and we all want something different.  We split up and meet back with plates filled with New Orleans specialties. I end up with a stuffed artichoke and a fried oyster spinach salad; Stacie has a fried crawfish po'boy;  Randy & Patrick have the Sample Plate with a biscuit covered in crawfish sauce, crawfish fritters and a crawish money bags.  Everyone standing around us is eating something different and it all looks amazing!  Our food is yummy and all very New Orleans.  

We head over to the Blues Tent and listen to Joe Krown Trio featuring Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Russell Batiste Jr. who are excellent!  This is the biggest tent I've ever been in and it is packed to gills with people.  There isn't anywhere to sit - no where!! So we settle in the very back on the ground and chill out.  Although everyone keeps telling us that the weather is fabulous, I think it's hot and humid and the crowds aren't helping.  After an hour or so of chilling to a rocking band we venture out to the main stage.  Excited because we're going to see Bruce Springsteen!

We arrive and the main stage is PACKED and we walk, and walk, and walk and walk, finally squeezing in our chairs in the very last row of the racetrack.  All around us everyone keeps telling us that it's never this crowded. Patrick & Randy leave us to find something cold to drink and Stacie and I hold down our chairs.  

While waiting for the concert, people just keep coming and there is no where to sit.  The guy next to me is from Wales and he's been to several Jazz Fests and is shocked at the crowd.  This event brings in people from all over the world!  

Even though we can barely see the stage, we're OK, it's the Boss and we have binoculars.

We hang out in the sweltering sun for over an hour and the concert starts!  Yahoo...but right at the same time the wind picks up and we can't hear ANYTHING!  Seriously, the wind is taking the sound away from us.  All that time waiting and NOTHING!  We all look at each other and start laughing...time to move on and find another artist to listen to.

Walking back through the Festival we do enjoy a little of Bruce.  We check out several other stages and walk the entire grounds.  This place is HUGE, I can't say it enough. HUGE!  

We head over back over to the Blues Tent to listen to Johnny Winter.  He's a fabulous blues artist who was famous in the late 1960-1970's.  Going to listen to him  was the best decision as that man can still Rock!  He's 70 years young and plays a mean electric guitar.  His band was amazing.   Plus the tent is shaded and has misters.  We loved it!

This was the biggest event we've ever been too.  At least 125,000 people in attendance and I believe at least 90% all came to see Bruce Springsteen.  It was pretty well organized, lines everywhere but tons of food, drinks and bathrooms so you never really waited very long in line.  The NOLA Jazz organizers know how to do this!  

Now that we've experienced the Jazz Festival we know exactly how to roll.  Take the bus; cheapest and easiest way to get there. Get there early right as the gates open and go directly to the main stage and stake out your spot.  Go with a group and rotate jobs...yes jobs.  One person has to be responsible for blanket watch; two others responsible for food and beverages.  The last person rotates in with the positions so that everyone can cruise the stages and still have a seat for the headliner.  If we go again, we now have the system down.   

Even with the crowds and the heat, the event is something to experience and I'm really glad we went.  We're on the trip of our life and we just enjoyed the event of a lifetime!   Rock on!

New Orleans...a foodie weekend!

I knew we'd eat good in New Orleans but I really didn't have a clue exactly what that meant.  Our NOLA hosts, Patrick & Stacie Ireland are from Utah and have lived in NOLA for 2 years now.  They have acclimated and are true locals!  Their passion for NOLA's food and culture is remarkable. 

It was exciting to experience NOLA through their eyes.  Exhausting but worth it!  Patrick and Stacie loved so many restaurants that all weekend, the had a tough time choosing where to take us and so we went to several of their favorites.   They live in an adorable house in Uptown. 

Friday night, we went to Joey K's and enjoyed traditional New Orleans food: fried catfish, jambalaya and catfish tacos.  Joey K's was featured on Diners, Drive-In and Dives - but it's not a Drive-In or Dive. It was a quaint and comfortable restaurant with lots of choices and great specials.  They serve their beer in giant frosted schooners.  Joey K's is on Magazine Street, which is lined with bars, restaurants and cute shops.  A place definitely worth spending some time. 

We spent Saturday at the NOLA Jazz Fest (separate blog later) and let's just say that the Festival was an experience!  

Afterwards, we went to the Blind Pelican, on St. Charles Street is a favorite haunt of the Ireland's.  It's located right on the Mardi Gras Parade route and when you arrive at Pelican the first thing you see is the traditional Louisana Crawfish Boil cooked right on the patio.  Yum!  We've come for oysters, but the Boil looks amazing! 

Stacie & Patrick couldn't wait to bring us here because the Pelican features 25 cent fresh shucked oysters - yes you read this right --- 25 cents!  For 50 cents , you can order them grilled with butter, garlic and breadcrumbs.  These are the happy hour prices, regular prices are $10 for a dozen.  We end up with a dozen apiece and we are stuffed when we leave.  Pretty good, $10.50 for 2 dozen oysters.  In Salt Lake, this would run you at least $70!

You'd think for a quarter we'd get little  oysters - not so!  The oysters are huge, fresh and delicious.    The grilled oysters are decadent;  you can never go wrong with garlic and lots of butter.    

After our feast we head over to the Bulldog, a great beer bar that features at least 50 beers on tap and 100 bottled beers. It's hard to decide what to choose so we enjoy several.  After-all we deserve it,  the Jazz Fest is hard work!  We ended up loving Shiner Bock Redbird, a beer infused with ginger and Texas Ruby Red grapefruit.  

Seriously, this is one of the most refreshing beers - it doesn't even taste like beer.   We also discovered Shiner Bock Prickly Pear beer - delicious.  

On Sunday, I awaken dreaming of beignets and chicory coffee but that's the one thing I missed! Next time I'm there I'll be going to Cafe du Mond.  

A good reason to go back to NOLA.  We cruise down to the French Quarter for a Muffeltta and gumbo. The Ireland's debate about which place has the best and we settle on the Market Cafe.  

A great choice, because we're seated between two amazing traditional NOLA jazz bands.  We all order 1/2 Muffellta and a cup of gumbo and the waitress convinces to order 2 full size.  Oh my gosh!!!!  The sandwiches arrive and they are as big as a dinner plate! 

 The Muffeltta was originally invented at the Central Grocer in the French Quarter and it's a large toasted delicious roll filled with a black and green olive, pepper, garlic and oil spread along with lot of yummy Italian cold cuts and salami.  Absolutely delicious.

After lunch we cruise the famous Bourbon Street area, relatively quiet for a Sunday afternoon.  

There are hundreds of bars and I can only imagine the craziness of Mardi Gras.  Every balcony has tables and chairs and lots of mardi gras beads hanging form them.  

 We finish up our day at La Fittes Blacksmith Shop Bar; supposedly a bar operating in the oldest structure in America - built in 1722. NOLA legend says that it's the oldest continously operating bar in America but a quick google search disputes that - who knows the truth?  It's a fun place to stop and cool off. 

The highlight though of the entire trip was a visit to Hansen's Sno Bliz for the best snow cones.  

We drive by Hansen's twice on Sunday and the line is too long. It's within walking distance of Patrick & Stacie's so we opt to wait out the line and walk over right before closing.  At 6:45 pm, (they close at 7:00 pm)  there's still 20 people in line!  In line is a mix of young and old all talking about which flavor and size to get - everyone who comes out of Hansen's is smiling!

Our 45 minute wait is worth it as we're handed the yummiest sno cone ever.  Pure shaved ice that is as like Utah powder snow - light and fluffy and packed into our cups.  

They have all the traditional flavors and a few specialites like cardommon, ginger, honey lavendar and ginger cayenne. Their sryups are made from home made secret recipes and the ice is shaved in a machine that is 75 years old. 

You can also add soy milk, cream or condensed milk to create an ice cream like texture.  I think simple is the best way to go.  

I had a mix of honey lavendar and ginger and Randy went with blueberry and a tart lemon.  We enjoy our sno bliz' on the Ireland's front porch a perfect way to relax on a NOLA Sunday. 

Thanks Stacie & Patrick for a fun, foodie weekend!   We'll be back soon and bring Becky & Kevin with us!!!