I gotta say it:  Up until last year, New York City held the number one spot in my heart.  Then came NOLA.  It was love at first bite.  From the incredible food, to the narrow cobblestone streets, to the artistic, caring, amazing people, this city captured my heart in a New York minute.

If you’ve never been to New Orleans, you are truly missing out.   Don’t think of it as just an endless carnival, although it can be.  New Orleans is many things.  There’s Jackson Square Park in the French Quarter, where, on any given day you may witness a brass band parade or a wedding presided over by a voodoo priest.  Surrounded by artists, vendors, and most of all music, Jackson Square is the mecca of what down home New Orleans feeling.

Next is Bourbon Street, just steps from Jackson Square.  Bourbon Street has survived fires, endless parties, and Hurricane Katrina.  Nothing can keep this stretch of road down.  It keeps rising up for more like a Phoenix.  Filled with jazz clubs, mom and pop restaurants and stores, Bourbon Street is the nightlife spot to go to in the French Quarter.

A taste of chickory coffee and beignets from the famous Cafe Du Monde is all you need in a New Orleans morning.  An extra dose of powdered sugar, gave me the kickstart I needed to go explore this beautiful city.  Sporting my comfortable shoes, I walked down every street in the French Quarter.

‘Boy town’ proved to be a sure fire favorite, as I accompanied Miss Avalon on her four corner street show.  She stopped cars and ‘vogued’ graciously accepting roaring applause.  My drink matched her wig, so I took it as a sign and shared my Hurricane.  After all it was this delicious pink concoction that gave me the extra push to join Miss Avalon’s street show.

If there’s anything I vow to do every year is the New Orleans Jazz Festival, an annual blend of famous musicians and the trendy usual suspects.  In 2008, Billy Joel and Cowboy Mouth were a must-see.  The food is a compilation of the local favorites, including the crab pouch, and gumbo. Yummy!

This time around I will plan better.  I will take my own comfy chair complete with footrest and drink holder.  This year I will wear funky galoshes, and bring that fancy poncho from last years’ fest.  This year I will take a waterproof camera.  This time around I will camp out under the deluge and wait for the rains to pass me by.  This year I will be singing in the rain.  And all the words in my English/Spanish dictionary will never define the uniqueness and freedom this city offers.  This, darling divas, is my ‘Woodstock.’

The 411 on NOLA Jazz Fest 2009:

http://www.nojazzfest.com

http://www.discoverneworleans.com/jazzfest/

http://www.satchmo.com/nolavl/jazzfest.html

The 411 on NOLA Jazz Fest 2009:
April 24,25,26 & April 30, May 1,2,3, 2009. The Heritage Fair takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course, centrally located at 1751 Gentilly Boulevard, 10 minutes from the French Quarter. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

TICKET PRICES
1st Weekend (April 24, 25, 26)
2nd Weekend (April 30, May 1, 2, 3)
Advance adult ticket:  $40 through April 29 (each ticket valid for one day only)
Gate Price: $50

40th ANNIVERSARY
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL
PRESENTED BY SHELL
APRIL 24 – 26 (1st WEEKEND)
Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews Band, James Taylor, Joe Cocker, Earth Wind & Fire, Wilco, Spoon, Erykah Badu, Irma Thomas, Orishas, Third World, Robert Cray, Etta James & the Roots Band, Mavis Staples, Drive-By Truckers feat. Booker T. Jones, Johnny Winter, Pete Seeger, Hugh Masekela, Better Than Ezra, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Galactic, Roy Haynes, Pete Fountain, Avett Brothers, Kinky, Roy Rogers, Del McCoury Band, Terence Blanchard, Marc Broussard, DJ Jubilee with 5th Ward Weebie and Ms. Tee, Buckwheat Zydeco’s 30th Anniversary feat. The Hitchhikers, Tab Benoit, Locos por Juana and hundreds more…
APRIL 30 – MAY 3 (2nd WEEKEND) – Aretha Franklin, TBA, Sugarland, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Tony Bennett, Kings of Leon, The Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Common, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Los Lobos, The O’Jays, Toots & the Maytals, Allen Toussaint, John Mayall, Solomon Burke, Doc Watson, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, The Whispers, Jakob Dylan, Chuck Brown, Meter Men: Zig, George, and Leo, Kurt Elling, Rance Allen, Cowboy Mouth, Guy Clark, Radiators, Aaron Neville, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Tab Benoit & the Wetland Allstars, Marcia Ball, Ellis Marsalis, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Frankie Ford, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Mississippi Mass Choir, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters, Anders Osborne, and hundreds more…

See you there!

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