The Big Easy

      I have been privileged with the ability to travel often. And while not always far or to many different places, I try to be out on the road as much as I can. None of these travels however have lead me to a place as truly amazing as New Orleans. As a Masshole and a faux Bostonian, I have a lot of pride and affection for Boston. But I humbly admit a lot of Boston Pride is Masshole arrogance. New Orleans had such spirit and culture. I was only there for about a week but in that little time it just became clear to me how strong they were. Not even in the 'We're not victims, we're survivors' mindset. They'd been hurt but nowhere near broken. The one thing I did notice was how few grocery stores there were since apparently no big chains decided to move back after Katrina. But for the party hard tourists Bourbon Street is a solid mecca of hedonism. It is a street ripe with strip clubs and bars with tacky drinks to attract tourists. For the more cultural tourist, the French Quarter has 'the real' New Orleans with music clubs, world famous Cafe Du Monde, and the French Market. But the city has so much beyond all of these places. It was at the Maple Leaf Bar, a short hike from the downtown area, that I had one of the greatest nights of my life.

     Being the music snob with ADHD that I am, I'm always looking for a new sound to get into and enjoy. It's not always new timewise but new to me. Around three years ago now I got into brass bands and swing. Rebirth Brass Band is one of the greatest I've found. They've been around since the eighties but are still kickin' it, hard. The event board at the hostel I was staying at (India House, I recommend to any NOLA bound) informed me they were playing and I gathered up my travel buddies and some of our newfound friends to see them. They delivered a great first set only slightly helped by some delicious local brews when they went on a break for twenty minutes. We stepped outside for some fresh air and a street vendor was selling steak and beef which was mediocre but well enjoyed because everything just had such a great vibe to it that night. And for dessert, we had a chocolate and cake batter snoball from a snoball truck. The young man working the truck joined us as we sat on the curb enjoying our food. Introducing himself as Gary, we started having really pleasant conversations with him and he was truly kind and interested in our stories. We would later joke that Gary was Jesus back on earth because he seemed like the most genuine guy we ever met. We had such a great time out there some of us wound up late returning back to the still awesome performance that Rebirth was delivering. After the show finished up, we returned to the street to talk with Gary some more and two older guys who ran the art gallery across the street joined us. They introduced me to 101 Runners, the Mardi Gras Indian band that is big in New Orleans and told me about the real culture of that whole scene. We spent upwards twenty minutes just hanging out as they played with their dog using toy alligators that were on some funky pizza delivery car. Then we had to use the bathroom and they let us into the gallery. This was my most pinnacle moment of the night and maybe even my life. And that is not an exaggeration. If you've seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off (as all of you should), there is a scene in a museum in Chicago where Cameron is just staring intensely at a Seurat's 'Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' (seen here: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/seurat/grande-jatte/seurat.grande-jatte.jpg ) as if it is speaking to his soul. That happened to me. Just outside the bathroom was this painting of vibrant colors that to me seemed like a misshapen bright orange starfish in an ocean of funky blues. I just had to stand there hardly able to comprehend how much I identified with this painting. I had my camera and was tempted to take a picture but I felt it would do an injustice to the painting and the artist. I just hope the next time I make it down to New Orleans with $2300 to spare it is still waiting for me. Or at least the buyer appreciates it half as much as I did. It was getting quite late, and we had to make our unfortunate goodbyes to some wonderful people finishing up our conversations and heading back to the hostel after such a perfected night.