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My sister, Stacey, and I had a delightful trip to New Orleans for the Jazz and Heritage Festival. We both arrived on Thursday, May 2, I in the late afternoon and she in the early evening. We spent Friday and Sunday at the Fest, and Saturday knocking around the French Quarter, both of us heading home on the Monday (after beignets at Café du Monde, of course!).
We heard a lot of our favorites, such as Germaine Bazzle and John Boutté (and a lot of other Bouttés), and some new discoveries, Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony being at the top of my list (SH consists of Chapman's two daughters). Sunday was a particularly fine day, and everywhere we went it was all about family and honoring the elders. There was a tribute to Harold Batiste, featuring Germaine Bazzle and Ellis Marsalis, pretty much the entire Boutté family rocked the gospel tent together, while Charmaine Neville and family and friends did the same at the blues tent. Over at the Jazz and Heritage Stage, "Little Bo" Dollis (who isn't so little) and mom (Big Queen Rita) fronted the Wild Magnolias and honored Big Chief Bo Dollis, who had just gotten out of the hospital the day before, but wasn't about to let that stop him:
Food, of course, was fabulous. I tried some new things at the Fest (cajun duck po'boy, chicken and tasso), and swilled a lot of mandarin orange iced tea. And the restaurants we ate at (Jimmy J's, Eat, 3 Muses, The Green Goddess) were all excellent.
We were lucky with the weather. Although it rained some a couple of mornings, it stopped before we were on our way. And the bit of rain that happened while we were at the Fest occurred while we were under a tent, other than a slight sprinkle.
But the best part? The train! I took the City of New Orleans
from Chicago to NOLA and back, and I am now a total convert to train travel. I booked a roomette, which includes access to a lounge at the train stations (when they're not being renovated, as the one in NOLA was), meals - with first crack at the dining car (and the food was good, and very helpful and friendly staff. I slept like a baby, and met lots of interesting people at dinner (and breakfast and lunch). Plenty to see from the windows, too, including flocks of egrets and the occasional alligator as we went through the bayous. You won't see any of this from an airplane!
Oh, and be sure not to smoke. They mean it when they announce that you will be put off the train if you're caught. And you will then have to find your own way home from places like Marks, Mississippi. Good luck!
We heard a lot of our favorites, such as Germaine Bazzle and John Boutté (and a lot of other Bouttés), and some new discoveries, Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony being at the top of my list (SH consists of Chapman's two daughters). Sunday was a particularly fine day, and everywhere we went it was all about family and honoring the elders. There was a tribute to Harold Batiste, featuring Germaine Bazzle and Ellis Marsalis, pretty much the entire Boutté family rocked the gospel tent together, while Charmaine Neville and family and friends did the same at the blues tent. Over at the Jazz and Heritage Stage, "Little Bo" Dollis (who isn't so little) and mom (Big Queen Rita) fronted the Wild Magnolias and honored Big Chief Bo Dollis, who had just gotten out of the hospital the day before, but wasn't about to let that stop him:
Food, of course, was fabulous. I tried some new things at the Fest (cajun duck po'boy, chicken and tasso), and swilled a lot of mandarin orange iced tea. And the restaurants we ate at (Jimmy J's, Eat, 3 Muses, The Green Goddess) were all excellent.
We were lucky with the weather. Although it rained some a couple of mornings, it stopped before we were on our way. And the bit of rain that happened while we were at the Fest occurred while we were under a tent, other than a slight sprinkle.
But the best part? The train! I took the City of New Orleans
from Chicago to NOLA and back, and I am now a total convert to train travel. I booked a roomette, which includes access to a lounge at the train stations (when they're not being renovated, as the one in NOLA was), meals - with first crack at the dining car (and the food was good, and very helpful and friendly staff. I slept like a baby, and met lots of interesting people at dinner (and breakfast and lunch). Plenty to see from the windows, too, including flocks of egrets and the occasional alligator as we went through the bayous. You won't see any of this from an airplane!
Oh, and be sure not to smoke. They mean it when they announce that you will be put off the train if you're caught. And you will then have to find your own way home from places like Marks, Mississippi. Good luck!
