A Glorious Sunday in Spring – New Orleans Style
March 14, 2010 by Lisa Heindel
Filed under Around Town, Blog, Family Fun
While our Northern friends are still dealing with cold weather, today was one of those gorgeous spring days in New Orleans that make you forget that before long we will be living with the heat of the summer.
It was entirely too pretty to stay inside, so we hopped over the river and spent the morning walking through the French Market and Jackson Square. Soaking up the sights and the sounds of the city on a Sunday is a wonderful, inexpensive (FREE) way to spend a morning or afternoon and I was reminded how much I love this city that I was born and raised in.
We wandered through the French Market, ate alligator sausage on a stick and checked out the wares of the local vendors. The mouth watering aroma of roasted corn and sweet potatoes was drifting through the market…
On our way back upriver, we strolled along the Moon Walk which has a fabulous view of the West Bank of New Orleans and of the downtown area that hugs the banks of the river.
We wound our way around Jackson Square, stopping to watch a magician perform tricks, pausing to admire the work of local artists, ducking inside the cool interior of St. Louis Cathedral and admiring the beautiful architecture of the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans.
With a live band playing in the square right outside the Cabildo, we had to stop and listen to the talented street performers that were entertaining a huge crowd. It was easy to tell who the tourists were, because they don’t know the local songs…it was also easy to spot the residents wandering through, because they are the first ones to dance and sing along.
My out of town friends always swear that we have more fun than anyone else….what did you do with your Sunday?
For information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!
Spring into Spring
March 11, 2010 by Lisa Heindel
Filed under Around Town, Blog, Local photos
I love spring. It’s my favorite season of all, even if it doesn’t last very long in New Orleans. The long term forecast says that we are expected to have a cooler, wetter than normal spring in 2010. I could do without the wet, but the idea of it not being sweltering hot anytime soon is wonderful.
Japanese Magnolia tree
One of my favorite signs of spring is the blooms on the Japanese Magnolia trees. They don’t last very long, so I had to grab the camera when I saw this one in Algiers this past weekend. My neighbor tells me that the sure sign that winter has passed is when the pecan trees begin to leaf, but that hasn’t happened yet, so I’ll just be content with gorgeous pink blossoms.
Next weekend, we’ll spring forward into daylight savings time. I’m really looking forward to that extra hour of sunshine and the change to take more pictures all around the city.
HAPPY SPRING!
New Orleans West Bank Weekend Events – March 6-7, 2010
March 2, 2010 by Lisa Heindel
Filed under Around Town, Blog, Family Fun
There is so much happening on the West Bank this weekend that my calendar is overflowing. I don’t know how all of these great events ended up on the same days, but if you can’t have fun this Saturday and Sunday, well….there’s not much we can do to help you. Rest up on Friday night, because the rest of the weekend is jam packed with West Bank Living!
Celebrating the 50 year history of Terrytown, the Spring festival is Saturday from 11am – 11pm at 641 Heritage Avenue. A 9:30 am parade through Terrytown will kick off the event, which is filled with food, fun and live music, a kids area, car show and more. The music schedule is:
12-3pm Amanda Shaw
4-7pm the TopCats
7:30-10:30pm Rockin Dopsie, Jr
Bring your lawn chairs to spend the day, but no outside food or drink is allowed.
Mo’s Pizza Fest
This year’s annual Mo’s Pizza Fest starts at 11:00am. A great local fundraiser, proceeds from the Festival benefit both the Westwego Fire Department and Westwego Police Department.
Don’t miss out on all the great food, fun, raffles and live music. Again, bring your lawn chairs, but leave the food and drink at home. Band schedule is:
Foret Tradition – 11:00am -12:30pm
Mojeaux- 1:00pm -3:00pm
Weathered – 3:30pm -4:30pm
Bag of Donuts – 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Five Finger Discount – 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Mo’s Pizza, 1112 Avenue H, Westwego, LA. 70094. Call 341-9650 or mosfest@gmail.com for more information.
Gretna Jubilee
The JPPSS Advanced Studies Academies on the Westbank are hosting the fourth annual Gretna Jubilee – a gala event, featuring restaurant tasting, open premium bar, charity auction and outdoor concert at the historic Gretna Farmer’s Market. This year’s event will take place on Saturday March 6, 2010 from 7p.m. – 11 p.m., in the open-air Gretna Market at the corner of 4th St and Huey P. Long Avenue in the City of Gretna.
The Jubilee is a benefit for charter schools, with food samplings from an expected 35 restaurants and this year featuring two bands – rock-a-billy sensation Gal Holiday and legendary New Orleans rockers Dash Rip Rock. Tickets to the event are $50 and include food, an open premium bar, concert and participation in the auction.
Visit www.gretnajubilee.com for more information on the event.
Louisiana Saturday Night
A family friendly fund raiser being held by the Krewe of Choctaw, Louisiana Saturday Night kicks off at 6 pm at the VFW Post 3121, 475 Monroe Street in Gretna.
It’s a Louisiana Saturday Night party with the Jimmy Thibodeaux Band playing all of your favorite Louisiana music from 6-10pm. The event is free and open to the public. The Kids are welcome… Choctaw will be selling fried catfish dinners and drinks and you can dance all night long! Come dressed as you are from the festivals as they roll back the rug and just have some fun.
Algiers Friendship Day
As if Saturday wasn’t enough to wear anyone out, Sunday is Friendship Day in Algiers Point. One of the most anticipated block parties of the year, with food, drinks and live music from Outlaw Jim and the Whiskey Benders and Algiers’ own Chicken on the Bone.
The weather is supposed to be delightful, so stake out a spot for your blanket on the levee or bring your lawn chairs to the corner of Olivier and Patterson. The music starts at noon, with an official end time of 4 pm, but this party usually lasts into the night. Kid friendly, it’s a wonderful way to welcome spring to the West Bank.
That’s my calendar. What are you doing this weekend?
For information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!
Were You in That Number?
February 10, 2010 by Lisa Heindel
Filed under Around Town
Yesterday, New Orleans made history with the largest Super Bowl parade ever held. Even in a city that is used to hosting big events, I don’t think that anyone was prepared for the record breaking crowds that showed up along the parade route to cheer for the National Champions, our boys in black and gold – the New Orleans Saints. It must make the whole 11 people who showed up to welcome the Colts home hang their heads in shame….
Were you in that number? I tried my hardest, but sadly, I was not.
Who would have thought that the entire city would become gridlocked and that there would be thousands of people pouring onto the ferries to attend the parade? We parked and got in line at the Gretna Ferry landing as the crowd grew by the minute. When the ferry showed up and allowed boarding to begin, we all moved forward…a whole 4 or 5 feet.
With only 233 people allowed on the ferry at one time, it quickly became apparent that we would be waiting for hours and that there was absolutely no way we were getting downtown before the parade was over. So, we made our way down the stairs, through the crowd and back to the car to head home to catch it on TV.
We were so disappointed that we couldn’t be there in person to cheer on our team, but seeing the aerial shots on television, I’m almost (not quite, but almost) glad we weren’t in the middle of what everyone is claiming to be the largest attendance at any parade ever held in New Orleans – bigger, even, than any Mardi Gras day.
I have a couple of hopes after yesterday. First, I hope that city officials learn how to compensate for these types of crowds in the future. Second, and most importantly, I hope that the feeling of pride in our team and our community that was evidenced yesterday continues throughout the year.
Oh, and WHO DAT!!
For information about home buying or selling in New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while welcoming you to our community.
Popp Bandstand | City Park New Orleans
February 9, 2010 by Lisa Heindel
Filed under Around Town, Local photos
I absolutely adore old buildings. It doesn’t matter if it’s a house or a business, the attention to detail that used to be the norm is incredible. So when I took a drive through City Park recently, I was captivated by the different structures that dot the park and the history behind them.
Popp’s Bandstand was dedicated on July 4, 1917 and has been the site of many live, free musical performances over the years. Even the March King, John Philip Sousa, led a band on this stage.
Can you imagine if you had been one of the lucky people to be there? They probably never imagined that all of these years later, those musical arrangements would be part of our national fabric and history.
For information about home buying or selling in New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while welcoming you to our community.
