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Do You Second Line?

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The perfect view from our picnic spot

She Said:

Sundays when the weather is nice are just perfect in the French Quarter and last Saturday when I checked the forecast I knew we were destined for a treat. Ideas streamed through my head and I soon began the daunting process of elimination to figure out exactly what would be on the agenda. Every item added means something else misses the cut. Music is a must and Steve mentioned Cristina Perez would be playing a 7pm set at The Maison on Frenchman. That was perfect because we could go and still feel like responsible employees when Monday morning rolled around. Working backwards then: Because it is a Sunday, we should cook. And because we have a plethora of beef (my husband bought part of a cow..more to come on this), we considered stuffed peppers. Sold!

What’s next? Well this past Tuesday our new friends mentioned second lines on Sundays, and I have been to far too few in my day. So be it. What about lunch? With weather this gorgeous I have an itch to be outside as much as possible so we decided on a picnic. There was some stale bread lying around, so we needed to source a few ducks to dispose of it.

That was the plan. He Said made a delicious breakfast (his mad breakfast skills are one of my favorite things about him) and we gathered our things and headed out. We made a stop by Marie Laveau’s grave located on Basin Street at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Amazingly, neither of us had ever been there. Very much worth dodging the tourists to spend a little time in this old place. From here were very close to the Candlelight Lounge which was the starting point of the Undefeated Divas & Gents, Jr. Divas & Jr. Gents 10th Anniversary ‘We’re Still Standing’ MLK Second Line. I imagine they tend to pick up folks along the route and we caught it at its inception, so it was smaller than expected, but still great fun. The women were beautiful, each in unique green suits adorned with various beautiful silver hats.

Graveyard angel in Saint Louis #1

In a flash the parade was over and we headed to Armstrong Park back-pack full of food in tow. It couldn’t have been more convenient because we were a block from the Mahalia Jackson which is attached to the park. We cut through and settled in on a grassy patch of waterfront property. We fed the ducks (only 6 at this spot) and then ourselves before basking in the beautiful sun. It was perfect.

As we walked over the bridge toward the entrance of the park on Rampart we found a whole slew of hungry ducks and we were able to finish off our bread on this crew. Before it’s reopening about 6 months ago, I had never spent time in Armstrong Park. During the day it is one of New Orleans’ best kept secrets, tucked away along the side of the Quarter offering beautiful serenity in an otherwise jumping neighborhood. Since its reopening a sculpture garden has been added which pays homage to jazz icons who have been instrumental in the musical history of New Orleans.

Now onto dinner prep and a little work on Job #2- this blog. After a little writing and a bit of cooking once again we were off. This time to The Bombay Club for a little Sarah Quintana, a terrific local chanteuse. After one rather expensive round and most of the first set, we forged ahead to the much more cost-effective Maison  where we caught the second set of Cristina Perez. Drinks for $5 each, no cover and great music was just my style. Surprisingly the place was packed on a Sunday evening, something I absolutely love to see.

In one fine day we managed to see an iconic grave site, watch a second line, have a picnic, actually do some responsible things and finally cap off the weekend with some really great live music.

If I can make one suggestion to others, whether you are local or visiting our wonderfully culturally rich city, it would be to get outside of your comfort zone and do things. It doesn’t really matter which things, as long as you just go and do. Experience life. These experiences don’t have to cost a fortune,  as our Sunday adventure was incredibly inexpensive. The point is to just do something. My dad once said what was probably just as an ancillary comment for him but has affected my entire approach to life:

‘You will never look back and regret the things you did, only those you wish you would have done.’

And so I ask you once again:  Do you second line?



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