New Years in New Orleans
The purpose of this post is to convince all my friends that New Orleans is one of the best locations to welcome a new year. My hope is, if I am still residing in Biloxi on December 31, 2010, my friends will plan to join me because they want to experience New Years in the Big Easy too.
New Orleans is known for its Cajun cuisine but the Italian isn't bad either. I began my New Years celebration at Angeli's on Decatur, a hip local joint on the outskirts of the Quarter. We arrived just in time too. Shortly after we grabbed a table, several large groups descended on the restaurant only to hear they would have to wait outside or return later. Despite their busy evening Angeli's did not disappoint. This beautiful calzone found it's way to our table. I ordered my signature pizza, of course, and enjoyed every bite. A great way to ring in the New Year.
Strolling down Decatur we made our way to Jackson Square. Most of the streets in the Quarter were closed to vehicular traffic, enabling pedestrians to navigate the city in safety. Mia Borders and her band were on stage entertaining the crowd with her funky soul music. If your interested in checking out her tunes her website is located at http://www.miaborders.com/home.html.
On our way back to the hotel we decided to "stroll" down Bourbon. We anticipated the street would be crowded but nothing prepared us for what we encountered; a sea of humanity ebbing and flowing filling any empty space available between the street, the stores and the sidewalk. I felt like a salmon fighting to swim upstream.
Strolling down Decatur we made our way to Jackson Square. Most of the streets in the Quarter were closed to vehicular traffic, enabling pedestrians to navigate the city in safety. Mia Borders and her band were on stage entertaining the crowd with her funky soul music. If your interested in checking out her tunes her website is located at http://www.miaborders.com/home.html. 
On our way back to the hotel we decided to "stroll" down Bourbon. We anticipated the street would be crowded but nothing prepared us for what we encountered; a sea of humanity ebbing and flowing filling any empty space available between the street, the stores and the sidewalk. I felt like a salmon fighting to swim upstream. The Sugar Bowl is January 1. So, naturally the street was flooded with Cincinnati Bear Cat and Florida Gator fans who taunted one another by cheering for their team. In addition, Saints fans could be heard screaming all over the city, "Who Dat?!" The energy was incredible. Definitely, something to experience.
After retrieving our coats we wondered over to the Jax Beer building where baby Bacchus was waiting with his Saints football helmet and banner to countdown the new year. A fleur-de-lis, also located on the roof of JAX Beer was lowered at midnight. I couldn't see the baby but I did manage to watch the fleur-de-lis descend. This was followed by an impressive fireworks display over the Mississippi River. Showers of confetti floated through the cold air while silly string landed in my hair. Standing in the large crowd gathered on the banks of the Mississippi, watching fireworks with total strangers I felt hope. Hope for humanity, hope for a wonderful year, hope for me.
After retrieving our coats we wondered over to the Jax Beer building where baby Bacchus was waiting with his Saints football helmet and banner to countdown the new year. A fleur-de-lis, also located on the roof of JAX Beer was lowered at midnight. I couldn't see the baby but I did manage to watch the fleur-de-lis descend. This was followed by an impressive fireworks display over the Mississippi River. Showers of confetti floated through the cold air while silly string landed in my hair. Standing in the large crowd gathered on the banks of the Mississippi, watching fireworks with total strangers I felt hope. Hope for humanity, hope for a wonderful year, hope for me. Welcome, welcome 2010.
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