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nikki

5 REASONS I LOVE JAZZ FEST

Jazz Fest
April 23, 2012 By In Culture, Events, Music

April 27 – May 6 is JAZZ FEST! I love love love Jazz Fest. I consider it my third favorite holiday of the year, after Mardi Gras and Halloween. Jazz Fest is one of the most anticipated festivals of the year for both locals and visitors alike. I have loved Jazz Fest since I moved to Louisiana for college and try to go every year when I can get away from work. Here are my top 5 reasons for loving Jazz Fest:

5. CRAWFISH BREAD

One cannot attend Jazz Fest without eating crawfish bread at least once. Most of us want to eat it every day we attend. Festival food in New Orleans is something special, and crawfish bread is by far the pinnacle of the choices you can get. Oooey gooey cheesy deliciousness pretty much sums up the entree. If you haven’t tried it, you are missing out. Get some at your first opportunity. If you are interesting in the list of all the food choices, click here.

4. ENTHUSIASM OF THE CROWDS

People come to Jazz Fest to listen to the music, eat, and have a good time. I don’t think I have ever seen a fight break out or heard about crowd violence at any recent Jazz Fest. People are having a great time and showing love to the musicians who are taking the stages. Everyone is happy to be there, no matter the weather. It is a completely different vibe than the rowdy, sometimes violent Mardi Gras crowds.

3. THE WEATHER

Having the festival in late April / early May means that while the weather is usually warm, it isn’t the Godawful hot that comes to NOLA in July and August. I remember Jazz Fests with unseasonably hot or cold weather, but for most of the recent ones, the weather was perfect for an outdoor festival. Rain can sometimes be an issue, but we just put on ponchos and fight our way to the front of the stage.

2. TOURISTS

Yes, I love them. You should, too. As a local, I recognize our need for tourists. As I have said in some of my previous articles, we need tourists and their money here in NOLA. Tourists keep our hotels full and our restaurants busy, and this translates to money pouring into our economy. One of the beautiful things about Jazz Fest is that it takes place on two weekends, and visitors that come for the entire thing spend a week here, with several days in between the weekends filled with shopping and eating. Jazz Fest acts also finish up early enough that people can go out to dinner and listen to more music in local bars and lounges.

1. THE MUSIC

Other cities have festivals like Coachella and Burning Man. We have Jazz Fest and Voodoo Fest, and Jazz Fest has by far the best and widest selection of both local and international favorites. Where else can you listen to DJ Soul Sister followed by Cee Lo Green and culminating in a choice between Tom Petty or Feist? There are hundreds of amazing acts, and no matter what day you choose to attend, you can find someone you want to hear. Usually the hard part is trying to decide who you want to listen to, since up to 11 people are usually playing at the same time. Click here to view the lineup.

Jazz Fest is coming up soon, and you can purchase one day tickets or special passes that come with additional benefits. You can check out your options on the website.

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Nikki Randolph is a LSU grad with a degree in political science. By day, she is a minion to the man; by night, she is a Faulkner wannabe. You can follow her on twitter @nolajeepgirl.

New Orleans Film Society – Upcoming Films

film-slate
April 17, 2012 By In Events, TV and Film

The New Orleans Film Society is dedicated to showing regional, local, and national films in the New Orleans area. They host the New Orleans Film Festival each year, but they also show films in conjunction with the Contemporary Arts Center, Chalmette Movies, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Ashe Cultural Arts Center. You can check them out at

http://neworleansfilmsociety.org/

Upcoming Film Society Showings for April:

THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS: An uncompromising film about a man and his circle of friends, who hold self-appointed neighborhood watch meetings, fueled by cigarettes and beer, where they pass judgement on those they feel need to be dealt with. The film focuses on the relationship between a vulnerable teenager and a father figure who is revealed to be the worst kind of bully. The New Orleans Film Society and the Chalmette Movies present three showings of the film April 15-17 at Chalmette Movies. Show times are 2:30 Sunday and 7:30 Monday and Tuesday/ Tickets are $6.50 for members and $8.50 general admission.

 

THE ISLAND PRESIDENT: The story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, a man confronted with the survival of his country and the people in it. The country is one of the most low-lying countries in the world, and a rise of sea water only 3 feet would make the island nation uninhabitable. Therefore, he has become one of the most outspoken advocates for preventing climate change. The New Orleans Film Society, the Social Change Film Festival and Institute, and the CAC present a free screening of the documentary film Thursday, April 19, at 7:00 at the CAC Theater.

 

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S: This film gave Audrey Hepburn her iconic role as Holly Golightly which was nominated for several Academy awards. The New Orleans Museum of Art and the New Orleans Film Society is presenting an outdoor screening of the film Friday May 4, starting at 7:30 PM in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at NOMA. Admission is $3 for members, $6 general admission, and free for those 17 and under. Feel free to bring a blanket or chair, but no outside food and drink.

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Nikki Randolph is a LSU grad with a degree in political science. By day, she is a minion to the man; by night, she is a Faulkner wannabe. You can follow her on twitter @nolajeepgirl

Dirty Coast… Uptown’s T-shirt shop

behind-detail-90532
March 6, 2012 By In Fashion

Go for a drive up Magazine St and you run into Fleurty Girl, Storyville, and finally way, way Uptown, Dirty Coast. New Orleans is a town teeming with T-shirt shops. Dirty Coast is one of the originals. The brand was founded in October 2004 by Blake Haney as a side project designed to sell a few hundred t-shirts a year. Their early mission was to work with local designers and printers and poke a little fun at the city and its residents, while giving them an identity that might confuse outsiders not familiar with any shirt’s meaning.

After Katrina, Blake designed his most popular sticker, “Be a New Orleanian, Wherever You Are.” He printed about 5,000 of the stickers and placed them all over the city. 2,000,000 free stickers later, he had a brand and an identity. The web site has been up for some time, but the shop opened recently.  Dirty Coast is easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it. It sits on the right hand side just past the Whole Foods on Magazine before the Nashville intersection.  The shop is small, but jam packed with prints, shirts, bumper stickers, and tote bags. Prices are reasonable, around $20-$25 a shirt, with prints and totes being in the $10-$20 range.

I like the t-shirts at Dirty Coast because unlike some of the other NOLA themed shirts available in New Orleans, these shirts are thin and breathe easily. I don’t like thick t-shirts and these are perfect for those desiring a thin, soft t-shirt. Several of the designs are similar to others you will find elsewhere, but there are a few that stand out from the others. I own several of them and like the understated color schemes and simple graphics. I particularly like the one shown below. “You had me at say brah.”

The best reason to stop by is to pick up some stickers. Don’t be greedy and come just for the free stickers, you need to purchase something! The stickers are NOLA themed and small enough to not overpower the back of your car, bag, or laptop. Almost all are free and you can pick up a couple at the register on your way out the door with your purchases. I have several and pass them out to all my out of town family and friends. I love traveling and finding a ” Be a New Orleanian” sticker on something.

There are several ways to check out their merchandise.

Check out their website at http://www.dirtycoast.com/

Check them out in person at 5631 Magazine St or call 504.324.3745.

 

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Nikki Randolph is a LSU grad with a degree in political science. By day, she is a minion to the man; by night, she is a Faulkner wannabe. You can follow her on twitter @nolajeepgirl

Opening Reception For NOLA NOW, PART II

February 25, 2012 By In Announcements, Art, Events

 

Tonight is the opening reception for the NOLA NOW, PART II Landscape, Seascape, Cityscape Exhibition. It features work by local visual artists living and working in St Bernard, Jefferson, or Orleans Parishes. Part II will add the work of over 200 local artists to the project.

One of the artists being featured is Azucena “Azu” Roma, a first generation Guatemalan American born and raised in New Orleans. She graduated from UNO with a degree in communications, but went on to study graphic design and typography at Loyola University. She recently has been crafting installation pieces in public locations meant to serve as interactive art. Please check out her web site below if you would like to know more.

http://www.azuroma.com/1209193/ABOUT-ME

The opening reception will be held at the CAC (Contemporary Arts Center), tonight February 25 from 6-8PM in the First Floor Gallery, although you can catch the exhibit anytime between now and March 25. Please come out and meet and support our local artists.

The links to the opening and the exhibition shown below. The CAC is located at 900 Camp St, and is normally open from 11-4 TH-S.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/248776501867108/

http://nolanow.cacno.org/

 

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Nikki Randolph is a LSU grad with a degree in political science. By day, she is a minion to the man; by night, she is a Faulkner wannabe. You can follow her on twitter @nolajeepgirl

 

Parade Route Locations – 5 Steps to Picking the Perfect Spot to Get Loot

beadtree (640x480)
February 13, 2012 By In Mardi Gras

 

Where do you watch the parades? Does where you live influence where you choose to attend parades? If you are like most of us, you tend to go to parades that are near your home, unless you have a friend that lives along the route. This is natural, but the mistake most of us make is we tend to watch these parades from a space closest to our house, instead of finding the best place along the parade route. Sometimes this means you are missing out on the best loot, or forced to spend the entire parade surrounded by drunk assholes. I have attended parades in Metairie and the West Bank, but as I am not familar with those areas, I am sticking to Uptown parades.

First, evaluate your goals regarding the throws themselves. Are you looking for doubloons, beads, or other specific items? If you want beads, standing under the trees on several stretches of St Charles will hinder your ability to catch beads. If you want doubloons, an area without a lot of sidewalk doesn’t seem to work so well. If you want other stuff, the closer you can get to the floats, the better. I am mostly interested in beads, so I choose areas without tree overhangs.

Second, evaluate the crowd situation located at the place in which you are considering watching the parade. Two very crowded areas are along Canal and St Charles Downtown and Napoleon and St Charles Uptown where the parades make their turns. People can be so congested here that your chances of catching much loot are greatly diminished. Try to find a location where people aren’t twenty deep (this does not mean camp out in someone’s yard).

Third, once you have scouted out a couple of possible locations, check out the public bathroom facilities in the area. You are not going to be able to catch much loot if you have to walk 20 blocks to the nearest public restroom. Don’t blow your chances of loot because you didn’t plan for bathroom breaks. I recommend staying close to establishments that are Mardi Gras friendly with a small purchase.

Fourth, let’s assume you have picked out the general area you want to watch the parades from. You have narrowed it down to a block that meets all of the previous criteria. Now you need to plan your arrival and what you are bringing with you. Arrive early, but you cannot camp out waiting for a spot way in advance.  If you have kids, then bring your ladder and find a spot back away from the street to put your ladder. If you don’t have kids, don’t bring a ladder for your girlfriend. That makes you a douchebag, and I hope you get no loot. In general, arrive early enough to get a prime spot, but not so early that residents are calling the cops for trespassing.

Fifth and most important of all, once you have found your spot, don’t be an asshole. Don’t pee next to a car. Don’t throw your trash in someone’s yard. Don’t take beads away from kids or the elderly. Respect the people around you. You will get plenty of loot. Trust me, there is plenty to go around. This is Mardi Gras, even our trees have beads!

 

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Nikki Randolph is a LSU grad with a degree in political science. By day, she is a minion to the man; by night, she is a Faulkner wannabe. You can follow her on twitter @nolajeepgirl