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Tags: Super Bowl Travel / Events / New Orleans Travel / Football Travel / Football / → All Tags

There's A Little Bit Of A Parade In New Orleans This Afternoon

The New Orleans Saints are wasting no time in getting the party started. Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees has already done his thing at Walt Disney World, and now the team is ready to celebrate with their fans back in The Big Easy. The biggest party to ever hit New Orleans is set to kick off at the Superdome at about 5pm local time this afternoon.

It might not be the traditional ticker tape parade, but the residents of New Orleans are planning to put their own spin on the entire celebration. There’s going to be at least 12 marching bands, 10 different Mardi Gras floats, and plenty of people looking for a party in the streets. Things are expected to be totally nuts throughout the city, and it’s even causing other sports teams to rearrange their travel schedules. The NBA’s Boston Celtics are flying into town early today to avoid the congestion, or maybe they're just making an excuse to join in on the fun.

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Tags: Movie Set Travel / Jaunted On Location / New Orleans Travel / → All Tags

Nic Cage and Kate Hudson Get To Work In The French Quarter

It's a big week for New Orleans. Not only are the Saints going up against the Vikings in the NFC Championship Sunday, but Kate Hudson and Nic Cage are also in town filming two big movies.

Twitter has been abuzz with Kate Hudson sightings in the French Quarter this week. The actress, who has been linked to everyone from Owen Wilson (again) to Gerard Butler since breaking up with A-Rod, arrived in New Orleans a few days ago to begin filming Earthbound. et Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

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Tags: Movie Set Travel / BBQ Travel / Music Travel / New Orleans Travel / Treme / → All Tags

New Orleans Will Be The Star Of New HBO Drama 'Treme'

A new HBO series will feature some authentic N'awlins barbecue, or least it will feature some smoke from the grill. The series Treme, which is scheduled to debut this spring, is set in New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina. The drama tells the story of the city’s recovery through fictional characters based on some of the real characters who lived through it. The series will also feature locals who know the culture of NOLA best, an important aspect to the series' creator, David Simon, whose other HBO series, The Wire, was known for its sometimes too realistic depiction of life in Baltimore.

One of those locals, Kermit Ruffins, will play himself in the pilot episode of the series. Ruffins can be found playing trumpet in New Orleans on just about any night of the week. And though no one would argue that this New Orleans native can sing and blow the horn, he brings a little something extra to each gig—his mobile barbecue rig.

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Tags: Movie Set Travel / Vampire Travel / New Orleans / New Orleans Travel / Halloween Travel / → All Tags

Get Your 'Cirque du Freak' On In New Orleans

Vampires were wondering the streets of New Orleans long before Robert Pattinson was even a glimmer in his parents' eye. Today, vampire folklore is so deeply rooted in the city's history, from Anne Rice to stories of the undead walking the French Quarter, that is no surprise the movie Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant was filmed here too. The movie, in theaters now, is about Darren, a teenage boy who meets a mysterious man at a freak show and ends up leaving his normal life to become a vampire. Just in time for All Hallow's Eve, here's how to get in touch with your own inner-vampire in New Orleans.

Where to Stay:
The Dauphine Orleans Hotel in the French Quarter is exactly what most people think of when they think of New Orleans. The hotel features courtyards and balconies that overlook the quarter, luxurious accommodations and a history filled with ghosts and vampires. Best of all, even though the hotel is located in the French Quarter, they offer on-site parking and quiet rooms. There's no rowdy, bead-throwing here, just good 'ol southern hospitality. Rooms start at $106 a night.

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Tags: Bourbon Street / Barkers / Bars / Drinking Travel / Strip Clubs / → All Tags

Will You Miss Bourbon Street's Barkers When They're Gone?

Barkers are a fixture in just about every nightlife district in the world, pacing the sidewalks in front of bars, restaurants, and strip clubs in an attempt to bring in customers. Usually they're harmless, but the more aggressive touts can be downright obnoxious, putting their arms around pedestrians and doing everything in their power short of kidnapping to get them into their establishments. Some officials in New Orleans believe that their fair city has far too many aggressive barkers, and they're looking to get rid of them. As the AP points out, an ordinance was passed 25 years ago that explicitly outlaws barkers, but it has been only rarely enforced until today.

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Tags: Dessert / Food Travel / New Orleans Restaurants / New Orleans Travel / → All Tags

Eat Dessert First? Why, Thank You New Orleans

Our uncle always says, "Life is short, eat dessert first." But when a New Orleans restaurant started actually offering dessert first, with a discount, we were—what's the word?—suspicious.

There's got to be a catch in 5 Fifty 5's promotion in honor of National Dessert Month. (To begin with, where has this month been all our lives?) The restaurant inside the New Orleans Marriott, whose website boasts "New Orleans fare at its finest, if not freshest"—uh, okay then—has prepared a special menu of five $5.55 desserts, or a tasting menu of $25 for all of them. Order and eat dessert before your dinner, and you get 20 percent off your check.

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Tags: Cocktails / Drinking Travel / Drinking / Bars / Drunk Travel / Read-Headed Sluts / Cocktail Lounges / Best Bars / Bar Crawls / → All Tags

R.I.P. Red-Headed Slut: NYT Goes On a Bender

The latest issue of the New York Times's fancy T magazine is out this weekend, with trend-spotting stories on such destinations as Palm Springs and London, but I couldn't get past what it bills as the World's Biggest Bar Crawl. The story originates in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the annual Tales of the Cocktail convention had just ended with its traditional jazz funeral. In this case, the deceased wasn't a person, but a cocktail whose demise was to be celebrated in New Orleans fashion with a jazz band and revelers twirling parasols. After the Red-Headed Slut (Jaegermeister, peach-flavored schnapps and cranberry juice) was laid to rest, the author provided a very helpful list of bars around the world where you're unlikely to ever see her resurrection, or that of her cloying contemporary, the Apple Martini.

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Tags: Volunteer Travel / New Orleans Travel / Relief Spark / → All Tags

Volunteer To Help Rebuild New Orleans (And Have Some Fun Too)

Even though Hurricane Katrina is no longer on the minds of most Americans, there is still a great need in New Orleans to help the needy and keep the rebuilding efforts alive. Relief Spark is a small grass-roots organization based in New Orleans that is made up of volunteers who provide first-response disaster relief services as well as much needed rebuilding services. Volunteers from around the world travel to New Orleans to lend a hand for a week, a month or a year.

These volunteers do a variety of jobs for Relief Spark like plant flowers, take care of animals, rebuild animal shelters, cook meals for the homeless and distribute supplies to the needy between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Relief Spark makes sure volunteers get to have some fun too--it is New Orleans after all! In the evenings and on weekends volunteers have a variety of entertainment options to choose from. Activities in the past have included visiting the French Quarter, rebuilding tours, local BBQs, concerts at the House of Blues, Ghost Tours, Mardi Gras parades and concerts in parks.

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Tags: Festivals / Running of the Bulls / Roller Derby / New Orleans Travel / → All Tags

The Running Of the Bulls Gone Rollergirl In New Orleans

If you’ve always wanted to join in Spain’s infamous Running of the Bulls event but are a little too scared of getting gored, New Orleans has a take on the festival that might be more up your alley.

This Saturday, July 11 at 8am, thousands of white-and-red-clad revelers will celebrate the festival of San Fermin in the French Quarter, but instead of being chased by angry bulls, they’ll be pursued by members of the Big Easy Rollegirls team, who will wield wiffle bats and be looking for weaklings. They may not have horns, but honestly, they are pretty ferocious.

The run starts at the Three Legged Dog bar on the corner of Conti and Burgandy Streets, where you can get into the Spanish spirit with some early morning sangria. The 12-minute event ends at—you guessed it—another bar, Latrobe Park’s Gazebo Café, where there will be an all-day DJ block party. The race is free; you’re just asked to bring your own white pants and shirts matched with a red cloth around the waist or neck, and additional red-and-white flair is highly encouraged.

Related Stories:
· Nola Bulls [Official Site]
· Running of the bulls leaves 5 injured in Pamplona [AP]
· Spain's Running of the Bulls Launches Feminist Debate [Jaunted]

[Photo: howieluvzus]

Tags: True-Blood-Map / True Blood / Louisiana Travel / Food Travel / Vampire Travel / New Orleans / → All Tags

True Blood Travel Guide: Eating Alligator Appetizers

You've heard of Christmas in July, but we're about to get all Halloween in June this week as we prepare for the debut of the second season of HBO's TrueBlood. Any juicy suggestions or questions? Let us know.

Although the True Blood town of Bon Temps and its local diner Merlotte's are both fictional, that doesn't mean that you can't get some good, greasy and exotic southern cooking elsewhere. We're thinking of New Orleans' French Quarter in particular, known as it is for being riddled with restaurants serving up everything from pan-fried yams to heaping helpings of crawfish étouffée.

In particular, we like Antoine's on Rue Saint Louis for their traditional and dramatic dining rooms paired with their famous "Potage alligator au sherry"—a sherry-laced alligator bisque. They've still got the usual fried oysters and lump crabmeat if alligators aren't exactly tickling your palate, but if you're not drinking blood you might as well dine on something equally creepy.

Related Stories:
· Antoine's French Quarter [Official Site]
· Louisiana Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: vidiot]

Tags: Amusement Parks / Six Flags / Theme Parks / New Orleans Travel / Katrina / → All Tags

Water Parks And Baseball Fields Await The Former NOLA Six Flags

Last week we filled you in on the current situation at Six Flags New Orleans, and now we have a little bit of news that may brighten the situation. Even though there’s all kinds of legal battles between the city and the suits at Six Flags, things may soon begin to move forward with a new project.

A member of city government recently flew out to Texas to check out a company called Big League Dreams. This developer is looking to transform the graveyard of roller coasters into an area filled with water rides and facilities for youth sports. We’re just hoping that the water park will be a good one, because the city’s residents definitely need a place to cool off in the summer.

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Tags: True-Blood-Map / True Blood / Louisiana Travel / New Orleans Travel / Vampire Travel / → All Tags

True Blood Travel Guide: Where to Score Custom Fangs

You've heard of Christmas in July, but we're about to get all Halloween in June this week as we prepare for the debut of the second season of HBO's TrueBlood. Any juicy suggestions or questions? Let us know.

Having finally kicked the ghost of Anne Rice's vampires from Louisiana, the addictive HBO drama True Blood is picking up speed partially due to the vampire-fever brought by Twilight and because of the sweaty summer scenery of hot southern swamps. If the thought of perspiring necks gets you just as hot as the muggy temperatures, then you might want to start outfitting yourself for the show's second season.

Although most people relegate the wearing of fake fangs to Halloween, the serious fans are seeking out spots for custom fang creation, and why not get them done in the heart of creepy country? In New Orleans, at the Boutique du Vampyre, customers can get their own sets of pointed pearlies for between $100 and $800.

Crafted to match your teeth color, a pair of these babies shows that you mean business. Plus, you're in a store in a New Orleans filled with vampire-related crap; that's gotta be something for the photo album.

Related Stories:
· Boutique du Vampyre [Official Site]
· New Orleans Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Love Bites]