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. ]]> cmb 2009-10-30T14:11:59-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/24/145130/29

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. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-10-24T14:51:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/6/123033/826

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. ]]> egw 2009-10-06T16:13:55-05:00 29.9523925 -90.067646 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/18/14158/8783

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. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-07-18T14:01:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/14/9463/66671

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.]]> cmb 2009-07-14T16:54:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/9/82212/91477

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] ]]> BS 2009-07-09T09:11:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/10/11738/9440

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]]]> JetSetCD 2009-06-10T13:07:09-05:00 29.9564831 -90.066257 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/