what happens on Bourbon Street....might end up on this blog

Since moving here 3 months ago (really??) I guess you could say I've been a pretty busy girl: trying to assimilate into this crazy city while trying to keep up with my photography all while trying to make sure  my bills and student loans get paid on time.  Bills require constant income and constant income requires, well, a job.  I was lucky to have the occupation gods smile on me and I landed a job at a very nice (and rather fancy) restaurant right on Bourbon Street.

I've been working a lot lately which is good for my bank account but not so great for my photography....I've been lazy about it if you hadn't noticed.  But while talking to my friend Jenny about my job and it's infamous location, she was surprised that I hadn't written about any of my experiences.  Working as a hostess, we get a front row seat to the craziness.  So, Jenny....this one's for you.

Hmmmm, where to begin...well, there are the constant flow of Second Line parades which are always really exciting to me.  The other hosts (one in particular ehem*Kaitlyn) tease me about how excited I get when they pass by. But honestly, how could you not be excited?  Where else do you get to see random parades that have no set schedule or reason?  Well now, that's not really crazy is it though?.....

Oh, what about the time I was asked to participate in a threesome? Yup. True story.  I was working the door and this very intoxicated couple walks up and starts questioning me.  Out of nowhere, the woman says "Wow, you're cute...how old are you?" I answer, then the man says, "Oh she wants you....want to come back to our hotel room??" I think I just ran back inside.

There was also the time when two bums (ehem, I mean, homeless men) charged in thorough the front door, yelling indistinctly at each other.  One man was outside the door while the other was just babbling at him thorough the glass. One of our managers tried to stop them with little success.  So he steps outside and waves down one of the mounted police officers who then whips his horse around until he is literally standing in our doorway, driving the two men away.  A couple guests tried to exit at this point, oblivious to whats going on, only to find a 2,000 pound animal in their way.  I think I might have said something like, "Bet you didn't think you were going to Audobon Zoo tonight, did ya?" They just looked at me, terrified.

As you can probably imagine, there are also countless drunk people we deal with on a daily basis.  My personal favorite was a lady who walked (or rather stumbled) in a asked for a "house" then a "housssse...menuuuu" then proceeded to the bar where she sat (or rather whirled) with both shoes off, one leg up on the stool next to her, and offered a bottle of Crystal hot sauce to our manager, Jeff, eliciting a rare but amusing smile from him.  He graciously took the hot sauce and then asked, "Ma'am, how many beers have you had tonight?" As he walked her back thorough the dining room to the connected hotel, she said "Where were you an hour ago??" That gave us all a really good laugh....even now it makes me giggle.

 And let's not forget the famous folks either; in a two day span I saw Stephen Baldwin, JC Chasez (12 year old Becca nearly died) and Channing Tatum (yea, he's that cute in person.)  A few weeks ago too I saw Ron White....you know...."Tater Salad??"  Oh, God, did I really just admit that I know who that is??  Umm moving on....

Toss all that in with a couple dirty hippies licking our windows, random nudity, throw up in the doorway of the restrooms (who does that??) and foreigners who just don't understand why all these people are partying on a Wednesday night and you get a typical day at work for me.

Man, I love this city.

 

A few photos unrelated to Bourbon Street. My family came to visit and I had the day off...it was a good day. 

 This lady rooooooocks

 my mom and Fred

sissy!!  probably dreaming of Spain ; )

decay and dancing

After working on the previous post, I was still thinking about loss and it seemed that the obvious place to visit next was Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.  I remember being a little girl and passing by the cemeteries here in New Orleans and being fascinated (and kinda scared) by the above ground tombs.  Here are a few images I made.

Tiniest tombstone ever. 

Then, as if by some miracle, my lovely friend Heather invited me to a concert on Tulane's campus.  It was the College Consciousness Tour with the band fun. and staring Janelle Monáe! A great show....me and Heather couldn't stop dancing! Thanks again Heather!!

 New musician Timothy Bloom (pretty good)

fun. (yep, they were fun alright)

Janelle Monáe!! She was amazing!

At the end of the show, she climbed on top of the crowd!

VICTORY!!

great losses in a great city

I know, I know...it has been awhile since my last post.  But don't think I'm giving up on this that easily.  I've been a little busy the past few weeks; got a job! Yay!  Finally after applying at about a dozen places, I landed a job I really like thus far.  I'm hosting at one of the Brennan family restaurants and I can already tell that it's going to be a good company to work for.  

But on to the real reason for this post.  I found myself wanting (no, needing) to go on a photo hunt.  I had no plan, of course.  I got in my car and starting driving around on the lakeside of St. Charles Avenue.  This area seems to be a contradiction; on one block you'll find adorable shotgun homes with perfectly manicured front porches right out of southern nostalgia.  On the next block you swear you've driven back in time to the Ninth Ward a few weeks after Katrina.  

It was here at the corner of First and Dryades that I spotted something that took me by such surprise that I immediately pulled over.  On closer inspection, I found that it was some sort of memorial.  A large white cross spotted with brightly colored, child-sized handprints stood not too far from a pile of stuffed animals that had been wrecked by months of rain and sun.  Above that, the street signs had been draped in countless beads that eerily mirrored the oaks on St. Charles with their year round reminders of the Mardi Gras festivities.  This was by no means, however, a happy place.    

I started to make some pictures when a voice startled me a bit.  "I remember when that happened...I was standing right there," was what it said.  When I turned around, I was facing an man who introduced himself as Alfred Nash.  "He was shot during a Second Line."  While he talked a little more I studied the cross closer and was horrified by what I discovered: the boy's name was Jeremy Galmon...and he was two years old.  

Mr. Alfred and I talked some more while I continued to make pictures.  He spoke about his disgust with some of the youths of the area and the violence they incited.  We both talked about our love for New Orleans and how these great losses of life were a scar on the city.  But when I think about it now, I feel that it is important to remind people that it does exist.  New Orleans is not just the French Quarter and the beautiful homes on St. Charles; it is a living breathing city with real people and real problems that need real solutions.  For that reason, I've decided to bring you these photos as a testimony to a city that might have a long way to go but I believe has the determination to be a place where our youth can grow up safely and flourish. 

 Mr. Alfred 

 To top off the sense of loss, this whole event happened right next to a church. 

Words to live by. 

St. Louis and a shoe shine

So the other day, I took the streetcar and made my way over to the French Quarter just to wander a bit. I made a few images...enjoy : )

 I liked this one because the guy is praying but the next one is a bit sharper.

These next few images were taken in front of the Hotel Monteleone.  I loved to progression of the interaction and I really like presenting images as a series.  You can tell that even though they are from completely different walks of life, they are enjoying each other's company.  In the last image, the man receiving the shoe shine on the right sees his wife across the street and smiles at her. And, yes...he is using shaving creme to shine his shoes.  An interesting slice of life I thought....

And on the home front.....

My new favorite lil dining nook...

 ...but I still can't decide where to hang my first piece of original Nola art. I got this a year ago from an artist in Jackson Square named Lance "Varg" Vargas.  You can find him on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/leveeland 

I finally found some coasters!! I got the water meter ones from a shop on Royal called Forever New Orleans.  You HAVE to check it out...so much cute stuff!  I wanted it all!  And how funny are the "Gulf Coaster" ones?? Got those from another shop on Royal that sold tons of adorable kitchen stuff, mostly Nola themed.  And part of the purchase went to the Gulf Oil Spill Fund.  Cute coasters for a good cause...can't beat that. 

And a Madison update...took her to the vet today because of a nasty cough she has.  She has feline asthma! Poor baby had to get a shot and have her temperature taken....you know, up the.....welllll we won't go there.  But she did so good and hopefully this shot will help her out!