the saints go marching in...

While we all know the Super Bowl took place in Miami this past Sunday night, I knew the party was going to be happening in New Orleans. So we headed down there early Sunday morning to check out the festivities and enjoy some amazing Creole cuisine in the French Quarter.

By 11 am an impromptu parade was gearing up made up of revelers in black and gold head to toe. There were plenty of gold spandex unitards, fleur de lis, and glitter wigs, dogs wearing Brees jerseys and normally bizarre street performers being outdone by locals on parade. An incessant chorus of “Who Dat?” wafted from the streets and the insides of buildings and fell down on us from the balconies above Bourbon. The city was more alive than it is on Fat Tuesday and everyone… I mean everyone… was having a good time.

We settled in for a delicious lunch at my favorite, Galatoire’s, with piping hot French bread, cocktails and oysters flowing to our table from the kitchen. We shared fresh lump blue crabmeat prepared numerous ways, pan fried fish and café brulot that Billy flambeaued with such panache. (image above) Periodically some of the revelers from outside would parade through the white table cloth establishment carrying boom boxes blasting “When the saints come marching in”. Diners waved white napkins in the air and chanted “Who dat” back to the paraders (who, we were told, were friends of the chef). The spirit got to such a frenzy that anytime someone- ANYONE- walked through the door of the restaurant, diners stood up and cheered them! It was a spectacular day to be in New Orleans.
Good thing we were not in a hurry to get anywhere, because the city shut down all streets leading in and out of the French Quarter and the party intensified. Mardi Gras meets the Super Bowl equals a fantastic New Orleans kind of day! Below are pictures of Saints parades both on the streets and through Galatoire’s.

Given the excitement about the Big Easy with the Super Bowl win and Fat Tuesday just around the corner, we thought this was a good time to share our New Orleans City Guide. Full of our favorite spots to eat and shop, this travel guide will take you through the cities delights from Bourbon Street down Magazine Street and all through Uptown.

Click here to check out our New Orleans City Guide…

destination: austin texas...

Austin is one of those towns that everyone says is fabulous. Great shopping, great music, great food, young and vibrant, urban and outdoorsy at the same time. A town of bicycles and Vespas, dogs on leashes sitting outside of sidewalk cafes, sculling on Town Lake, environmentally minded, music at the forefront, modern but TexMex through and through. I recently took my first jaunt to this great spot in the Texas Hill Country and am sharing a few of my favorite tips. I am sure I missed some of the best places while I was there, as time was limited, so if you feel passionate about a better BBQ hole-in-the-wall, or hotel, or boutique, send us your tips and we will share them, too!

Click here to see our must-do list for Austin!