New Orleans Jazz Fest (New Orleans, LA)

New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz Fest, New Orleans, LA, United States Leave a comment

Our 10th Anniversary Jazz Fest 

New Orleans? Hmmmm.

How exactly did our Asian-traveling butts land all the way over here?  Is the round-the-world journey officially over?  Naaaaa!

Here is the backstory: I was browsing online and caught a glimpse of the artist lineup for this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.  The second I saw it, I came to the immediate conclusion that dropping into Louisiana would be the ultimate break from our extended, high-speed journey through Southeast Asia.

This trip marks a major milestone: it’s officially my 10th anniversary and Barbie’s 8th year attending Jazz Fest.  In my professional opinion, this year’s lineup is hands-down the absolute best we’ve seen in all our years of coming here.  Now, I’ve never actually been to New Orleans during the chaos of Mardi Gras, but I can tell you that the city has a tremendous vibe and a super festive atmosphere during the week-long Jazz Fest event.  It was simply too good to pass up.

So, that is why these two globe-trotting flashpackers booked our business class tickets on Cathay Pacific, made a brief return to the States, and hit up the Big Easy.

The Lineup

The seven-day festival is absolutely stacked with legendary headliners.  We’re talking about a massive rotation of main-stage acts like:

[The Jazz Fest Heavyweight Rotation]
Neil Young • Pearl Jam • Steely Dan • Stevie Wonder • Paul Simon 
Red Hot Chili Peppers • Michael McDonald • Elvis Costello • Boz Scaggs 
Van Morrison • Old Snoop Dogg

And, of course, you can’t forget the super cool acts tucked away inside the renowned Gospel Tent. The sole, beautiful mission inside that tent is people trying to reach out and touch the Holy Ghost. I’ll admit, I came up a bit short during last year’s performance by The Archdiocese of New Orleans Gospel Choir—I didn’t quite feel the spirit.  So, when I saw they were on tap again for this year’s schedule, you know I was down to give it another shot.

Hands down, New Orleans Jazz Fest is the single best outdoor music festival I have ever been to.  It tends to draw a bit of an older, more mature crowd, which suits us just fine.  They set up about 10 different stages spread all throughout the massive infield of the New Orleans Fairgrounds Racetrack, with every genre of music playing simultaneously.

What is really cool—and honestly amazing despite the massive crowds—is that everyone simply behaves.  In all my nine previous years of coming here, I have not witnessed a single altercation among the massive sea of people.  It’s just a collection of like-minded, peace-loving music enthusiasts hanging out together and soaking up that great Southern hospitality.

The Food

Not only is the music top-tier, but the variety of Southern food available on-site is unreal.  Eating your ass off while listening to world-class music outdoors at the Fairgrounds?  Now that is what I call a perfect betting exacta.

The festival runs for seven days spread over two extended weekends.  In previous years, Barbie and I would normally just attend one of the weekends and call it a day.  But this year, we are doing the whole damn enchilada.  We’re taking in all seven festival days, plus the three quiet days sandwiched right in between the weekends to explore the city.  It might end up being total music and food overload, but honestly, that is a high-class problem we can easily live with.

The New Orleans Culinary Hit List

When we aren’t eating at the racetrack infield, we are eating through the local restaurant scene. Here is the official log of the eateries we’ve been tracking down:

  • Morrow’s & Neyow’s: Authentic Creole cuisine and soulful neighborhood vibes.

  • Willie Mae’s Scotch House: The undisputed world champion of fried chicken.

  • Parkway Bakery & Tavern: Legendary po-boys right by the bayou.

  • Cochon Butcher: Elite, house-cured meats and artisanal sandwiches.

  • Dooky Chase & Liuzza’s by the Track: Classic, historic culinary institutions.

  • Luke, Deanie’s, Oceana Grill, Katie’s, Sylvain, Drago’s: Excellent spot-rotation for seafood, oysters, and late-night dining.

  • Cafe Du Monde: The mandatory late-night stop for powdered-sugar-loaded beignets and chicory coffee.

  • Mulate’s: Cajun food paired with live zydeco music.

Retiring the Loose Stools Index (For Now)

I have an official announcement to make, and I know it may completely break your hearts: we have officially departed Southeast Asia after over seven months of travel in the region, which means we have left behind all the bowel-busting, high-risk Asian street food.

Since the next leg of our round-the-world journey will inevitably involve eating much less “reesky” food, the Loose Stools Index has formally come to an end on this blog—at least until we eventually make our return to Asia.

I think the only person who will actually cheer this news is my mom.  She loves reading my travel blog, but apparently, she just isn’t the biggest fan of the graphic daily details articulated in my stool tracker. This one is for you, Mom!

Thru the Binocs

Looking back through last year, when Barbette and I decided to pull off the main highway of society and step onto this brand-new path, I could feel the shift happening immediately.  Leaving our jobs, shedding our corporate skins, and selling off our worldly possessions was one of the most liberating feelings on earth.

Before we ever left on this journey, we both knew deep down that a trip like this would permanently change us.  Spending more than seven consecutive months completely outside of our comfort zones in foreign, exotic places has a way of leaving an impact on your soul.  And while we couldn’t have predicted the exact outcome of dropping out of society, I am incredibly happy with how the story is turning out.

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