From Mississippi & Atlanta to Tipitina's & Jambalaya

This post is a little late but much has happened since the weekend of July 27th so here it goes:
The Mississippi kids plus Lex and Alex (Atlanta) came over to New Orleans for a pre-Mississippi Robbie Reunion. Allie and Robyn and both Dans arrived Thursday night. They explored the city Friday while we worked until 4pm. Friday night was one of my favorite nights this entire summer. Some of us went to Preservation Hall while others (like me) were a little too late and missed the show. We met up at Liz's house and then cabbed it to Tipitina's. We fit 8 people in one cab (kudos to the cab driver). Tipitina's is a really cool music venue on the corner of Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas (try pronouncing that). Tipitina's mission is to restore Louisiana's music community and preserve the state's unique musical cultures. Saturday night featured funk music by Johnny Vidacovich Birthday with Robert Walter and other special guest (check out video at end of post!). The place was filled with people our age (which rarely happens) and everyone was just jammin' out. We met up with the rest of the Mississippi kids and we pretty much took over the middle of the dance floor. That night was the first time I had people since spring semester, so it was a good reunion.

Saturday we woke up early to pay Liz a visit and buy groceries for our Jambalaya Night at the Farmer's Market. I tasted the best milk in the world at the Farmer's Market, and Liz took us around all of the stands and introduced us to her friends (like the milkman and the flowerman). Dan and Allie bought avocado popsicles and Ken bought a huge watermelon for $3! All of the food is locally grown. After the Farmer's Market we went back home to drop everything off. David and Tim saw a sign that read, "All-City Tug-o-War" so we decided it'd be worth checking out. We walked to the Camp Street park and saw about 15 people hanging out by a keg...so we left. It probably picked up and was a lot of fun but we had cooking to do. We drove over to the French Quarter and saw the Ashe Drum Circle at the House of Blues. I told mama Carol (Carol Bebelle, Ashe Director) that I would bring friends to the performance, but she didn't realize I would bring 20 people. The Drum Cirlce was amazing--you can't help but to dance around on your chair to the beat. The Drum Circle was lead by Baba Lutha (Luther Gray, Ashe Exec.) and Ashe co-workers, as well as kids as young as 6 years-old from the community. The best part is that everyone contributes to the music, even the kid who knocked out his teeth with the drumstick (he was my favorite). Ken, Lex and I got up and danced on stage with the drummers and the dancers. We liked it so much that we've decided to join the Drum Circle at Duke and UNC in the fall. That night we hosted a "Jambalaya Night" at our house. David, Tim and I chopped up the

vegetables and had everything ready to cook when people starting coming in at 6:30pm. David (aka chef DJ Darkness) was the main chef, and he cooked enough jambalaya for 22 people. We all sat around our living room, on chairs, pillows and the floor. We also sliced up the watermelon from the Farmer's Market and baked some garlic bread. We had a lot of fun and it was nice to have everyone from New Orleans together in one house plus Robbies from Mississippi and Atlanta. That night some of us went out to Frenchmen while others stayed back.

Sunday we woke up early again and headed to Commander's Palace. This famous restaurant offers live jazz music along with some of the best food in New Orleans. We went for the Sunday Brunch and the food was amazing. They served creme brulee on a regular dish with the New Orleans symbol as decoration. During our brunch, Chris managed to knock over his plate and glass so all of the waiters rushed over ("This wouldn't happen to me in Mc Donald's). We headed back home to catch the Euro Cup final (woo Spain!) and everyone started packing. Most people left by 5pm. Overall, it was one of my favorite weekends. On Sunday I was convinced to visit them in Mississippi the next weekend.