He not busy being born is busy dying...A delayed post

Ok. So, this is an entry I actually wrote almost two weeks ago, and apparently saved it as a draft, but forgot to post. So, read on as if it were actually April 19th…

Whew! I’ve survived McCoy’s 30th birthday festivities! And, while I still firmly believe that birthdays are better if they are 4 days long instead of 1, I am EXHAUSTED!

Yesterday, a friend and I experimented with spray paint, and it was super fun! We saw this video about creating mystical universes with multiple layers of spray paint. We also decided to add our own chaotic nature to the “art” by including magazine pics, beads, glitter, and whatever else struck our fancy.

Then we went home to get dolled up to go downtown to sing karaoke…among other things! I’m not sure I’ve ever talked about my experience with Bourbon Street, perhaps (unfortunately) the most distantly-famous New Orleans landmark.

Hanging out on Bourbon Street is not something we do with any regularity. The Quarter is expensive in comparison to our neighborhood, and certain parts of it (Bourbon in particular) are always jammed up with drunken tourists who have lost all sense of social decorum. I do often notice that I appreciate this touristy city center more than most of my local friends. I value how important tourism is for our city, and I actually have many times met some amazingly cool people who would be immediately written off as “tourists” by many. And, as all of us who are not born and raised “yats,” I started off my New Orleans journey as a tourist on Bourbon Street many years ago.

All that being said, Bourbon Street does NOT adequately represent the French Quarter, much less the city of New Orleans. We all get very frustrated when visitors don’t make the effort (minimal, truly) to explore other parts of the city and leave with the impression that everyone in town parties 24-7 at neon bars and seedy strip clubs. PS – We don’t.

HOWEVER, most locals I know will agree, for a serious tongue-in-cheek birthday throw down, the Quarter is a super fun option! So, for Day Three of McCoy’s Super Rad 30th Birthday Weekend of Doom, we headed downtown for some Technicolor cocktails and karaoke!

Fortunately, I work at a religious institution and have off all of Holy Week, so it wasn’t a problem for me to step out on Sunday night….or Monday night…..or Tuesday night, the next night in my chronicle…

Tuesday, 19 April was the day I had been waiting for for two months!

The Best Chefs of Louisiana fundraiser event!!!!

All you could eat, drink, and experience, and all by some of the most talented chefs in the world! This event provided me with experiences I would never have otherwise. While I will likely visit one or more of these chefs' restaurants at some point, I was able to sample them all for less than a dinner at any one restaurant! So delicious! So fun! I'm gonna leave you with some pics of the decadence! Hooray!