My buddies and I traveled to New Orleans for our annual Easter weekend and we ruled the French Quarter.  I had made Easter bonnets for me, Gary and Ian and we wore them on Easter Sunday. By the time we walk from our hotel to Jackson Square and Café du Monde, we must have posed at least 3 dozen times for amateur and professional photographers. Denzel Washington was filming a movie (Déjà vu) in the French Quarter so there were paparazzi everywhere.
Our two lady friends, Peggy and Susan, stayed home this year so joining me and Gary was Ian. He came down from South Carolina to be with us. Ian was born and raised in the New Orleans area and his relatives still live in Kenner, Louisiana.
There were two parades. The Chris Owen’s Parade started a little late but we managed to see the end of it since we were eating our Easter lunch when the parade rolled. We watched the Gay Easter Parade at 4:30 PM on Bourbon Street at St. Ann in front of the gay bars. There were less horses this year and more convertibles. This is a change that I like since the convertibles do not poop on the street in front of you. The pictures you see here speak for themselves because everyone had a great time. The parade is small and short, but very cute.
I had made a mistake of not making reservation for Easter brunch and all the restaurants that were serving brunch were booked up a week before Easter. Luckily for us, Ralph and Kacoo’s was opened and was not crowded. The food there was much better than usual. In fact, it was wonderful. Gary had a seared tuna that melted in your mouth like butter. For me, since it was carb day, I went for a seafood pasta Alfredo. It was served in a giant plate enough for two people and Ian’s seafood platter was topped with a soft shell crab. We skipped the desert and went to Café du Monde for ice coffee and beignets. While we were there, two young ladies, one rolled up in roller skate and the other arrived in a moped, set up a make shift concert right on the side walk for all to hear. All it took was their first song and people, including me, dropped dollar bills into their jar. I was fascinated by their looks and how they compliment and contrast each other. The young and thin Tanya Huang wore a Vietnamese rice hat as she played what look like an electric fiddle while the muscular Dorise Blackmon played a guitar. They played pop song in a very classical style.  I obtained their business card and discovered that they are part of a trio, Mother Tongue. I hope to see and hear them in the future. You can reach them at www.mothertonguemusic.net.
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Gary, Ian and I did a lot of walking this weekend and I realized that there were still many small businesses that were not opened. However each time we go back to New Orleans, it seems that the city is growing back one month at a time. Most of the restaurants were opened, but some had limited hours. We were planning to eat at one of the local’s favorite, Irene’s, but it was opened for dinner only. Café Maspero was crowded and the line was long on Sunday. We did have our obligatory seafood platters there on Saturday. The French Market was much busier than two weeks before. I was able to visit a few vendors that I have met through out the years. They all have lost their homes, but they chose to stay here and slowly build back their lives.
Next year I would like to take a big entourage with me and be part of the Easter Parade. If you are interested, let me know. It is nice and fun and not crowded at all. I will be returning to New Orleans for Memorial weekend and the following Saturday after that, Gary, Ian and I will be in Orlando for the annual Gay Day Disney. Last year Gary and I wore our “Daddy’s Little Princess†shirt and were photographed about a hundred times in the Magic Kingdom. If you are in the closet, or afraid to be around “gay folks†than you do not want to be with us, however, if you are open minded you will have the best time of your life.
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