Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with orleans

the voodoo that you do

cazoo — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:02:23 -0800

Looking to learn more about Haitian voodoo in America. I'm looking for a good book or perhaps a documentary on Haitian voodoo and it's practices in America. Bonus points if its centered on New Orleans culture.

Most of the books I've run across seem to be spell books marketed to wiccans and spiritualists. What I'd like to find is a bit more academic. I'd like to explore the history and folklore and modern usage in urban and rural America.

I am aware of David Wade's "Serpent & The Rainbow" (and some of its criticism).

Thanks Mefi.

Can you find Night Owl, by Bobby Loveless?

The Giant Squid — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:54:12 -0800

Where can I find a digital copy of Bobby Loveless' 'Night Owl'? It's an old rock and roll tune (late fifties - early sixties) which was hugely popular in Louisiana (and throughout the Delta region). I have been looking for it on behalf of my father-in-law, who is a huge fan of this era's music? It's pretty obscure, I acknowledge.

American South Road Trip?

The Whelk — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:57:11 -0800

Road Tripfilter! Is it feasible to drive from NYC to New Orleans, hitting stops along the way, without going insane? The Boyfriend and I are thinking of driving from NYC to DC to Ashevillie to Savannah to New Orleans this winter over the course of 2 weeks. Any route recommendations? Things to see and do and eat along the way? Is NOLA in any shape to be visited?

Side Note, The Boyfriend is British and never been south of D.C and is convinced we'll be killed by rednecks. What should we see/do to convince him otherwise?

We wont be killed by rednecks, right?

How do I move back to New Orleans?

ultraultraboomerang — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:03:38 -0800

How do I move back to New Orleans? Or, in light of the economy here and elsewhere, should I stay in Baton Rouge and suck it up? I moved (reluctantly and luckily) from New Orleans for a job about a year before the storm. I've been an hour down the road in Baton Rouge for four years, and I just never made friends with this town. Also, I never made friends in this town. I'm paid pretty well for what I do, but all I do is go to work and come home. My boyfriend is in NOLA, and that's starting to be a problem, now that I'm getting sort of old for that kind of arrangement, especially when it costs $30 in gas just to get there and back.

I work in academia and could almost certainly get a similar job there at about a 20% pay cut. When I sell my condo here I'll end up with about $10k profit when all is said and done, which will be a nice cushion but is not enough for a down payment on anything (my current mortgage was no down payment, but since people bought million dollar houses with those and defaulted, I'm unlikely to get another one even though my credit is excellent). I have around $30k in retirement but I know I shouldn't even think about tapping in to that. (Right?)

So how do I do this? I make a good living here but have literally nothing else. Moving to New Orleans is risky for the obvious reasons, but it's the only place I can imagine having an actual life, with friends and a real boyfriend and things to do. Should I stay here and suck it up, having a weekend boyfriend, until something miraculous happens? Should I even be thinking about buying real estate there? (Obviously I'll be looking at the higher ground, probably Metairie.)

I guess I'm just looking for thoughts on the New Orleans economy in general (as perceived from inside and out), and thoughts on whether or not it's worth the sacrifice, in the midst of this economic clusterfuck, to give up a decent job and a decent (but boring and isolated) life to take a chance at a real relationship and a life that includes some friends who live in the same zip code.

Ice Ice Baby.

mrhaydel — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:08:05 -0800

Where can I find some good, quality shaved ice in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area? As summer is more or less already here, I've come to the notion that the only summer treat that will satisfy me is shaved ice.

And I'm not talking about that piddly "snow cone" (read: crushed ice) stuff like you'd get outside of a Home Depot for free (if I wanted that I could buy the $30 machine from Walmart). No, I mean shaved ice so smooth it's like fresh fallen snow drenched in delectable syrupy goodness.

I suppose my standards are pretty high, being weaned on Williams Plum St Sno Balls in New Orleans. However, it seems tough to really find a choice shaved ice stand because they typically don't advertise, and are often in places one wouldn't normally look.

So, do any of the Metroplex MeFites have any suggestions as to where I can go to make it through the summer?

Guide us on our great South Western road trip

ZackTM — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:18:17 -0800

Road trip from Raleigh, NC to San Deigo California. Long schedule inside, please provide any insights you have! So we're taking a road trip all the way from Raleigh, NC to San Diego, CA. I need your advice for breathtaking sights, awesome bars, incredible hikes, delicious food, etc.

This is a 10 day road trip starting on Thursday, April 24th (this week!). We (25 year old guy, girl, and dog) are both really outgoing people who appreciate nature and having a good time. We plan on getting hotels for some of the trip but the bulk of it will be camping. We don't really know where we should camp or anything else so everything you can tell us helps!

Here's the tentative schedule:

Thurs 24 - Raleigh, NC to Savannah, GA
What should we do in Savannah? Tours, bars, restaurants? Is there any good camping nearby or should we get a hotel? If we get a hotel, we'll probably want to go out drinking, so where should we go?

Friday 25th - Savannah, GA to New Orleans, LA
We want to take in as much local culture as possible, so whats the best restaurants and sights we should visit? We will be staying in a hotel in the French Quarter because we want to go out and see what it's like to party in New Orleans. Where should we go?

Sat 26th - New Orleans, LA to Austin, TX
We will be spending Saturday - Monday in Austin. What should we do? We both are thinking about one day moving to Austin so we'd like to get a real feel for the city so we can see if it fits our personalities. Any one know any good concerts there this weekend?

Monday Evening 28th and on
We are pretty wide open from this point on. We want to stick to a southern-western route and hit up all the awesome places to hike, camp, and visit. We don't need to be in San Diego until Friday evening so we have a lot of flexibility. What things did you do in New Mexico / Arizona that took your breath away? Are there places we just HAVE to camp? I think we want to see the Grand Canyon for sure, so that might need to be incorporated into the route too.

Please include any anecdotes, links, stories, pictures, whatever! We are taking laptops with internet access the whole way so we're gonna make it up as we go along and we need all the advice we can get. Any supplies we need to bring that we might not have thought of? Are there any other places we should post this question in order to get the best info possible?

Bonus question:
Do you know any good books or whatever that can serve as conversation starters? I'm picturing a book that has questions like "Do you believe in God?" that we just take turns asking each other and learning about one another. Good bonding stuff to make the trip less monotonous.

NOLA / Cool Food / Risky Hotel

Classic Diner — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:55:51 -0800

Couple of questions about upcoming New Orleans Trip. First trip to New Orleans in April, mostly to eat. I've picked out a lot of restaurants, many from previous Mefi questions. Is there a place to eat or something to do in April that is so good it could make you cry.

Bonus question: Is the Saint Ann Marie Antoinette Hotel gross, quaint, or well worth the cash?

Help me find a NOLA dentist!

mitzyjalapeno — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:59:14 -0800

O brilliant and knowledgable hivemind - I'm looking for a fantastic dentist/oral surgeon in New Orleans. My hubby cracked a tooth almost in half and we're trying to find a reliable dentist that can pull a tooth, even if it's in multiple pieces, with little or no difficulty. Before Katrina, I had an awesome dentist (even though he was retired). He's in Chicago now, and I need someone who can pull a tooth before you even know it's done.

I found a previous thread (http://ask.metafilter.com/54409/Open-wide-this-wont-hurt-a-bit), and I'm going to make some calls and see what some of those dentists have in the way of available appointments, but I'd still appreciate any other recommendations, especially on the Westbank or in downtown New Orleans. We're paying cash, if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance!

Life in New Orleans in 1925

thivaia — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:23:47 -0800

Where is good source of information about everyday life in New Orleans during the 1920s? The short version is that I'm working on a family history project and my suriving family members from New Orleans were too young to have any clear sense of their surrounding environment at that time. I can find a lot of information on art, music, and, for lack of a better term, "the seedy underbelly," less on the mundane details. Certainly, I can glean some contextual cues out of fictional works, but I'm not so sure that that my sense of things are best informed by Tennessee Williams and Walker Percy (the latter of which is certainly a bit anachronistic anyway). I'm spitting distance from two large university libraries but I'm North Carolina. Any suggestions as far as books would be helpful as well as information about city archives, particularly in the post-Katrina world. Note that my budget for this project could potentially allow a trip to Louisiana.

ZaidecoFilter

Squid Voltaire — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 09:46:04 -0800

Can you recommend Cajun music with heavy French influence? This should be incredibly easy, right? I just need some music (really just a song or two) that says "New Orleans!" but also "France!" -- ideal would perhaps be a zaideco cover of the Marseillaise.

Also, I'm looking for something that I can access digitally (as I live in Chicago), so this should be music that you can email me, or that I can find on iTunes, or the artist's website, &c.

What do I need to know as Red Cross volunteer?

efalk — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 16:59:40 -0800

I've just been asked to deploy to New Orleans as a Red Cross volunteer (mi). I volunteered at my local chapter about a week after Katrina, now I've received a message asking me to go, but I haven't finalized the plans yet. If I do go, more than likely I'll leave tomorrow.

Questions - Have any mefites done this already or volunteered with the Red Cross recently and can pass along some advice? What should I bring (RC covers expenses for anything you need locally)? Anything a white kid from Oregon should do/not do to 'fit in' with people in Louisiana? I've never been anywhere in the South so any all advice is appreciated. Thanks.

How did the New Orleans cemeteries fare through Hurricane Katrina?

Jazznoisehere — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 19:44:21 -0800

Amid the original concerns about a Cat 3 or higher hurricane hitting New Orleans was the above-ground cemetery circumstances in the city. I'm not sure this thread could be any more ghoulish than what the status quo is but, has anyone heard anything about the status of the cemeteries in New Orleans?

Disaster Boon For Termites?

meehawl — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 10:32:34 -0800

The Formosan Termites apparently like moist, hot conditions. Does anybody know if the waterlogged conditions in New Orleans will lead to an explosion in their numbers? Does the fact that their swarming occurs in spring limit the termite fallout? Could this disaster lead to even greater damage to the French Quarter buildings that seem to have largely escaped inundation? I can't imagine that termite mitigation procedures will be resumed for quite a while...

Visits to Deserted Cities?

Rash — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 10:46:37 -0800

What happened the last time a city was evacuated? An empty city is a compelling science-fiction cliché. They're saying now, everyone must leave New Orleans. I think the last time something like this occured was 1975, when the Khymer Rouge drove the Cambodians out of their capital. Was Phnom Penh actually abandoned, until the Vietnamese captured it in 1979? What was it like there, say, in 1976? Anybody know of any reports, of exploratory expeditions, or of residents who were able to hide for the duration?

Did the mayor leave New Orleans?

Count Ziggurat — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:11:09 -0800

I know the the mayor of New Orleans (Ray Nagin) has issued a mandatory evacuation order for NO. Has he left the city too?

I was drunk, where was I?

kuperman — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 17:40:11 -0800

I was drunk in the Quarter, where was I? I went on a 3-day, 49-bar bender in the French Quarter (and closely surrounding wards) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This picture was taken at 11:49 PM on Thursday somewhere on a walk between ... uh ... Utopia on Bourbon and Le Roundup on one of the crossing streets (I highly suggest avoiding both bars, btw for incredibly different reasons). Anyways, damn the photographers' drunk shaky hands for not getting a clear shot - we are having a difficult time documenting this properly. Any locals or seasoned regulars know what bar this is?