Yo, where y'at?

So, I'm a bit obsessed with New Orleans. Started back in 1989 when my wife & I took our first trip there. Jazzfest- had no clue- in fact, the first day there, we were sitting in the hotel room and I happened to turn on the radio- 'Oz of course- and they were broadcasting live from the festival- we had tickets for the next day and did not even realize it was more than a one day event. Up until then, my only knowledge of New Orleans was from the movie "The Big Easy". That first trip literarily changed me - from the food to the music it was all new; Like being in another country. Then our kids came along and we did not get back down until 2005 when my brother got married there. In between I had started to get more into the food, music and culture. During that '05 visit, I re-discovered the city and vowed after that visit to not wait 16 years to return...then Katrina hit. I had just been there 3 months before and now watched in horror along with the rest of the country as our government failed to respond to the biggest man-made disaster to ever hit this country. I made a decision to make sure to return to the city as often as I could starting then- felt it was my duty as a US citizen to do what little I could to help the city start to recover. So I began to embrace the idea of economic tourism- the city needed folks to visit as tourists to stimulate the local economy and to spread the word to people outside of the city that New Orleans needed visitors in order to start coming back. I have since 2005 now been back to visit - on my own or with my wife-1 or 2 times per year. I've been to Jazzfest a number of times, been to the Uptown St. Patrick's Day Parade, to Mardi Gras Indian Super Sunday, the Creole Tomato Fest, and have attended the Krewe du Vieux parade the last two years. We have visited at different times of the year and have been in there in the freezing cold (February 2010) and in the sweltering heat (June 2010). My wife and I have also started to branch out a bit during our visits, renting a car to take trips to Cajun Country a couple of times as well as driving across Lake Ponchitrain to the NorthShore. I rent and ride a bike when visiting so I have also gotten to know the city and it's neighborhoods from the street level as well. Now, my sister has re-located to an apartment in Mid-City -leaving Los Angeles after a number of years- so I have yet another excuse to visit the city. Anyway, I could go on and on-and I have- but just wanted to give some idea re: my personal history with New Orleans. When I return back East (I'm writing from outside of Philadelphia) after a visit I do anything that I can to seek out New Orleans food and music near home. Be it Philadelphia, New York CIty or even somewhere in New Jersey, I make an effort to seek out events with a New Orleans flavor and I hope to share these New Orleans East (Coast) experiences with folks via this blog..so laissez les bon temps roulet...