Postcards from Jazzfest

Greetings from the 2012 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival!

There are a few things Hubby and I learned at last year's Jazzfest, so this year we look like pros. Here are the highlights:

• The crowds are insane, but despite the volume of people (and volume of alcohol consumed) everyone is unbelievably NICE. The best way to honor this pleasantry is to pay it forward. Hold doors for people. Share your crawfish. Share stories. You will be richly rewarded in experience.
• Bring a flag. (Or sit next to people who have one.) It's the only to ensure that no one in your group gets lost among the crawfish crowds.



Flags at the Gentilly stage at Jazzfest 2012

• Don't waste money on bottled water. Bring a bottle (empty or factory-sealed) and fill it at one of the many refill stations. (Maybe they put mood enhancers in the water? That would explain point #1, above...)
• Wear comfortable shoes because you'll be walking for hours through dust or mud (depending on the weather). Almost everyone wears athletic shoes or sandals. If you wear heels, the only second glances you get from people will be looks of pity.
• Wear a hat and pack sunscreen.



Big smiles + my Jazzfest hat.

• Take advantage of the less hyped offerings, including cooking demos. The indoor events are fascinating and are a great way to get out of the sun for an hour or two. Plus, most cooking demos include samples for those who stay for the whole show. Last year I tried turtle soup. I think my parents (turtle-lovers) would be sad that I ate a terrapin, but it was tasty, and it's another unusual food I can check off my life list.
• In the food areas, get in the longest line and order what everyone else is ordering. This goes against everything I hold dear in life. I loath lines! But at Jazzfest, the best food is well worth the wait. (My personal favorite: cochon de lait po-boy.)



Cochon de Lait po-boy, boudin, and Blue Moon.

• In general, lines at Jazzfest take on a whole new meaning. Get in on at least one second line while you're there. And dance like no one is watching. Because the only way people will watch is if you're not dancing.
• Accept that dancing is your workout for the weekend.



Dancing to the Dirty Dozen Brass Band

• Putting down a tarp to "hold" 48 square feet of space for 3 people at a crowded stage is a total d-bag move. Don't be that person.
• Making room for people, sharing your blanket, and offering to take photos for a group are kind things to do. Be that person.

And... for days you can't make it to the Festival, there's always streaming video!

Photo Journal: New Orleans

New Orleans is a city that I've been to many times, yet I always discover something new.

Jackson Square on a cloudy day.
The Rock 'n' Roll route passes by the park.

I would encourage anyone to brave the lines at Cafe du Monde and get some beignets. Then take your prize over to the steps across from Jackson Square, savor the pastries, and just watch the crowds. (This is a particularly pleasant way to carb load before a big race or to end a night out on the town.)

Some of New Orleans is downright spooky, in a ghost-story-by-the-campfire kind of way. Maybe it's the gas lights that cast an eerie glow, or maybe the city truly is haunted? Ghost-tour operators certainly hope we believe the latter!

Corn Fence Hotel - looks like it could be the setting for a Stephen King movie.

Skeleton seen through an office window in the Central Business District.

 Mostly, New Orleans is delicious.

Acme Oyster House - go at "off" times, or expect a long wait.
(But if you like oysters, it is worth the wait!)

Grilled oysters from Acme - one of their specialties.

And musical!
We found a jazz club we hadn't been to before and whiled away a couple of pre-race hours sipping coffee and listening to live music.

Maison - a jazz club on Frenchmen Street.

I also like to drop by the Ritz Carlton's jazz club* - it feels like a trip back in time.

*Side note: Unfortunately on this visit my friend C and I were accosted by a crazy lady who wanted us to be her "girlfriends for the night." She presented herself as a business traveler who didn't want to sit alone at the club, but then proceeded to ask really bizarre questions. ("Is that a Swatch watch you're wearing?" referring to my running watch... Um, no, lady. It's a Target special. And who asks questions like that anyway??)  She also talked over the music, but any time one of us would try to speak, she'd shush us because "Oh, I just love this song! Let's be quiet and enjoy it!" She told us about some wonderful boyfriend back home, then would float off toward the bar to scam a free drink off of some unsuspecting guy. So. Not. Cool!
Needless to say, when crazy lady left to use the restroom, C and I took the opportunity to disappear. But I digress...

And back to delicious:
I wrapped up this trip with a bloody mary and a cafe au lait - two local favorites.

Bloody mary and cafe au lait.
(No, the champagne was not also mine! It was, after all, still morning!)

What's your favorite city to visit over and over again?
And what about ghosts - real or a sham to separate tourists from their money?

Race Report: Rock 'n' Roll NOLA

The start:
What start???
(If you haven't read already, there were some issues with start time on Sunday morning.*)

The bad:
Does starting almost an hour late because of mis-information in the race booklet count as a bad?

To be fair, I was in a bit of a snit for most of the race. Rather than rant, I'm going to keep this a fair and balanced assessment. After all, not every race can be the best-race-ever (like Gulf Shores was). And this race did have some silver linings.

I have no idea what the starting line was like, so I'll start from where I caught up with the sag wagon...

The stretch along St. Charles was pretty and (despite worrying that I'd hit a wall of bodies) surprisingly navigable. However, the course was crowded from mile 10 to the end, especially on Esplanade Ave.

Esplanade is a 2-lane divided road with trees in the median. Unfortunately only one of the lanes was open for runners. From that point to the finish, the course was C-R-O-W-D-E-D. Like getting-stepped-on by other runners crowded. And that's not just because I was playing catch-up. There were too many bodies and too little space.

Crowds only got worse in the finish chute. Spectators jammed the exit and left a human pileup of runners that would be a claustrophobic's worst nightmare... (Note: They need more than 1 lone bullhorn to keep thousands of spectators at bay.)

Adding to the crowds and confusion, the finish chute included "race finish photos" where finishers could pause in front of a "Rock 'n' Roll" backdrop for a sweaty photo op. This is a perfect recipe for disaster: as runners stopped to get a photo taken, they formed lines that blocked the rest of us from exiting! Hello people - some runners puke after races.  For so many reasons, the last thing a finisher needs is to be caught in a traffic jam...

Last, but not least, speaking of the finish chute and photos: I can't count the number of runners who confused the "smile for the camera" pad about a 1/10th of a mile before the finish with the actual finish line. I watched otherwise sensible runners stop, thinking they were done, only to realize they were a minute shy of the finish. Runners were comparing notes about this "race feature" on the post-race shuttle bus. They did not sound happy.

The good:
The course was beautiful, flat, and fast. (Hello. It's New Orleans. Of course it's beautiful!)

Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA

Much of the course was tree-shaded, including the above-mentioned Esplanade Ave, which made for excellent running conditions on an otherwise sunny morning.

While the last 3 miles were crowded, I felt like the first 10 miles of the race were fairly open. I expected the course to be more crowded than it was, given the 20,000+ person registration stats. Even weaving my way up from the VERY back of the pack, I didn't feel truly hemmed in until just after mile 10.

So... hats-off to the Competitor Group for the route. It was pretty fantastic.

Also, I've got to give credit where credit is due. With my late start I had my first taste of what it's like to be at the very back of the pack. Over the years, I've heard horror stories of inadequate water and food at the finish line for the back-of-packers. I did notice one GU station that was empty and abandoned by the time the walkers arrived, but everything else was up and running. Even the finish-line food seemed endless: plenty of bananas, bagels, water, sports drink, and other goodies to go around.

And last, but by no means least, the post-race music was phenomenal.

My race:
Does running my second fastest half ever count in the "good" category, even if it was originally recorded as a 3-hour-something "official" time?

My hilarious race splits.

A 25:55 pace for the first 5k? What? Was I walking backwards?

But aside from the wonky beginning I've got a nice, even pace. 10 minute miles from 5k to 10k (I don't how how the pace shows up as 17:50 - it took me 30:19 to run 3.1 miles. That math is 10 minutes/mile in my book... But I digress...)

From 10k to 10 miles, my pace was 10:27, but that slow-down included waiting for Hubby to catch up after a port-o-potty stop.

And my last 3.1 miles? That space where I normally blow up spectacularly? Where all logic and reason says I should have blown up after my running-as-hard-as-I-can-to-catch-up 7 minute mile start...

Yea...
I'm not playing by the "don't go out hard" rule anymore. Clearly it's B.S.

Oh, and I'm sure being furiously angry from start to finish didn't hurt my pace either. Maybe "get as mad as hell and take it out on the pavement" is a new race strategy?

Overall (soon-to-be-official) time: 2:06:48

After sending a note about the mixup in starting time The Competitor Group agreed to update the record to reflect my late start. There will be no 3-hour half marathon on my record after all!

Either way, I'm just glad I have another half coming up next month so I can test my legs when I'm not weaving between walkers, up over curbs to get out of traffic jams, and waiting for Hubby to catch back up after a port-o-potty break.

I sense a new sub-2 in the making...

Fat Tuesday!

Today is Fat Tuesday.

Peanut scored some beads!

While New Orleans gets all the media attention for its Mardi Gras madness, the entire Gulf Coast goes crazy for this holiday. In fact Mobile, AL is credited with the first Mardi Gras celebration in 1703 (or 1699 - depends on who you ask).

Mardi Gras revelry was suspended during the Civil War, but was revived (again) in Mobile in 1866. Legend has it that that one man, Joe Cain, rode through the streets on a coal cart, dressed in Chickasaw Indian regalia.

Obviously, Joe was also drunk as a skunk (which explains a lot about Mardi Gras parades...)

When Joe passed on, his second funeral procession (it's a long story) was the precursor to the big Sunday parades. Now the Sunday before Mardi Gras is now known in Mobile as "Joe Cain Day," with celebrations rivaling Fat Tuesday.

To an outsider, it seems like the party just keeps adding days (but I'm not complaining)! So here's the schedule as I understand it:

Mardi Gras costumes from the Krewe of Bowlegs
exhibit in Fort Walton Beach, FL

• January 6th, Epiphany kicks off the season. Krewes put the finishing touches on their floats. Carnival celebrations and masquerade balls fill up the social calendar.
• Saturday before Fat Tuesday - parades and partying begin in earnest (but I have yet to hear a name for this holiday?)
• Sunday before Fat Tuesday - Joe Cain Day (at least in Mobile, AL)
• Monday before Fat Tuesday - Lundi Gras (You thought I made that one up, didn't you!)
• 40 days before Easter - Fat Tuesday / Mardi Gras
• ...followed by Ash Wednesday (also known as "hangover recovery day")

Pensacola's Mardi Gras parades are more "family friendly" than those in the Big Easy. You won't catch people flashing their chests for beads. (Apologies to anyone who was hoping for scandalous photos...)

Krewes here throw beads, candy, moon pies, and other goodies to everyone in the crowd. (A krewe, prounounced "crew," is a social club organized around creating floats for the carnival season.)

Showing off our collection of beads from Saturday's parade...

I'm not going to sugar coat it: Even Pensacola's PG-13 Mardi Gras is still a 4-day drunkfest. But it's all in good fun. There's time for being an adult the other 362 days of this year.

(Speaking of being an adult... Ok... I'll run twice today, but only until I can get my hands on some king cake!)

King cake is a holiday staple - but watch out. There's a "baby king" hidden inside.
If you get the baby in your slice #1 - be careful that you don't chip a tooth, and
#2 - you're on the hook for bringing next year's cake.

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Have you ever celebrated Mardi Gras?
Right now my dining room looks like a bead factory had an accident... Maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to work those into a giveaway?