Bacchus, the Greek mythological god of wine and cheer, is also known as one of New Orleanians’ favorite Mardi Gras parades.  The Krewe of Bacchus was officially formed in 1968 and was a creation of the Brennan family, a name well-known for their local fine dining establishments.  Over the years the group has grown into one of the largest and most popular Carnival parades, noted for its sheer size, impressive animated floats, and celebrity riders such as Bob Hope, Nicolas Cage, Elijah and James Gandolfini.

Some of Bacchus’s signature floats include the Bacchasaurus, King, Queen, and Baby Kong, and Bacchagator. The Bacchagator was the first 2 tandem super float ever built  and extends 105 feet.  Over the years a net was added to reflect all the beads that would end up back in the mouth of the gator.  This is my favorite parade that passes down the traditional parade route down St. Charles Ave. such a treat to be only two blocks away.

For Bacchus XLIV, the theme will be “Bacchus Salutes the Louisiana Bicentennial” and the King is funnyman Will Ferrell, who has been in New Orleans filming a new movie. The parade will roll on Sunday evening, February 19, starting at Tchoupitoulas and Napoleon at 5 p.m. and continuing through Uptown on St. Charles Ave and onto Downtown, following Canal St. to the riverfront.

As true Bacchanalians would say, “In vino veritas,” or “In wine, there is truth!”

If you go to New Orleans, you ought to go see the Mardi Gras. And it’s Carnival Time, and everybody’s havin’ fun! And you have to do the Mardi Gras Mambo. If you live in New Orleans or visit during Carnival, you cannot escape  hearing the basic soundtrack-these three songs are played on the radio and at parades constantly.  “Go to the Mardi Gras,” by Professor Longhair; “Mardi Gras Mambo,” by the Hawkettes; and “Carnival Time,” by Al “Carnival Time” Johnson. Of these, it’s interesting to know that Al Johnson, the pianist and singer who was born in 1939 and still looks closer to 50 than 72, wrote and recorded that incredibly catchy little tune when he was only 20. He walked into the legendary Cosimo Matassa’s studio (the place where Fats Domino’s hits were made) in December 1959, and producer Joe Ruffino recorded the song.  Its tricky first section still makes musicians who try to play it miserable, but it worked well enough to become a Mardi Gras anthem. It’s tricky because in the first section, right before the chord change, Al added an extra measure, tripping up the uninitiated musician.  Al still complains that often they don’t get it right. Doesn’t matter, it’s still eminently ear-worm material!

The song didn’t take off at first, because another great New Orleans classic, Jessie Hill’s Ooo-Poo-Pah-Doo, rose to the top of the charts in early 1960.  Al Johnson was off serving in the military in Texas when he learned his song was getting some attention.  He tells the story that it was playing on the radio, and his fellow soldiers couldn’t believe he wrote it.  Unfortunately, as often happened in the music business back then, Al lost the rights to his own tune, following the death of his producer, and had to fight to get it back through the courts. It wasn’t until 1999, almost 40 years later, that he was able to claim the rights.

Hear this famous song.

Al “Carnival Time” Johnson was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007.  He reigned as the King of Krewe du Vieux in 2005-the last carnival before Hurricane Katrina.  After spending some time post-Katrina in Houston, where he had spent his early years, Al today is the happy owner of a home in The Musicians’ Village in the Ninth Ward.  He’s a gentle and humble man who still performs constantly and is in great demand-especially during Carnival Time! He’s proud that he and his song are so closely identified with the city and celebration that informed his life.

If you haven’t been to the Mardi Gras than you need to put it on your bucket list . Come stay with us!   Your choice for New Orleans Garden District lodging is only 2 blocks off the St. Charles Avenue parade route.

Although it’s hard to imagine running out of things to do within the New Orleans city limits, you  may desire a day of relaxation exploring South Louisiana’s famous bayous and rich history . Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, named after the mysterious waterway smuggler himself, includes six sites in the area documenting the ecological, cultural, and political history of the region.  For those interested in experiencing the wetlands firsthand, the 23,000 acre Barataria Preserve outside of Marrero provides walking trails and waterway canoe access.  This is a great opportunity to see local flora and fauna up close and personal, including alligators and nutria, and the mild regional weather allows for year-round access.  Southern Comfort Bed and Breakfast, your New Orleans lodging choice, will happily help plan an outting .

If you’re a history buff, look no further than the Chalmette Battlefield, location of the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, where General Andrew Jackson and his troops defeated in British in the final and greatest land victory of the War of 1812.  Also on the site is the Chalmette National Cemetery, established in 1864 for Union troops following the Civil War, and including over 15,000 headstones. After spending the day walking around the battlefield you’ll welcome our tropical gardens where you can relax with your  favorite beverage.

Jean Lafitte also includes three Acadian Cultural Centers, in Eunice, Thibodaux, and Lafayette, LA, chronicling local Cajun origins, culture, and history.  While in the French Quarter, stop by the Jean Lafitte Visitor Center at 419 Decatur St. for free ranger-led riverfront history walks everyday at 9:30 AM or for more information on any of the other parks. Park Headquarters is available at (504) 589-3882.

New Orleans is home to many performance venues, from funky neighborhood clubs to the recently renovated grand theater, Mahalia Jackson Theater for Performing Arts in Armstrong Park, www.mahaliajacksontheater.com/.  We recently told you about the reopening of the Joy Theater, as well as the slated reopening of the Saenger in downtown New Orleans.

Now think about something that probably no other city boasts:  a state-of the-art performance venue built originally in 1835 to serve as the U.S. Mint, which also operated as a Confederacy mint.  Today, the Old U.S. Mint is part of the National Park Service.  It’s home to a multi-million dollar performance center and jazz museum, and is a flagship location for the New Orleans Jazz NHP.   The architect team achieved its goal:  Eskew+Dumez+Ripple ‘s design incorporates “the best of both worlds,” marrying the “old bones” of the 173 year old building to progressive technology. There’s a 4000-square foot performance space with seven different stage configurations, and an on-site studio that makes recording live performances possible.  You can attend concerts during the day by Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and friends; Bruce Barnes is probably the only Park Ranger in the United States who is a zydeco musicians.  You can participate in discussion conducted by the Park Rangers, and watch films about New Orleans jazz, all in a theater designed by architects to afford the best possible sound and sightlines of any theater in New Orleans.  For a current schedule, check out www.nps.gov/jazz.  The theater had its grand opening on November 12, 2011, and is the result of a partnership between the National Park Service and the Louisiana State Museum to bring a world class music venue home to the birthplace of jazz.  If a recent performance by clarinets Tom Sancton, Tom Fischer and guitarist John Rankin is any indication, we’re lucky to have this magnificent “new” venue for traditional New Orleans jazz.  Admission is generally free.

This is easy access from Southern Comfort Bed and Breakfast, your New Orleans Lodging destination.

Hey, it’s almost February 2012, and we all know what that means here in New Orleans-Carnival Time! The first joyously anticipated parade rolls next Saturday, February 4, starting at 6:30 PM, through the ever-funky French Quarter and Marigny neighborhoods. Yes, that would be Krewe du Vieux.  Makes sense that the first parade would be in the Marigny-in 1833 Bernard Xavier de Marigny de Mandeville, a rich plantation owner of French descent, raised money to fund an official Mardi Gras celebration, and of course his plantation later became the Marigny. (He was one of the original developers of New Orleans!) But there’ve been carnival celebrations in New Orleans since at least 1743.  The Krewe du Vieux likes to boast that it’s the only organization that parades around the original satirical ideals of Carnival.  No lofty mythological themes, or glittering stars on huge floats a la Endymion. No, it’s just creative people making fun of their own society. Lots of material in New Orleans!

This year’s theme of the always-irreverent (and a bit racy) adult-oriented parade is “Crimes against Nature,” and the Queen is Deon Haywood, Executive Director of Women with a Vision.  As leader of that organization, she fights for the rights of at-risk and impoverished women, marginalized members of society, and their families.  She’s clearly not shy!  With a theme like that, who knows what might turn up on those mule-drawn floats meandering through the Old Quarter. Recent Kings include Dr. John (2010-“Fired Up!”) and Don Marshall (2011-“25 Years Wasted.”).

According to the Krewe’s website it has sixteen subkrewes, which will each present their own interpretations of the theme. Subkrewes include the Krewe of C.R.U.D.E., Krewe of Space Age Love, Krewe of Underwear, Seeds of Decline, Krewe of Mama Roux, Krewe of L.E.W.D., Krewe of Drips and Dis- charges, Krewe of K.A.O.S., Knights of Mondu, T.O.K.I.N., Krewe Rue Bourbon, Krewe de C.R.A.P.S., Mystic Krewe of Spermes, Mystic Krewe of Comatose, Mystic Krewe of Inane, and Krewe du Mishigas.  There’ll be numerous brass bands and, oh yeah, the costumes! There’s nothing like it.  Stealing from James R. Creecy’s book Scenes in the South, and Other Miscellaneous Pieces described it best when, speaking of the 1835 Mardi Gras, it all happens “in rich confusion.”

For more information, visit  www.kreweduvieux.org/ And we’ll be updating the blog on other parades and events in the next few weeks.

Southern Comfort Bed and Breakfast, your New Orleans accomodations, is a perfect place to watch the Uptown parades as we are only 2 blocks from St. Charles Ave….a bath room close by is a good thing!

Becoming Artfully AWARE: Linking Local and International Communities through the Arts A special event at New Orleans Museum of Art Friday, February 3rd, 5pm – 10pm

Listen to live entertainment by Irvin Mayfield Jazz Playhouse’s Musical Director, Michael Watson. Be amazed by a cultural performance from Guardians of the Flame, Mardi Gras Indian Tribe.

View exhibitions from Ogden Museum of Southern Art & Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans. Marvel at artwork & photography created by Professional Artists from New Orleans & around the world including: Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia.

Watch a unique dance performance by New Orleans Dance Collective based on unity. Catch a literary art reading by Professional Writers, hosted by The Faulkner Society.

View environmental works from the Sierra Club & meet residents from A Studio in the Woods. Explore paintings & creative writing from 60+ NOLA schools, health centers & community groups. Listen to original prose by students from New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.

Hear speakers from the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council, World Trade Center, World Affairs Council and Young Leadership Council.

See films about the vital role of the arts in society, presented by FosterBear Films. Receive a free booklet of short stories & visual art created by participants and artists.

Eat and drink at Café NOMA by Ralph Brennan.

Southern Comfort, your  Bed and Breakfast in the Uptown/Garden District thinks this is going to be a great event!

New Orleans is a place where the timeless sounds of jazz fill the air on any given night. One particularly notable voice in this great city is the smooth and sultry ragtime sound of Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns. Lake, who has called the Crescent City home for over ten years, has quite the interesting past. Her career began in a South Dakota steakhouse at age nine, where she won a $500 singing contest, and years down the road she ended up in a traveling circus, performing an array of acts, including insect eating and fire dancing. It was during this time when Lake fell in love with the city and soon became a fixture on Royal Street in the French Quarter, busking and becoming one of the city’s most admired street performers, often taking her act on tour both nationally and abroad.

Forming the Little Big Horns in 2009 and shortly after releasing a full length album, Lucky Devil, Meschiya Lake has secured herself as a staple of local live music receiving rave reviews. WWOZ’s David Kunian citing the album as one of his top four releases of 2010 on NPR’s All Things Considered and, as Dan Baum of the New Yorker aptly described, “Meschiya Lake rocks back on her heels, lifts her chest, and opens her throat like an air raid siren to croon in a thrilling pre-microphone style that can make you feel by turns as though you were shivering around a campfire in a railroad (yard) or drinking in a Budapest nightclub in 1938.”

To experience the jazz revival ushered in by Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, check out weekly gigs at Mimi in the Marigny on Monday nights, and at the Spotted Cat on Tuesday nights . The full calendar and tour information is available at www. myspace.com/meschiyalake .  Also enjoy a lively  performance  on Royal Street in the French Quarter at http://youtu.be/m_SMk42zcfI.

Bourbon Street is really an awful place, good thing there is only one like it , you just have to turn the corner to awaken to an entirely different atmosphere. But sometimes you just have take a stroll and people watch.

The neon lights, blasting karaoke and rowdy crowd is part of the experience but you can step in to the Maison Bourbon Jazz Club situated on the corner of St. Peter’s Street and experience a taste of what we all dream old New Orleans to be like, with live jazz playing in this comfortable intimate setting. Thursday through Sunday nights be sure to check out Jamil Sharif head a quintet of talented local  musicians. Playing classic New Orleans tunes, you’ll find yourself tapping your feet, clapping your hands, and shouting your part in the call-and-response.

Filled with an older crowd, there’s a respectful atmosphere of tourists enjoying beautiful music. But if you take notice of the bar you’ll find some locals relaxing in back, here to soak up their local sound. Jamil and his blaring trumpet will keep you happy throughout the sets, and there are plenty of solo moments for the drums, piano, clarinet and bass to delight the ears with a well-rounded mix of improv. With no cover charge and a one drink minimum, Maison Bourbon is easy on the wallet too, at least by Bourbon Street standards.

Whether you’re looking to start your night right or finish it off smoothly, or even spend its entirety with jazz music, this place is the jam. As the craziness outside rolls by, you’ll be happy to have made a stop here.

The team behind New Orleans’ wildly popular Cure, cited as one of the best American bars of 2011 by the likes of Esquire and Travel & Leisure, are at it again.   Neil Bodenheimer and Kirk Estopinal have recently unveiled Bellocq, a lounge located at the recently renovated Hotel Modern, formerly known as Hotel Le Cirque. The developers of this new venture hope to bring about the same type of revitalization to Lee Circle as was seen with Freret Street following Cure’s popularity.

Bellocq aims to focus on a time period that may seem foreign to the clientele, ranging from the 1820s to 1900, garnering its namesake from E.J. Bellocq, well known for his haunting photographs of prostitutes in the red light district of Storyville.  The influences of the era can be found on the bar’s menu, which offers variations of cobblers, cocktails that traditionally include apertif wines, sugar, fresh fruit, and crushed ice.   The bar has an updated boudoir decor with red walls, a zinc bar and drinks served on a silver tray. While Bodenheimer and Estopinal hope to provide a different type of drinking establishment, they understand what it takes for one to move out of their comfort zone. A unique, but small wine selection and hard to find 22-ounce beers sold by the glass will be available, as well as standard drinks.

Food will also be available at Belloq, with a menu created by and prepared in the kitchen of neighbor Tamarind. The restaurant, also new to the Hotel Modern, is French-Vietnamese cuisine created by chefs Dominique Macquet and Quan Tran.

Just walk two blocks to the St. Charles Ave. from Southern Comfort , your Garden District Bed and Breakfast, hop on the streetcar and it will let you off steps from Bellocq.

If you’re searching for a funky and fresh dining experience that sets itself apart from the conventionality of many traditional French Quarter favorites, look no further than the Green Goddess.   Located at 307 Exchange Alley off Bienville, this colorful restaurant is eccentric, to say the least!    With limited indoor seating and a wonderful outdoor courtyard when weather permits, an intimate dining experience is in store.   Chefs Chris DeBarr and Paul Artigues clearly know their stuff and together create a truly unique menu, combining local ingredients with flavors and traditions from nearly every inch of the globe  . Where would one expect to see South Indian Lentil Pancakes, Korean Barbequed Pork Belly, Bangers and Mash, and Louisiana Oysters find a home on the same menu?   Don’t be surprised to hear the exotic origins of each dish straight from the Chef’s mouth, as tableside visits are customary.   For the truly adventurous, a surprise combination of the “Chef’s Cheese Treasures,” as well as a pre-set “Tasting Menu,” featuring an array of restaurant favorites, are offered daily and are perfect to split between 2 or 3.   While the food is sure to please a diversity of palates (plenty of vegetarian options), the Green Goddess takes the cake with its extensive offering of beverages.   The menu includes original infused cocktails, fresh tropical juices, Vietnamese coffee, teas, local and imported beer, and a truly impressive list of wines and champagnes to fit any budget.   Treat yourself to an exploration of flavor and trust the staff’s rather enlightened recommendations!

The Green Goddess is open for Lunch & Brunch every day, except Tuesday, from 11am – 3:30pm.   Dinner is served 6pm-11pm Wednesday through Sunday.   Because of its small size, reservations at the Green Goddess are handled on a “first come, first served” basis.  Luckily, both the Napoleon House Bar and the Carousel Lounge are within walking distance if you have time for a drink while waiting.

Bon appétit!

Southern Comfort Bed and Breakfast, your choice for Garden District Lodging loves this restaurant!  It’s a favorite choice for vegetarians as well as meat eaters .