Sunday in the Park with Irma

I suppose Mother Nature must read my blog because after last week's rant on the never-ending heat and humidity in New Orleans, we were treated to a break in the weather over the weekend. The rain finally stopped, the temperatures plummeted about 25 degrees, and it actually feels like autumn now. The windows have been flung open, and everyone's been digging out pants and long-sleeved shirts to venture outside.

I finally had a day off on Sunday after a laborious stint at the hotel, and was delighted to see the abundance of festivals and activities taking place in the City to enjoy. I settled on an afternoon in Lafayette Square to partake in the Crescent City Blues and Barbecue Festival. This is one of many festivals sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, and it was truly a delightful afternoon. The festival featured barbecue by several local restaurants, arts and crafts vendors and two stages for musical performances by a host of local favorites. I saw Tribe 13 (fronted by Cyril Neville), Sonny Landreth, T-Model Ford and Irma Thomas. All of the acts were good, but Irma Thomas was absolutely fantastic--of course when your moniker is the Soul Queen of New Orleans how could you be anything less? I got to spend some time with my friends Zak and Angelique and everyone in the park was in a very festive mood since the Saints kicked the Giants' ass at the Superdome during the festival (not that I care a lot about football, but apparently the local team is having a great season so far).

So all in all, a perfect Sunday afternoon. This was definitely an event that strengthened my affection for New Orleans--I'm still not in love with the city, but charming events like the festival add to my growing warmth for the place I currently call home.