By Sam Winston

Guess where there this picture was taken? I’ll give you a hint. The city has an openly gay mayor. The country is considered one of the safest industrialized nations in the world. And the two neighboring shops were an upscale hair salon and a yuppy cafe/lounge.

If you guessed Read the rest of this entry »

There are a lot of different responses when we learn of the latest brutality to befall one of our fellow New Orleanians at the hands of a criminal. Some could care less, some grow more fearful and then there’s the old standby of naked outrage. But I’m grateful that some people seem to greet senseless calamities with an organized response and effort to help the victim.A prime example will be on display this Sunday, Dec. 2, when supporters of La Crêpe Nanou bar manager Robert Strong (pictured) will host a block party fundraiser. Strong was shot in the face last month on St. Charles Avenue and has a long and arduous path to recovery.At the very least, the benefit event is shaping up to be an amazing party. Restaurants participating include La Crêpe Nanou, Galatoire’s, Café Degas, Dick & Jenny’s, Dante’s Kitchen, Read the rest of this entry »

 by Sam Winston

One New Orleans blogger finds there’s more than conspiracy chatter to the rumor about Ochsner hospital blocking the re-opening of Lindy Boggs Medical Center by putting a “no-compete” covenant on the dormant hospital at Bienville and Jeff Davis.Others proposed a “Sour Grapes Bowl” for LSU fans trying to cope with their loss to Arkansas. Some found time to jump into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict commenting on related hateful remarks issued on morning talk show Walton and Johnson.Another blogger created a contest of weirdest New Orleans moment, offering a runaway mule and a man with a gun late one night in the Marigny as one example. Another makes self-comparisons to his striking resemblance to porn star Ron Jeremy.

I’ll admit I felt vindicated when my editor at Gambit asked if I would take on a story called “Bar Codes,” a feature for the magazine’s drinking and nightlife pull-out section, Swizzle.

The story is a look at barroom etiquette and the ways in which the seemingly straightforward relationship between bartender and bar patron can go horribly awry. Finally, I thought, all that time hanging around bars and clubs can be considered research. And surely, with all those credit hours booked, I could practically write the story in my sleep.

But the more I interviewed bartenders for the story, the more I learned about the nuances of the simple money-for-drinks transactions I had witnessed and been part of so many countless times. Perhaps it should have been obvious that there usually is a lot more going on than meets the eye, and I’m grateful that the bartenders I interviewed opened up and shared their perspectives with me. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I am kicking myself for not purchasing a dress for an upcoming holiday party while in Europe last week, but as I searched from the Eiffel Tower to the Bastille for the perfect cocktail attire, my husband was constantly whispering in my ear, “you realize what that costs in dollars, right- you should wait till that style hits the US.”

While Europe was amazing, all week long there were constant reminders on the weak American economy, from the below amusing/disturbing CNN International clip, to hearing a couple in line at the Louvre discussing how “UNREAL the exchange rate is now, and how they are leaving for New York to go shopping the following weekend.”

This led me to think. If New York is cheap for the Brits and other EU residents, how disgustingly cheap is New Orleans??? Are we like visiting a 3rd world South American country? So I realized it is time for everyone to email their Europeans friends, family and colleagues and sell New Orleans. The economic impact could be huge.

Here are some rough price conversion comparisons to sell my point:

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