Mother Nature can be cruel and nasty, as she was to the town of Moore and surrounding areas during Monday’s massive twister, which has so far claimed the lives of 24 people. I am praying no more are to fall to their injuries. I am praying that everyone found from this point forward is alive.

My home state of Connecticut does not see very many tornadoes. They virtually never occur here the way they do in the Midwest, so I cannot begin to imagine the terror of seeing one, or hiding, or hearing storm alerts that pierce through whole towns. I am grateful for that.

The amount of help and rescue down in Oklahoma is commendable and I will continue to keep those aiding in the recovery process in my thoughts as well as those suffering from the aftermath of death, loss and coping with the trauma of destruction.

Photo courtesy of CNN.com

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Well here it finally is. I went to the Big Easy for New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (namely, for John Mayer), and had the best time… ever. No matter where I go with my friends, we always have a fantastic vacation. I am so insanely lucky to have tremendous people around me.

We flew into Mississippi and the weather was beautiful from the start. Our drive from Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport took about an hour, but we stopped for some food at a place called, “Red Zone,” in Diamondhead. We ate Po’ Boys and pulled pork sandwiches and fried catfish strips and I was happiest I had been since that glorious pre-plane shower.

So we met up with the rest of the NOLA crew at our hotel, the Clarion Inn & Suites on Canal Street. The streetcar stopped almost right in front of it, which was a nice little way to get to Bourbon Street, we found, which was five blocks to the right of us.

Our first evening was Jazz Fest, and it was bigger than I had anticipated. The entire outside venue smelled off fresh seafood and only-in-New-Orleans-type-dishes. My best friend Chris and I headed straight to the stage where John Mayer played. We stayed the entire set, duh… and danced happily under a bright, warm sun with some fellow JM fans. He played an amazing setlist. It had been two years since the jazz/blues crooner sang along with his songs, due to a throat granuloma that put him on “indefinite” voice rest, but you would have never known. He proved to me, (like he even really had to), just why he is my all-time favorite music artist and musician. He was all around beautiful.

Saturday afternoon we ventured on a swamp tour which lasted over an hour and gave us all the chance to see alligators and cute little turtles. It was a great way to spend the day. I even got to hold one! I swear from this day forward I will never buy a product made from alligator. Not like I have the money for that, anyway. He was so soft and adorable…. and he was being manhandled by every child and their mother on the damned boat.

In brief, Bourbon Street was one of the most spectacular things I have ever experienced. This may make me sound a little stupid, but I honestly thought Bourbon Street was a few blocks. I was so wrong. It was long, and closed off, and bouncing with excitement. We went to three gentlemen’s clubs (not all they were cracked up to be), tons of bars, drank a lot of margaritas and icy-cold mixed drinks, (there were a ton of open daiquiri bars throughout), shopped, and best of all… I experienced the Dungeon.

The best bar, in the opinions of most of my NOLA crew, the Dungeon is on Toulouse Street and was fully equipped with a stone walkway, caged-in bar seating and blaring good music. Slayer, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie… and loud, too. The drinks were among the cheapest on Bourbon and the bartenders and security were so down to earth, we went back our last night.

I was able to get 3 Mardi-Gras necklaces and I didn’t even have to flash anyone… take notes, ladies! The people were all outstandingly friendly and there was such a sense of wonder and awe among my group, we probably wouldn’t have known if they weren’t.

The French Quarter was a daytime thing and I’d like to think we did it proper. We must have walked miles on our Sunday afternoon. We drank, ate some more, and experienced shopping, and saw music live never before. Oh, and we saw the original Real World New Orleans House.

It’s hard to capture every moment on camera. Sometimes that moment passes by us too quickly, others don’t translate on camera as they do in our heads. I did my best to take some photos, but overall.. the landscapes, people, food and smells can only be logged into my mind as memories best kept away. Check out some photos below!

I started season one about a month ago, right before season three started. I was successful in not having a social life for two weeks as I sat in the dungeon of my basement watching both seasons back-to-back. I have since picked up the book series and I am on the second, “A Clash of Kings.”

I tend to have a bit of addictive personality disorder when it comes to television. Many of us know by now that I am a die-hard fan of The Walking Dead, but now I have Game of Thrones to fill in the void until it return in October. Just great, I am consumed with two great television shows at different times of the year so that my year is, in fact, always filled up with something to watch on Sunday nights. 

How amazing is the show, though? There’s sex and killing and deception and love and above all, the show has followed the books to a T, thus far. That means the killer dialogue and quotes and witty lines spewed out by everyone- namely, Tyrion Lannister, are spot-on.

The producers of the show understand not to completely fuck up a great thing. A little fine-tuning to make the show its own is totally acceptable, and I appreciate them for finding a sense of difference in that doesn’t stray far off track.  The cast is beautiful, the shooting locations are even more so. I have found a new longing to explore places I have never been thanks to my many hours watching behind the scenes footage. I mean, Morocco and Iceland? Yes, please!

My favorite characters are by far Jon Snow, Robb Stark and Ser Jorah Mormont, but the cast is so incredibly talented it gets hard to put them in order after that.

If anyone knows of conventions any of the actors attend, do let me know. I saw that Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) and Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) were at an expo in Calgary, Canada last month, so I presume they do these things every so often.

So, who else LOVES GoT? Share your thoughts! I love reading what people like and dislike about the zillions of storylines and sub-storylines and the cast that we hate to love, and love to hate.

Zoë Eisenberg is an incredibly talented writer with wit, intelligence and a fantastic sense of humor. Impressed as I am with her hard work ethic everyday, I was even more floored when she told me that she had written a screenplay, and now, along with a team of equally talented young people, she is working to turning it into a movie; a dark comedy entitled Courtesy Flush.”

The film is set in Hawaii, which is not only an integral part of the plot (The island is actually a character in the film) but one of the reasons we need to raise money.We have to get our cast on set!

The story is about a young couple, James and Lexi, who move to a small jungle town after they accidentally become a fitness sensation when their informercial parody, Fuck Fitness, goes viral on the Internet. What started as a joke ends up launching them into the spotlight. They end up skanking their new brand around for several years, making a few workout dvd series, shooting a pilot for a reality show that never gets picked up, and working Fuck Fitness from every angle.

When we meet them at the start of Courtesy Flush, they have very much outgrown Fuck Fitness, and are trying to escape their embarrassing image–along with a few other problems in their relationship.

They befriend their polyamorous neighbors, who I lovingly dubbed “the throuple,” and a mysterious recluse who lives behind them…. Murder, madness, and hallucinations ensue as the group embarks upon a mystery that ends up defining the virtues of each character. Dun dun dun!

 

Zoë and her crew are utilizing a very popular fundraising platform, Kickstarter, in an attempt to fund the production of the film. It is really important that I do my part to help Zoë get the word out about her film in progress. It is truly inspiring and equally important for people to express their creativity, and not have it limited by that thing called money. Unfortunately, money is necessary to stretch creativity above and beyond.

If only a couple of dollars, donating to Zoë’s film cause will support a group of hard-working people who are, at this point, at the mercy of the goodwill of others. Please, find it in yourself to support Zoë, to support those who are working alongside her, and to support the arts.

Again, here is the link to the Kickstarter page where you can read more information about it all!

I have gathered some plan ideas via Facebook and Twitter, because no amount of research compares to the tidbits of information given by word-of-mouth. If anyone has any “go-to” ideas, send them my way in the comment box below. I want to go armed and ready to take on what people have experienced firsthand and know to be the best in the city.

Staying: Clarion Inn & Suites 

Near the French Quarter, these rooms have been sold out for months. I’m assuming because of Jazzfest, but also because of its proximity to everything fun in New Orleans.

Doing: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 

A two-weekend festival, I am only going for one (missing Fleetwood Mac and Black Keys the following weekend). Luckily, I have seen them both before. Friday is my day and the weather thus far looks fantastic. Friday’s lineup also hosts Band of Horses, one of my top bands. Unfortunately, they go on a different stage the same exact time as John Mayer. No question on who I will be seeing, just very upsetting.

Detour: Mississippi

Oh yeah, we are flying into Gulfport, Mississippi. The plane tickets were significantly cheaper. I am not sure if any of you could recommend something in that general area that is worth stopping for, but if so, feel free to share. I cannot say when I would be in Mississippi again, so if I could optimize my travels by snapping a cool photo, or scoping an amazing landscape, that is a must!

Eating: As much as possible

I hear the festival alone has tons of vendors serving up delicious and local cuisine like creole crabcakes, crawfish, okra gumbo, gator bites, barbecue everything and traditional cobblers, pies and desserts. I am trying to really limit my calorie intake this week, as well as do some extra cardio everyday, so to feel less guilty about stuffing face nonstop. If you guys know of any restaurant in New Orleans area that is worth checking out, do let me know. We have a rental so if it’s outside the city, I am up for the drive.

Keep in touch!

You can follow me (or just creep on from time to time) on Instagram, a social media wonder which I use regularly, if you want to see NOLA through my eyes… and the lense of my iPhone camera.

You can see what I am eating, who I am getting down to at the festival, local brews I plan on slamming back and of course, the beautiful sites of one of America’s most eclectic cities.

Instagram name:

_gogozombie

Twitter handle:

@smastroni

Filed under: Travel Tagged: culture, food, inspiration, jazzfest, life, music, new orleans, travel ]]> http://sarahonthego.com/2013/04/22/new-orleans-or-bust/feed/ 6 neworleans_street_image_large sarahamastroni neworleans_street_image_large Clarion-Inn--Suites-New-Orleans-photos-Exterior jazz-fest-1 Crawfish-New-Orleans-Food1 photo (1) http://sarahonthego.com/2013/04/17/celebswithoutmakeup_justbecause/ http://sarahonthego.com/2013/04/17/celebswithoutmakeup_justbecause/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:39:14 +0000 sarah On The Go http://sarahonthego.com/?p=5310 Read More →]]> They are rich, they are famous, they are “beautiful.” So today, I’m officially making it okay to make fun of famous people’s appearances. Hey, our opinions on their non-painted faces make no difference to them, or their bank accounts.

Just having a little fun!

Demi Lovato.

Demi on the left is way prettier. So. much. makeup.

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Kim Kardashian

This makes me happy.

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Mila Kunis

Sexiest Woman Alive (Esquire Magazine 2012)

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Charlize Theron

Suburban soccer mom to the T

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Eva Longoria

Is Desperate Housewives still on the air?

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Renee Zelleweger

Why must she always make that face?

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Tyra Banks

The bangs are a good look, Miss Banks.

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Kate Hudson

Girl next door  you want to shoot hoops with vs. girl next door you want to get into bed

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Jennifer Lopez

She’s still, she’s still, Jenny from the block.

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Kristen Stewart

Somehow I think the Twilight star feels more comfortable with herself in photo #1

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Cameron Diaz

She told UK Vogue she stayed fit by having lots and lots of sex. Well, lucky her.

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Katy Perry

California Girls, they’re unforgettable.

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Katherine Heigl

Is that sad look because she hasn’t made a decent movie since Knocked Up?

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Jessica Biel

Justin Timberlake gets to wake up to her every day for the rest of his life.

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May these celebs’ glam squads never take a day off again!