Shades and a sexy drinking buddy aren't all you need for a perfect vacation (though it sometimes seems that way). In BEFORE TAKE-OFF, OC brings you guides on what to read, watch, and listen to before heading to our five favorite US destinations. First up: New Orleans. You know the old-school jazz, Mardi Gras, and the Cafe du Monde beignets—but our prepatory round-up has a few tricks up its sleeve.
1. Actor-baker isn't a combo you hear very often, even in New Orleans. Dwight Henry's movie Beasts of the Southern Wild is a must-see before any trip to the city, as is a visit to his restaurant, Buttermilk Drop Bakery, the restaurant where the producers of Beasts first scouted him. Winning the role of Quvenzhané Wallis' father, Henry went on to appear in Twelve Years a Slave (another film with major scenes filmed in New Orleans). This July, he opened up Wink's, a bakery in the French Quarter named after his character in Beasts. At either restaurant, don't miss the Buttermilk drops, glazed donuts drenched in... buttermilk.
2. Did you know Frank Ocean, Curren$y, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, and Jay Electronica are all from NO? Make your own New Orleans hip-hop playlist out of these rappers you probably already have on your iPhone, never forgetting Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” and 504 Boyz’ “Wobble Wobble.” (To get your Wobble Wobble on in the city, trans bounce rapper Katey Red reccomends Club Fusions, Bourbon Heat, or the Cat’s Meow.)
3. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole's classic postmodern novel, features a menagerie of wild New Orleans characters, from a senile, hoarding accountant at a pants factory to a Bourbon Street stripper with a pet cockatoo. If you want to get nerdy about it, Whole blogs have been devoted to visiting the places around New Orleans featured in the book. Otherwise, skip the tour and stay at (or stop by) the Hyatt French Quarter, in a 165-year old building and one-time famous department store featured in the book.
4. "I love New Orleans because you can drink on the street. That's a big deal." Comedian Hannibal Buress reads our minds in this LOL-funny podcast devoted to the city, appropriately titled, "A Love Letter to New Orleans."
5. Watch Treme. Named after the culturally rich neighborhood, the TV-series was created by David Simon (The Wire). Get to know the small streets, the hidden jazz bars, and many mouth-watering looking Southern food joints beyond the French Quarter as the main characters (a promiscuous trombone player, a feisty chef, a keyboardist with a drug habit, an Indian Chief, and some others) try to rebuild the city, physically and culturally, after Hurricane Katrina. Hungry? Nab a roast beef po-boy from local-favorite Parasol’s. Wanna hear some live jazz from the famous Kermit Ruffins? He’s got a regular Tuesday gig at
1. Actor-baker isn't a combo you hear very often, even in New Orleans. Dwight Henry's movie Beasts of the Southern Wild is a must-see before any trip to the city, as is a visit to his restaurant, Buttermilk Drop Bakery, the restaurant where the producers of Beasts first scouted him. Winning the role of Quvenzhané Wallis' father, Henry went on to appear in Twelve Years a Slave (another film with major scenes filmed in New Orleans). This July, he opened up Wink's, a bakery in the French Quarter named after his character in Beasts. At either restaurant, don't miss the Buttermilk drops, glazed donuts drenched in... buttermilk.
2. Did you know Frank Ocean, Curren$y, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, and Jay Electronica are all from NO? Make your own New Orleans hip-hop playlist out of these rappers you probably already have on your iPhone, never forgetting Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” and 504 Boyz’ “Wobble Wobble.” (To get your Wobble Wobble on in the city, trans bounce rapper Katey Red reccomends Club Fusions, Bourbon Heat, or the Cat’s Meow.)
3. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole's classic postmodern novel, features a menagerie of wild New Orleans characters, from a senile, hoarding accountant at a pants factory to a Bourbon Street stripper with a pet cockatoo. If you want to get nerdy about it, Whole blogs have been devoted to visiting the places around New Orleans featured in the book. Otherwise, skip the tour and stay at (or stop by) the Hyatt French Quarter, in a 165-year old building and one-time famous department store featured in the book.
4. "I love New Orleans because you can drink on the street. That's a big deal." Comedian Hannibal Buress reads our minds in this LOL-funny podcast devoted to the city, appropriately titled, "A Love Letter to New Orleans."
5. Watch Treme. Named after the culturally rich neighborhood, the TV-series was created by David Simon (The Wire). Get to know the small streets, the hidden jazz bars, and many mouth-watering looking Southern food joints beyond the French Quarter as the main characters (a promiscuous trombone player, a feisty chef, a keyboardist with a drug habit, an Indian Chief, and some others) try to rebuild the city, physically and culturally, after Hurricane Katrina. Hungry? Nab a roast beef po-boy from local-favorite Parasol’s. Wanna hear some live jazz from the famous Kermit Ruffins? He’s got a regular Tuesday gig at