I’ve always loved the month of September because there’s lots of action. The weather is usually perfect and the kids are really excited about going back to school and seeing all their friends again. It’s also a great time to travel to New Orleans. My husband Peter and I visited late in the month of September and it was still hot – but not stultifying – so we had a marvelous time and made great use of New Orleans famous go-cups (nothing like that in stuffy old NYC).

FOOTBALL SEASON KICKS OFF

The 2019 NFL season begins on Thursday, September 5th and ends on Sunday, December 29th. I know very little about football so I thought, for this blog, I’d write a bit about the history of the hometown team: the New Orleans Saints (I love this name).

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Now, don’t laugh, but the first time I heard the name I thought it was a “play on words” – meaning: someone probably said, “Well, none of those tough guys are saints” – hence the team name was born. I couldn’t be more wrong.

Here’s what really happened: The National Football League awarded its 16th franchise to New Orleans on November 1, 1966, which was All Saints Day. In mid-December, 28-year-old John Mecom Jr., a wealthy Texan became the majority stockholder and, on January 9, 1967 the team was named the “Saints.”

The Saints literally took “The City That Care Forgot” by storm. They won five of their six pre-season games and opened the regular season on September 17, 1967 against the Los Angeles Rams before a packed house of 80,879 in Tulane Stadium. The Saints made each home game a special event, a so-called “Mardi Gras in Autumn” with cheerleaders, jazz bands and precision-marching routines by high school and college bands. In 1975 they moved from Tulane Stadium to the 69,056-seat Mercedes-Benz Superdome located at 1500 Sugar Bowl Drive in New Orleans.  Finally, in 2010 the team won Super Bowl XLIV (44) when they defeated the Indianapolis Colts.

NOW, LET’S MOVE ON TO “RESTAURANT WEEK”

This year, Restaurant Week in New Orleans runs from Monday, September 9th to Sunday, September 15th. This means that, for one week in the fall, some of the best restaurants in New Orleans will offer diners about 25% off their prix-fixe menus. We have a “Restaurant Week” in New York City also but I’ve never participated – frankly, I don’t know why. I just haven’t.

THE NATIONAL FRIED CHICKEN FEST

This is a free 2019 event that will take place in Woldenberg Park (located on the banks of the Mississippi River at One Canal Street) on September 21 and 22, from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm. Participants can experience two full days of fried chicken, live music, a cooking demo area and fried chicken contests.

THE WILDLY POPULAR “SIPS OF SUMMER”

In 2019 Commander’s Palace (in the Garden District) is back for the third year with its wine events that are listed right into January 2020. I think the best approach here is to give you the link so you can explore all these fun experiences and see which ones strike your fancy. CLICK HERE for lots of info.

CLICK HERE to read our blog about Commander’s Palace located at 1403 Washington Avenue.

SO WHAT ELSE IS SHAKIN’ IN NEW ORLEANS? Our brand new airport terminal, a $993.7 million project with 35 gates and a spanking new 2,100-space parking garage is a real eye-opener that’s scheduled to be up and running by the end of 2019.   

Shaun Nelson-Henrick