Perfect People Playoff Partying

The Saints do not make it to the playoffs every year but in 2019, we are fortunate enough to be there. NOLA celebrates like no one else and had a weekend long tailgate in many locations as well as some special releases from one of our favorite breweries, Urban South. We popped around to a number of locations on Saturday and Sunday to join with the locals to cheer our team on, and it was like being a tourist seeing how we all celebrate.

Urban South, located in the Garden District of the city, introduced four new beers this weekend and crowds were out in droves. At one point, it took thirty minutes to wait in line for a refill which was just fine since the population was so happy to be out and about. Urban South is one of the more fun craft brewing places because they really are kid and dog friendly. Yes out of towners, you can bring your children to a tasting room in New Orleans. A space walk, better known as a bouncy house to the rest of the world, is in one corner of the tasting room as well as pool tables, giant Jenga and various arcade machines. The beer is pretty darn good and there are so many selections each weekend your head might spin even before you drink too much.

Tchoup Yard is just down the road and has cleverly adjusted for our dreary winter weather by adding more outdoor covering as well as giant fire pits to warm you up in between cocktails. The newer indoor section has ample televisions and great bar service making it easy to access cocktails and the large selection of brews. It's great to see a local owner continue to refine an establishment and make it easier for customers to access food and drink.

The quarter of course remains base camp for all tourists since we are one of the few cities where you can leave your hotel and walk to the football stadium. We went low key and stayed on the edge of the quarter and in the Marigny to view the crowds but not get overwhelmed by them. A new restaurant and bar called Nola Cantina was our first stop to grab a quick bite and some cocktails. Cocktails are very fun here with varying Mexican and Caribbean flavors. We'll let them work on the food for a few more months, but you should stop in to see the very stunning decor. The "R" bar was next and continues to remain packed with the outdoor television causing them to "cleverly" barricade the street. Our final stop was the cash only Golden Lantern which has been a fixture in the French Quarter for as long back as I can remember. The pulse was good here because the inside is so kitschy and comfortable and the drinks are generous and inexpensive. Like most of our gay bars on game day, the Lantern provides light food to balance out your cocktail selections.