Newsletter 31 - August 10 to 16, 2010

August 10 to 16, 2010

Dear Friends,

We all love ideas. We probably have a new idea for NOLAlicious every week, but we know that it's not possible to do everything. Instead, and to keep our sanity, we make informed guesses about what to improve or features to launch, based on the feedback we get from you. Thus, thank you, for sharing what features you enjoy and where you would like to see NOLAlicious launch next in our recent survey. What did we find out?

• Your favorite sections are Do, Eat and Lagniappe. Interesting. Something for us to consider as we make our picks for the newsletter.


• 51% have gone to an event or place because of a listing in NOLAlicious. Given the wide range of things to do around New Orleans, we're impressed.


• 20% said they had submitted a tip, and 9% said they had submitted a job posting. Thank you! Although we don't reply to every tip or job posting, we read and consider all of them for the newsletter.


• 16% said they had downloaded a wallpaper for their computer, iPhone or iPad wallpapers. Have you noticed that we've started making our featured photos in the newsletter into free, downloadable wallpapers? Yes, it's a new feature, something we've only started doing the past couple of weeks. Why not test it out this week: download the photo in this week's newsletter for your desktop, iPhone or iPad.


• 34% of you said you'd like to see photos submitted by NOLAlicious readers. Great. Starting today, you can! Submit your own photos to be featured on our NOLAlicious Tumblr. There is a story behind each one of the photos we've posted, so we're excited to start sharing your photos and stories too. Click here to see the details and submit a photo.

What's next? We got great responses and are excited to build and test additional features but one thing remains constant. We created NOLAlicious as a collaborative project and a way for three new transplants to search and discover great events and hidden gems around town. We thought creating a platform to look back and say, "Here's a sample of what we did and photos we took over the past year" would be fun. And it is great fun! But NOLAlicious has come to mean so much more, and so for all of your encouragement and support, we'd just like to take a moment to say THANK YOU.

Getting better every week,

Team NOLAlicious

PS: New Orleans blogger Mallory Whitfield has been writing about indie artists and designers since 2006 on her blog, Miss Malaprop, and is one of the founding members of the New Orleans Craft Mafia. She launched a new online shop this spring, highlighting unique handmade and eco-friendly goods by a variety of artists, including many Gulf Coast based designers. Get 15% off all purchases at shopMissMalaprop.com when you use the code NOLAlicious through September 30, 2010.

NOLAlicious Picks

DO  Break out that pretty red dress, boy and girls, it’s time for the Annual Red Dress Run! The New Orleans Red Dress Run is one of the largest Red Dress Runs in the United States. It is hosted by The New Orleans Hash House Harriers (NOH3) and contributes to several local charities. Don’t be shy, any and all styles are welcome, just be sure to wear some comfortable shoes and don’t forget to stretch! Food and beverages will be provided for those who have pre-registered. We’d recommend registering online; it gets a little crazy the day of. Saturday, August 14th. Beer start time is 9 AM, run start time is 12:30 PM.

DO  Was last weekend’s White Line Night a bit too prim and proper for your taste? Check out Royal Street’s 9th Annual Dirty Linen Night this weekend The event will feature more than sixty galleries and shops for an exclusive shopping experience. Most of the galleries should be serving refreshments, but if not there are plenty of watering holes around. Summer casual dress is recommenced, but there is no ‘official’ dress code. Join the celebration on Royal Street from the 500 block of Royal to the 1000 block ending at Ursulines Street, Saturday, August 14th, 6 to 9 PM, Royal Street Area.

GO  Is your name Laura? If it is then you are in for a treat this week! You can get a free tour of the Laura Plantation just for being named Laura, which we think is a pretty rad promotion? It is always fun to venture out of the parish lines and step back in time and if you can do it for free, even better! Call them for details! 2247 Highway 18 Vacherie, LA 70090.

EAT  We are always in the mood for some tasty Mediterranean food and there are not too many good places to grub out in NOLA. Thankfully, a new place, The Courtyard Grill, has opened on Magazine Street. The food is fresh and the service is impeccable. A must for you guys that enjoy casual dining in Uptown; they have a great outdoor space which will be awesome in the fall! We’ve been a few times and have been pleased every visit. Open daily for lunch and dinner (except Mondays). BYOB. Average entrée price $12. 4430 Magazine Street.

SEE  Thursday’s are always a good night for a concert. This week at Republic, Matisyahu will be bringing his world tour to NOLA for all of you to enjoy. This energetic reggae fusion musician has been around for years and he knows how to put on an entertaining show. Opening the show will be Nathen Maxwell and The Original Bunny Gang. Doors open at 9 PM, show begins at 10 PM. Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. Must be 18 to enter. 828 S. Peters Street.

LAGNIAPPE  Do the Twist! Can you believe that the iconic Chubby Checker song is truing 50 years old? There will be a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Twist with the legendary Chubby Checker and the Wild Cats performing at the Civic Center. Doors open at 6 PM, the Chalmette High Jazz Band starts playing at 6:30 PM, and a twist contest will follow. Chubby starts at 8 PM. Proceeds will benefit the "Tower of Lights Project" General admission is $40, dress is casual. Tickets can be purchased at any A-1 Appliance store.

JOBS

New Product Development Engineer, Affinity Management Group
Education Advocate, The Southern Poverty Law Center

VP of Human Resources, ASI Credit Union
Lead Tutors, New Orleans Outreach

Here's how you can support NOLAlicious:

• Spread the word and forward the newsletter to five friends.
• Buy (and wear!) a NOLAlicious t-shirt.
• Make your next New Orleans-related book or music purchase through the NOLAlicious Amazon store.
• Send us a tip about what we would love in New Orleans.
• Sponsor an upcoming issue of NOLAlicious.