Easter In New Orleans

Spring brings out the best in this tawdry lady on the river. I'm not just talking about the azaleas and wisteria adding an extra bit of eye candy to the already lush landscape.

There's so much I love about New Orleans this time of year:

I love the Jello Shots walking (and drinking) their way down the six-mile stretch of the Crescent City Classic with their reality-checking motto ("It's not like we're gonna win!") emblazoned on their matching T-shirts.

I love the little old lady riding the Classic on her battery powered scooter. I especially love that when her batteries wind down, there's always a kindly stranger there to help push her along the route.

I love standing in front of the long-closed Kolb's brasserie on St. Charles and looking up at the balcony outside my old bedroom ...

... en route to the city's current brasserie, Luke, just a little farther down the street.

I love that New Orleans' fabulous seafood -- and wonderful chefs -- make it easy for me to be a good Catholic girl on Good Friday.

I love feeling like a Tennessee Williams heroine while sipping a drink called "Death in the Afternoon" at Cafe Amelie.

I love the Easter brioche with anise at Patisserie d'Or ...

...and the Creole Cream Cheese gelato at La Davina Gelateria.

I love the baby-faced, sailor-hatted bachelor party sweet-talking strangers into buying them a magnum-sized hurricane at Pat O'Brien's.

I love the intimate dining room (and the roast duck ... and the pecan pie) at Brigtsen's.

I love rubbing elbows with students, grandmas, thumb sucking toddlers, and tourists on the 9:30 p.m. streetcar run from Riverbend to Canal Street. I even love the good-natured ribbing from the long-suffering driver.

I love Easter-egg colored dresses and seersucker suits spilling out onto Jackson Square after Easter morning mass at St. Louis Cathedral.

I love taking the scents of New Orleans -- sweet olive and white ginger -- home with me in bath products from Hove perfumer.

I love knowing that no matter how often I return, New Orleans will always have something new -- yet familiar -- to entice and enchant me.