Dear Subscriber,

There's only six weeks to go before Mardi Gras 2006 and the anticipation in the French Quarter is almost unbearable. Something's coming, something good! So many New Orleanians reeling from the Katrina catastrophe have latched on to the Carnival season with all its antic build-up to Mardi Gras Day as a challenge for getting some sort of normal going. If we can invite, host and entertain a hundred thousand or so people for the parades and street-side shenanigans, we'll signal to the world that New Orleans is well on its way to a new normal. Sounds like a good idea, but what's ever been normal about New Orleans? Ah, but that's still the beauty and mystery of this place. Floods or hurricanes or federal folly will never keep us down for long. Hail Rex, Zulu, Proteus, Bacchus, Endymion, Hermes, Barkus and all the rest. Can't wait til you roll in 2006.

Sincerely,

Carolyn McLellan, Publisher

New Orleans' Po-Boy Is A Rich Food Tradition Have you had your Po-Boy today? New Orleans' traditional French bread sandwich is back on the table overstuffed, dressed and better than ever.

Oswald's Speakeasy and Sideshow: French Quarter One-of-a-Kind Series Two of the French Quarter's most unique spots are back and ready to amaze and engage. At Oswald's and Sideshow, Harry Anderson has gotten the rapt attention of French Quarter and downtown denizens as well.

Different Rules Apply: The Otherness of New Orleans New Orleans' distinct and enduring appeal is rooted in the city's contrasts and the alchemy of unlikely combinations... there's an otherness and exoticism underlying the familiar and it's been this way for a long time.

Back In Business - Open in the French Quarter-REjazzed, REjuvenated The tally of shops, restaurants, attractions and hotels who've reopened after Katrina is getting longer and longer. The Quarter is almost back to full speed and full service.

The Wizard of Paws This year more than others, 'There No Place Like Home' in the French Quarter for the Mardi Gras Dog Krewe of Barkus.

Return of the Streetcar The old clackety-clack is back as New Orleans' historic streetcars return to service on the Riverfront Line and Canal Street.

Mardi Gras 2006 or Bust!
Eight days of parades and revelry are on the calendar for Carnival 2006. City needs a break from storm-induced depression. Must hear "Throw Me Sumthin' Mistah!"

By All Means, MASK In 2006
Mardi Gras Mask Market - February 25, 26, 27, 2006. The colorful, the creative and the bizarre - find masks for all tastes. Sponsored and produced by the French Market Corporation between the Old Mint and the Farmers' Market by the River.

The Beat Is Back: Search the Offbeat Live Music Calendar
Music again fills the air and the nights in the Quarter and Marigny. Search for your favorite musicians via our Offbeat Music Calendar - lots of bands are back in New Orleans and they're playing from the heart.

Common Routes: St. Domingue - Louisiana Symposium
The Historic New Orleans Collection presents a series of lectures by distinguished scholars trace Louisiana's ties to the island of Hispanola, the colony of St. Domingue and the nation of Haiti. Saturday, February 4, 2006.

The Shows Will Go On!
Jazz Fest, French Quarter Festival - all the festivals and big events of the New Orleans calendar will be held in 2006 and you're invited.

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