The Perks of Being an Intern

This past weekend I got to experience some of the better moments of intern life, getting an inside view at some fabulous events that I otherwise would have never had a chance to attend - Butterfly Tea at Le Salon and the Jade Absinthe Launch (part of Tales of the Cocktail). I did countless mini-projects for both of these events, so getting to attend them was extra gratifying. I got to see my work come to fruition and got to see yet another slice of New Orleans lifestyle I hadn't seen before.











Butterfly Tea
While I'm not exactly in the target demographic for Butterfly Tea, I find it hard to believe that anyone wouldn't like this event. The Audubon Nature Institute partnered with The Windsor Court to create three afternoon Tea seatings, featuring butterflies from the Audubon Insectarium. The tables, the butterfly set-ups, even the sandwiches were so elegant - the amateur photographer in me had to take advantage (as you can see). The event went well overall, but it made for a busy day and I went home a little more tired than usual.

Jade Absinthe Launch
In my four years here, I have never managed to attend a Tales of the Cocktail event. My August birthday meant that this would be my first and last opportunity to see this much anticipated festival - but my empty wallet also reminded me that it probably wasn't going to happen. Luckily, the Windsor Court, one of KM's clients, hosted an event and I was sent to help out and take some pictures. The event was definitely worth the wait. Ted Breaux (left), creator of Jade Absinthe, put on a great show and I really enjoyed meeting him and learning about the product. Absinthe has seen a comeback in the US, and this high-end line is crafted by Breaux himself. The absinthe cocktail samples were delicious and the crowd was VERY interesting. While acting as impromptu "bouncer" I met several interesting people like the President of the Absinthe History Museum, the owner of Pirate's Alley, a few media personnel and some other notables.
All-in-all I would say it was a great weekend to be an intern in NOLA.

Go 4th on the River

Living in New Orleans is so exciting. There is always something new to do whether it’s a concert, a festival, or even a firework show. This July 4th marked the 20th anniversary of the GO 4th ON THE RIVER celebration. I’ve never been in New Orleans for the summer so decided I wanted to go to the best fireworks show in town and boy did I pick the right one. This fireworks display took place on the riverfront right by the JAX Brewery building where our office is located. They call it the “dueling barges fireworks extravaganza” and what this means is that both sides of the river shot off fireworks simultaneously and then met in the middle of the river for one giant combined fireworks show. I watched from the levee in Algiers Point (directly across the river from the office) where I had an amazing view of all of downtown and the French Quarter. The city skyline was absolutely beautiful from where we were. We could even see the St. Louis Cathedral! Here’s a picture I took from my phone that doesn’t do the skyline justice at all. Next time I’ll remember to bring my camera.

Working for the Weekend

Erin and I started off the weekend early by attending the PRSA New Orleans event at Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse on Thursday after work. The event featured Tobacco Free Living, the organization that is pushing for smoke-free laws in New Orleans and the state of Louisiana . The venue was really nice and Erin and I met a few other PR people from New Orleans. We also met one of the musicians. (Here's a picture of us at the event).

Another perk of being an intern is having coworkers who hear about different events or local hidden treasures. Luckily, Erin filled me in on this awesome free concert. On Friday, I went to Fat Harry's to see Kermit Ruffins and managed to get only 4 feet away. He was playing at a going away party for a local news anchor who's going to start working in New York at ABC. Kermit had a great set. I got a few blurry pictures on my phone and here's one of them to the left.

After Kermit, I managed to catch yet ANOTHER free concert at Tipitina's as part of their free Friday concert series in the summer. Last Friday featured the New Orleans Bingo Show. The band is not your typical New Orleans group and I definitely got to experience something out of the ordinary.

Our First Event

Our first event of the summer was held at the House of Blues. The International House of Blues Foundation hosted Schoolhouse Rock, featuring The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Percussion Ensemble Concert. Raquel and I wrote up a press release prior to the event and we were also responsible for documenting footage for the concert: Raquel on the Flip, myself on the camera. The band played percussion renditions of Pink Floyd and Radiohead. Being more of a country fan, I didn't know the majority of the songs. I left the singing to Raquel who knew almost every one!