A Yankee In New Orleans, Part II

My latest ‘Notes From A Polite New Yorker’ column is now online on the Kotori Magazine Web site. Please check it out and leave comments, and then tell all of your friends to read it and leave comments.

Read about my counters with alligators, my journey to the tomb of John Kennedy Toole, and my tracing the footsteps of Ignatius J. Reilly.

One thing I neglected to mention in the column: On the Westwego Swamp Tour, Captain Tom Billiot fed marshmallows to the alligators. It is illegal to feed meat to an alligator, as they would associate humans with meat and would be more likely to see us as food instead of providers of food. Billiot explained that marshmallows are ideal to feed to alligators because they float, are easily visible and will be eaten by other animals if the gators ignore them. Every marshmallow I saw him throw was eagerly eaten by an alligator.

I also managed to get to a very good punk rock show at the Dragon’s Den. The Toaster’s were headlining, but I was not able to stay for them. I saw the Zydepunks and a band from Chicago called Flatfoot 56, both excellent.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that even though I was in New Orleans in November, there were still beads stuck in the trees and power lines from Mardi Gras the previous February.