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January 25, 2010

Atmosphere in New Orleans was one to savor

By Chad Courrier Free Press Staff Writer

NEW ORLEANS — Minnesota Nice is just that … nice.

New Orleans Nice is off the charts.

You think Vikings fans like to tailgate and party before games. Forget it. New Orleans fans are nuts about the Saints or tailgating, or both. Their passion even makes the obnoxious “who dat” cheer more tolerable.

The walk to the Superdome on Sunday was truly a tribute to football over-stimulation. Throughout the city, music seemingly blares from every bar and vehicle. Throw in the occasional street musician and tailgate concert, and you can almost never use a cell phone on the sidewalk.

Once you get closer to the Superdome, it gets even crazier. Using the shade of an overpass, a huge tailgate party is going hard some five hours before the game. A guy named Dreux shoots a can of beer in about two seconds, then offers a bowl of jambalaya to visitors from the north.

These people may root for different teams, but everybody at this party is a fan of the atmosphere. Even the guy who offered a beer from his cooler, with an unsuspecting Vikings fan getting a good shock from a big snake after lifting the lid. Both had a good laugh from it.

The Saints love to razz Vikings fans, but there were high-fives, not the fights or obscenities that you might find at other stadiums, even the Metrodome. The drinking seems wildly under control, if that’s possible, because it seems like these people have done this before. Perhaps yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.

It helps that you can carry alcohol pretty much everywhere, and the weather was spectacular, with a bright sun, low humidity and about 70 degrees to make it nearly perfect outside.

Inside, it looks pretty much like every other domed stadium, but if you thought it was loud inside the Metrodome during Twins’ World Series games or the Vikings-Green Bay game earlier this season, you would have been shocked by how loud it was Sunday inside the Superdome.

This is my third trip to New Orleans. The first was for Mardi Gras some years ago, and the other was in July, with nothing in particular happening in the city. It’s impossible not to be impressed by the hospitality of the New Orleans people.

Even the panhanlder along the river walk started his spiel with “I mean no disrespect, but …” It didn’t work, but you have to admire the polite approach. You come to expect it down here.



Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call 507-344-6353 or e-mail at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com.

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