New Orleans White Linen Night 2013

Visit South Walton invited us to attend the New Orleans White Linen Night with them, since Andy is the 2013 Visit South Walton Artist of the Year. We left Destin early morning on August 3rd and arrived in New Orleans around 12:30. You guys, it was so hot. I think I heard someone say the heat index was 105.

We were starving, so the Zehnder folks introduced us to La Casita on Julia Street in the Warehouse District. It was a short walk from where we would be setting up our tents for White Linen Night. The food was so great! Andy ordered The Mission and Jockamo Taco. I ordered two Jockamo Tacos, but I substituted the crawfish with shrimp. All were wonderful. Their salsa and tres queso were also delicious. So, although I'd usually come to New Orleans for Cajun food, I would definitely recommend La Casita.

After setting up our tent, we went back to the Courtyard New Orleans Downtown Convention Center to shower and change into our white linen. That felt good while it lasted, but we were hot and sweaty within about one minute of walking back outside. Ha! The hotel, by the way, was gorgeous. I love old buildings that have been renovated. I'm kind of obsessed with brick walls and exposed beams, so the hotel basically had me at hello. The only thing that would have made it more lovely is some of Andy's art hanging on the wall. What do you think, Marriott?

As mentioned, we were hanging out with the Zehnder folks. What is Zehnder? I'm glad you asked. They are the company that handles the marketing and public relations for Visit South Walton. They are doing an amazing job and we adore everyone we've met there. They have an impressive list of clients, so if you need someone to represent your company, you should give them a call. If you're lucky, one of these three ladies will handle your account.

Visit South Walton's display was incredibly cool. You could walk into their "beach" and hear the waves, show off your smile in their photo booth, pick up some South Walton swag, and even grab a $50 gas card for mentioning Visit South Walton on social media. Score!

Erica Falls performed right near where we were set up at the corner of Julia Street and Camp Street. She was fantastic! We really enjoyed listening to and watching her performance. She got the crowd dancing!

Our friends from Destin, Lissa and Paul, just happened to be in New Orleans celebrating their 8th anniversary. It was cool to see them. They didn't know about the event beforehand, so they weren't wearing white linen. No worries, though. In the crowd of 35,000+ people, they weren't the only ones not wearing white linen.

See? There were a few people wearing something other than white linen. Mostly everyone participated in the "not required" dress code, though. So cool!

Andy made a lot of new friends and gathered a lot of new fans, like this super cool couple. We chatted with them for awhile and I'm pretty sure we convinced them that South Walton is the best vacation spot in the country. Maybe they will come visit us?!

These three New Orleans inspired guys didn't stay in NOLA, but they sure were popular with the locals. If you want to purchase any or all of them, call Andy at (850) 502-0072 before someone else claims them!