Choose Your Own Saturday

Some days I wish I could clone myself. There are just so many awesome things going on today that I think I’m going to have to create a few separate itineraries–to let this post become a Choose Your Own Adventure, if you will. I guess I better switch to second person if I’m going to honor the CYOA formula.

You wake up bright and early (it’s open from 8-noon), and decide to go to The Crescent City Farmer’s Market— Saturday, downtown edition. You are pretty sure that you can find all the produce and protein you need to make these fancy Shrimp and Andouille Pot Pies.

Now dinner is squared away. So, you can stay on this food-related theme and head over to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum for their Cuccidati-making workshop. Apparently Cuccidati are a traditional St. Joseph’s Day offering. Don’t you just love this sort of food geekery? Anyone? $15 for non-members. $5 for members. 2-4.

Or…after the market, you remember that you are desperately trying to see all of the Best Picture nominees, and you head out to the AMC Elmwood, where, starting at 10:30 in the morning, they are showing a marathon of 5 of the 10 nominees. One ticket gets you into all 5, and they give you unlimited popcorn and soda. The movies are: Precious, The Blind Side, Inglourious Basterds, Up in the Air and Avatar. If you can manage that in one day, you are a stronger person than I.

Or…after the market, you decide to get all crafty. You can’t resist the “Be a Southern Puppeteer” workshop at the Ogden Museum, mostly because you really have to know what distinguishes a southern puppeteer from a yankee puppeteer, or a western one for that matter. The workshop is for kids, so you take yours (or borrow some) and head out. 10-noon. $25. From there, you head over to 3 Ring Circus’ The Big Top Gallery for their Mardi Gras Bead Workshop. Finally, cute ideas for repurposing those ubiquitous Mardi Gras beads. 1-5. $5.

Or…after the market, you decide to head to the Northshore to Fontainebleau State Park for “Skulls and Bones.” No, Mandeville is not the secret meeting place for entitled, Yale brats who will one day rule the world. Skulls and Bones is a nature walk and lecture on the bone structures and skeletal systems of the park’s animals. 11 a.m. Although, the former would be a nice plot for a Jackie Collins novel. Speaking of which! After the park, head back to New Orleans proper to Harrah’s Casino, where Jackie herself will be in person signing copies of her new book Poor Little Bitch Girl. 2-4. Umm. Rad.

And now, regardless of the path you chose, you are back at the beginning. And those shrimp and Andouille pot pies aren’t going to cook themselves!