610 Stompers

More public service from the 610 Stompers

I spotted the above billboard on North Broad Street across from the courthouse.  If you aren't from New Orleans, you may not recognize those iconic gentlemen.  The are the 610 Stompers, ordinary men with extraordinary moves.

They've only been in existence since 2009, but they have become part of the city's fabric.  We first saw them in a Mardi Gras parade in 2010.  Like anyone who has seen them in action, they made a lasting impression and won our admiration.

Now, they are cropping up on the sides of buses and at bus stops, as well as on billboards.

North Broad Street, New Orleans

Corner of N. Broad and Esplanade Avenue

As their website says, they come from the epicenter of culture in America.  It is hard to disagree.  Any place that can give birth to a group as ordinary and extraordinary as the 610 Stompers is the place to be.  You've never seen anything like them.  Of course, if you watched last year's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, you may have seen them there representing their city.  (Watch the Macy's video.)

Another sign on North Broad Street by the courthouse that makes me smile:

Mr. Everything

We have never eaten here, despite it being the home of the world famous grilled chicken.  La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast is located only a few blocks for what is called the home of the best fried chicken in America, Willie Mae's Scotch House.   Though Urban Spoon lists Willie Mae's as being in the 7th Ward, you can take it on eyewitness testimony that it is firmly planted in the 6th Ward, in Greater Treme.  

Esplanade Avenue forms the boundary between New Orleans' 6th and 7th Wards.  Downtown is the 7th.  Uptown is the 6th.  St. Anne Street is uptown of La Belle Esplanade.  The line outside the restaurant can stretch around the corner of St. Anne and N. Tonti Streets.  It is worth the wait, as anyone who has eaten at Willie Mae's can tell you.