New Orleans is a lot closer than you think

By David Krell

We all want to go to New Orleans.

Between the food, the music, the aura of every street at any moment and the ability to basically do whatever you want, whenever you want, we all would go and be excited about it.

Unfortunately, Katrina, BP and a very high murder rate keep many potential tourists from actually visiting.  Despite the city being worth the risk- and I do recommend visiting as soon as possible- there's a way to get the best of New Orleans in New Jersey- only an hour outside of New York City; even native New Orleans' folk would admit to its authenticity.

Everything from the music to the food to the white guys in loose jimmy buffet-like shirts made it seem so.  Moreover, New Orleans is a city of storytellers, but the manner in which they tell their stories is what makes it special.

The sense of patience in their voices, the jovial nature of their demeanor, as if they have nowhere to be, but more importantly, that they wouldn't want to be anywhere else.  

Now let's not fool ourselves, as a big part of that happiness comes from the music and the food.

The 2011 Crawfish Fest had all that and more.  From one of the Radiators final performances to Cowboy Mouth and the Iguanas, New Orleans finest musicians were certainly represented.  

After 25 years of Crawfish Fest, that comes to no surprise to anyone who has been attending.  This Native New Yorker, however, was shocked.  

Not only did they fly-in the artists, but they did so for the cooks as well.  I even learned that these same cooks have returned year after year- the only thing changing being the amount of food they prepare.

I could go on and on in regard to why this festival represents one of the world's greatest cities and how it does so in a manner that would make every native of New Orleans proud, but that itself doesn't do the festival justice.

That being said, nothing takes the place of the city itself, but if you were ever going to claim that something could, Crawfish Fest- or Crawfest as the veterans call it- would be awfully close.