Freret Street Market - Avery Werther

Freret Street Market - Avery Werther

Last Saturday morning I kicked off the weekend by running the Tulane Athletics 5k, for which I had done absolutely no training. I’m not even sure when the last time I actually ran was prior to this, but it’s been over a month. I registered the day before the race, partially just to give myself something to do in the morning (I’ve developed an unfortunate inability to sleep once the sun is up), and partially because I’ve been wanting to do a 5k all year and just haven’t gotten around to it. When I told my mom I was going to do it, she told me to take it easy and walk if I needed to. I told her I would. But I think we both knew my stubborn self was going to be running the whole way. And that’s exactly what happened.

It’s not that I cared about what place I came in or anything, like I used to way back when I ran cross country. I have since come to terms with the fact that I am not a spectacular runner, so now I am legitimately capable of “competing with myself” like I should’ve been doing a long time ago. (Hurray for emotional maturity and enlightenment!) I decided to aim for just keeping a nice pace the whole time, and I had a surprisingly easy time of it. Endurance has always been my primary strong point in running, but I didn’t feel half as bad as I used to when I would run long distances. I think that’s a testament to the strange phenomenon that I am somehow in far better shape now than I was when I played sports. Working out and training hard all the time just made me miserable while I was exercising – and lethargic and prone to unhealthy eating when I wasn’t. Now that I do a lot of walking and yoga, I enjoy exercising and have an overall healthier lifestyle. I think walking has kept me in good enough shape in terms of cardio, and yoga has strengthened my breath support enough that this run felt better than any I’d done before. I finished around 31 minutes, which I’m pretty sure is my best time ever, so I was pretty proud of myself. In addition to the joy of finishing a 5k, I was rewarded with a free Ironsides Waffle for breakfast! I had to wait nearly an hour for it, but it sure was good!

After that, I came back, took a delightful shower, and got ready to go to the Freret Street Market with a couple of my friends! The Freret Market is typically the first Saturday of every month, and I had been wanting to go to one for a while, but it had been on hiatus for the past few months. But finally, I had a perfect opportunity and perfect weather! We walked down around lunchtime, taking note of all the fun-looking places that we want to go on Freret some other time. We arrived to find an adorable open-air market with tons of cool vendors set up at tents. We walked around for a while, taking in all the neat knick-knacks, t-shirts, and art! We pretty much wanted to buy everything, but there was that whole problem of being broke college kids whose limited funds were definitely going to go towards food. Oh, the food!

We each bought an appetizer-type food to share: gourmet French fries from the Fry Bar and avocado fries and fried goat cheese balls from Black Swan Food Experience. (Yes, everything was fried. Deal with it.) It was all delicious, but the goat cheese was a standout: pecan crusted and topped with a mildly fruity sauce, it was an explosion of gooey, creamy goodness. I’m probably going to try cooking something similar sometime when I have proper kitchen access. Anyway, after that we found some refreshing fancy teas to go with our main courses from La Cocinita. La Cocinita is a popular food truck, and I’ve been wanting to try it for quite some time, but every time I get the opportunity, there’s always something else I end up going with instead. I won’t be making that mistake again, because it was some of the best food I’d had in a while. I got a rice bowl with chicken and two different sauces which I can regrettably no longer recall the names of, but I do recall that it was exceptionally delicious. My friends got tacos, and those looked pretty great, too. Suffice it to say that I will not be passing up opportunities to eat at La Cocinita anymore. Finally, because my stomach has the ability to suspend utter fullness until I have thoroughly stuffed my face on occasions like this, I concluded with a Nutella crêpe from Crêpes a la Carte for dessert. And you probably don’t need me to tell you that a Nutella crêpe was amazing, but just in case, here you go: it was amazing.

While we ate, we sat and enjoyed the live music. It was a British bluegrass band called Doctor Bluegrass and the Illbilly Eight, and they played an assortment of cool covers of everything from “House of the Rising Sun” to Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” They sounded really great, and after their show, my friends even asked for a picture with them! Lastly, we proceeded to look around one more time to see if there was anything else we wanted to blow our money on. I found aStreetcar Named Desire tank top for myself, but then I wanted to find something for my mom, too, since she would be visiting the next day. We were nearing the end of the loop when I spotted it: a t-shirt reading “Poe-boy” with a cartoon picture of Edgar Allan Poe holding a dead raven sandwiched between some French bread. Naturally, I knew this was the perfect gift for my English-teacher mother, and I promptly proceeded to buy it. Meanwhile, my friends were deliberating, and they both ended up buying one for themselves! (That vendor probably really liked us after that.) Then, satisfied with a really fun day at the market, we headed back, vowing to return to future markets whenever possible.

The next day, my mom visited, and I presented her with the Poe-boy shirt, which she loved. We did all our usual walking and shopping and eating, and of course got a few days worth of breakfast from District Donuts. Thus, an excellent weekend came to a close, and the ensuing rainy week kept me too busy to write about it. But now, a week later, I’m sitting on Newcomb Quad, enjoying the finally-lovely weather and catching up on my blogging. I will now conclude by wishing you all both a happy Pi(e) Day and a happy St. Patrick’s Day! Thanks for reading!

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For more great articles including observations, adventures, restaurants, recipes and fitness by Avery, check out her blog "Fort Nola" at www.fortnola.com.

Ways Tulane Students Change the World: #1,834

by Lindsey Hoyt, Admission Counselor

Biomedical engineering grads and their ventilation device.

If you were to dedicate a year of your college experience to finding a solution to someone else’s medical issue, what would that issue be? Would you use your own two hands to build a more comfortable prosthetic limb for someone in your neighborhood? Or would you create a procedure that would allow physicians in low-resource communities to more efficiently and successfully resuscitate a newborn? 

This is the challenge all Tulane biomedical engineering students are presented with at the beginning of their Team Design project. To not only find a solution to a problem, but to find the problem itself.

But let’s back up a bit. Nearly two decades back, in fact. Long before public service was a requirement for all Tulane students, a Tulane biomedical engineering professor began identifying members of the New Orleans community with disabilities whose needs could be directly addressed by Tulane’s biomedical engineering students. The Team Design project became a component of the required curriculum for the BME program, and through the years, over 200 families were helped by specialized assistive devices built by Tulane undergraduate students. 

Dr. Lars Gilbertson

When Dr. Lars Gilbertson took the reins a few years ago, he began to expand the program to consider issues in global health, addressing problems faced by the medical community in low-resource settings and partnering with local non-profits.

In recent years, students have worked closely with Team Gleason, an organization founded by hometown hero and former Saints player Steve Gleason. Tulane biomedical engineering students developed devices to help people afflicted by Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Last year, one team developed a control system that allows a patient to operate the joystick of a wheelchair through eye movements alone. Another team worked on an automatic suctioning device for patients with a tracheal tube.

 

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton and Steve Gleason in the Superdome. Courtesy: New Orleans Saints

Before they can create these devices and systems, however, the students go through a rigorous process of research, not only identifying the problem they want to address, but researching all “prior art;” and answering questions Dr. Gilbertson throws at them in class. “How soon does a lack of blood flow lead to ischemia and then tissue death in surgical patients placed in a single position over an extended period of time?” “Who is the target audience for a device like this? Hospitals? Caregivers? The patients themselves?” “How has the team addressed issues like patience compliance?” “Is this clinically relevant?” Good natured and supportive, Dr. Gilbertson still challenges the students at every turn, and they respond to his questions with confidence.

As the year progresses, the students will work with Dr. Gilbertson, local and national experts in specific medical fields, and their team members to design their device. They will also work with Tulane’s Office of Technology Transfer to file for provisional patents on their devices. 

These undergraduate students will have complete control over their intellectual property, and several have gone on to found start-ups based on the devices and systems they created while under Dr. Gilbertson’s mentorship at Tulane University.

If you could change the world, how would you do it?

Those Who Can... Teach

by Lindsey Hoyt, Admission Counselor

Photos courtesy of Tulane New Wave.

How does creative writing taught by a National Book Award winner sound? Meet Associate Professor Jesmyn Ward.

Louisiana coastline, 2010. Associated Press.

How about computer science from a professor building a $480K web tool to display information gathered by Tulane's Disaster Recovery Leadership Academy about the BP oil spill? Meet Tulane computer science professor Kristen Brent Venable.

Photos courtesy of Tulane New Wave and Warner Brothers.

Would you like to take your freshman bio class from a professor hired by filmmakers as an expert on alien life-forms? Meet Dr. Bruce Fleury.

Left: Tulane New Wave.  Right: Steve McQueen by William Claxton, 1962. "American Cool", The Smithsonian.

How about discussing the meaning of "cool" with the man who built an entire Smithsonian exhibition around the concept? Meet WWOZ jazz DJ and Tulane English professor Joel Dinerstein.

Can you see yourself learning the ins and outs of financial analysis from the former Chief Investment Officer of the State of Louisiana? Meet Professor Peter Ricchiuti.

Only at Tulane. Only in New Orleans.

From Degas to KAWS: Art at Tulane

Tulane Admission Counselor Lindsey Hoyt highlights recent art exhibitions at Tulane's Newcomb Art Gallery. 

The Newcomb Gallery, in the heart of Tulane's campus, is a place for wandering. A few months ago, you wandered through the Gallery's Prospect 3 exhibition, past the overwhelmingly vibrant mixed-media work of Ebony G. Patterson...

Detail of Brella Krew (from the Fambily series), photo from ARC Magazine, courtesy of Ebony G. Patterson

                                      

And then through a room covered in 1500 feet of black rope, which to anyone from New Orleans, looked a lot like black Mardi Gras beads...

Professor Patrick Coll installs The Nameless, by artist Hew Locke. Courtesy: New Wave.  Professor Patrick Coll installs The Nameless, by artist Hew Locke. Courtesy: New Wave.

Today, you wander through an exhibition of drawings, photographs, and sculptures by one of modern history's most famous artists, Edgar Degas...

Edgar Degas, Self Portrait, 1857. Photo courtesy of the Newcomb Gallery.

Edgar Degas, The Star - Dancer on Stage, 1878. Photo courtesy of the Musée d'Orsay. Degas had close family ties to New Orleans, and spent 1872-1873 in a beautiful house on Esplanade Avenue, painting portraits of his family members and New Orleans life, including the famous A Cotton Office in New Orleans.

A Cotton Office in New Orleans, Edgar Degas, 1873. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

And in a few more months, just in time to welcome the Tulane Class of 2019 to campus, the Newcomb Gallery will host an exhibition of works by New York-based artist KAWS, who started as a graffiti artist, reworking and subverting advertisements on the street. Now, KAWS creates brilliant works on paper and enormous, commanding sculptures referencing some of our most beloved cartoon characters from the last hundred years.

KAWS, photo courtesy of livincool.com

Follow KAWS' Instagram for a hint at what the Newcomb Gallery will be bringing our way next.

Whether you love the delicate, weightless beauty of Degas' little dancers, or the monumental modern art of a former graffiti artist, the Newcomb Gallery is a place to wander, to ponder, to discover.

Pico Picks: Festivals to Know in NOLA

Buku Music and Arts Festival

When I first visited Tulane in 2012, I was disappointed to learn I had missed New Orleans newest music festival, Buku, by just one weekend. As soon as I enrolled, I bought tickets for the next year with no hesitation. Now I’ve gone three years in a row, and every time I've grown to love the festival a little bit more.

The first year, I was just an excited festival-goer, marveling over the intricate stages, creative art installations, and good tunes. In 2013, I had a hand in the festival’s preparation as a volunteer (and I got to attend for free). Now, I’m headed to Buku as a journalist, watching the shows from the pit and interviewing my favorite artists. From all these different positions and perspectives, I have learned a lot about the festival, and myself. Most notably, Buku helped me discover my passion for the music industry, particularly in areas such as marketing and sponsorship. For that, I am forever grateful.

When discussing Buku, you have to consider its incredible history. Founded in 2012 by Winter Cold Productions and Huka Entertainment, the festival was designed to attract a younger crowd interested in electronic, hip-hop, and indie music. In its first year, organizers managed to draw artists ranging from Skrillex and Avicii to Wiz Khalifa. Since then, the lineups have maintained their integrity as attendance grows at unprecedented rate. This year, A$AP Rocky, Bassnectar, Passion Pit, and Empire of the Sun are the headliners for the rapidly expanding festival.

Portugal. The Man at the Float Den

Another notable thing about Buku is its very New Orleanian appreciation for art. At the beginning of the festival, street artists go to work on blank canvases mounted on scaffolding that overlooks the central area. The art in motion adds a creative buzz to the area. Also, the environment itself is extremely significant. The festival takes place at the iconic Mardi Gras World complex on the Mississippi River. On the outskirts of the indoor areas, massive floats and props from the parades look on merrily. Some of my best memories are from the Float Den and Ballroom Stages, which are characterized by Mardi Gras memorabilia.

Since much of my Tulane career has been characterized and shaped by music, it’s no surprise that Buku has been a big part of my college experience. Freshman year, it was where I bonded with the people who would become my best friends (“The Bukrewe”), and every time I go back I marvel at Buku’s magical ability to create memories and bring people together against a one-of-a-kind backdrop in a one-of-a-kind city. Buku is more than just a place in time, it is a lifestyle.

Odesza in the Ballroom

By: Justin Picard

Photos By: Patrick Ainsworth x Buku Media

Nora in Nola: A Day on Magazine Street

Nora in Nola: A Day on Magazine Street

As we all know, Magazine street is one of the best parts of New Orleans. Each time people ask me for restaurant recommendations, it's my "go to" - but there are so many options that it's even hard to narrow down my list of recommendations. So I've put together my favorite options so you can spend a lovely day on Magazine street filled with food, shopping, and happy hours - even on a student budget. Enjoy!

Breakfast/Brunch

Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar, 1418 Magazine st.

Surrey's is one of my favorite brunch places in New Orleans. My favorite dishes include Bananas Foster French Toast ($9) and Huevos Rancheros ($7.75). They also have good sandwiches (including poboys!) and salads in case you're having a late brunch. Their juice bar is definitely a savior after a day of traveling or not eating healthily for a few days.

Check out the menu here: http://menuorleans.com/surreys-cafe-juice-bar

Bananas Foster French Toast - too good to be true

Another Broken Egg Cafe, 2917 Magazine st.

Another Broken Egg Cafe has the best Eggs Benedict I've ever had! You can get the classic, but there's also great variations including one with smoked salmon on a bagel and other with crab cakes! You can easily spend $15 and under on the meal, and the portions are great sizes. I also highly recommend the blueberry grits and the biscuit beignets. If you have to wake up early for breakfast, this is the place to do it.

Check out the menu here: http://www.anotherbrokenegg.com/menu

 

District: Donuts. Sliders. Brew., 2209 Magazine st.

If you are ever going to eat a donut, this is absolutely the place to do it. If you follow any Nola foodie on Instagram, Facebook, etc, I guarantee there is at least one picture of District Donuts. The amazing donuts are enough to fill you for a whole day, but if you're not full, you can wash it down with a slider and coffee. The donuts are categorized by "simple", "fancy", and "extra fancy" - for no more than $3. I've had too many to remember, but my favorites have been Boston Cream Pie, Wedding Cake, Mexican Hot Chocolate and Vietnamese Iced Coffee and Maple Sriracha. Seriously. So. Good.

Check it out here: http://www.donutsandsliders.com/menu/

Nutella mousse with caramelized bananas

Lunch

Dat Dog, 3336 Magazine st.

Now I've never been a huge fan of hot dogs, but these gourmet hot dogs are completely different (and better!) than any others. You get to choose which "dog" you want (beef, pork, smoked sage vegan, chipotle veggie, veggie patty, Guinness, italian, turducken, duck, crawfish, alligator, slovenian sausage, bratwurst, kielbasa, and fish) and then load it up with as many toppings as you like! They also have amazing fries - chili, cheese, and even crawfish! The hot dogs are less than $8 - an amazing deal for a lot of food! They also have a happy hour and outdoor seating, so it's a great place to go when the weather is nice!

Check it out: http://datdognola.com/

Magasin Vietnamese Cafe, 4201 Magazine st.

If there's one place to get Pho in New Orleans, this is the spot. They range from between $7-12 each and are enough to fill you for the rest of the day. I also recommend the vermicelli noodle dishes and the Vietnamese crepe. It's a great option to have a lighter meal in between a heavy brunch and another heavy dinner. It even won an "Eat Fit Nola" for having so many menu options under 500 calories!

Check out the menu: http://magasin-cafe.wl-6548.happytables.com/content/uploads/sites/6518/2015/01/2014-November-Magasin-Menu_final.pdf

Del Fuego, 4518 Magazine st.

Del Fuego is fairly new to Nola, but has already achieved a lot of success. Their guacamole is to die for - seriously, my mom and I had 3 helpings before our entrees came. They have a taco deal (3 for $12 with yummy sides) with options from chicken, steak, goat and pork to even cactus! Their burritos are also fantastic and last over 2 meals. Del Fuego is definitely now one of my favorite restaurants and the best Mexican restaurant in the city. They even have a great happy hour from 3-7 as well!

Probably the best guacamole I've ever had

Happy hour and Dinner

Rum House, 3128 Magazine st.

Rum House is one of the all time best places to eat in New Orleans. Its Latin/Caribbean food appeals to even the pickiest of eaters. I'd recommend the Queso Blanco Dip ($6.75), Damn Good Nachos ($12.95), and the following tacos: Jerk Chicken, Lamb Vindaloo, Calypso Beef and Fried Oyster. The tacos are only $3-4 each, but you can get 3 with 2 sides for only $12! Although there is usually a wait, I guarantee Rum House is absolutely worth it and you'll be surrounded by Tulane students as well! Taco Tuesday ($2 each) and Happy Hour (which they call "Island time") are opportunities that Tulane students love to take advantage of. 

Check out the menu here: http://www.rumhousenola.com/food-menu/

Peche Seafood Grill, 800 Magazine st.

Peche is also new to New Orleans, and already a huge hit - since this summer, it's already won lots of major awards. I brought my parents and it was one of the best meals we've ever had here. We shared a whole grilled fish, fried bread with sea salt, roasted carrots, and hushpuppies. This is definitely a restaurant to bring your parents to as it isn't exactly ideal for a student's budget, but the meal is completely worth it. Be sure to make reservations, as it's now one of Nola's hottest spots!

Check out the menu here: http://www.pecherestaurant.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Peche-Menu-2-11-2015.pdf

Whole grilled redfish - a Nola classic!

Salú, 3226 Magazine st.

Salú is my "go to" for birthday dinners. Between amazing paellas (don't make the mistake my friend did and try to eat it alone, it's meant for 4!), sweet and savory (including Nutella) flatbreads and delicious tapas, you can't go wrong. They also have my favorite happy hour deals on Magazine: Thursday nights you get a free bottle of wine with a paella, and every day between 4-7 there's half priced drinks, mussels and flatbreads. They also have amazing brunch deals, including bottomless mimosas for $15. Like I said - you can't go wrong.

Check out their menu: http://www.salurestaurant.com/menu/index.html

Don't be fooled - this is only the half portion

Good luck and happy eating!