38. The first reference to "Who Dat?" can be found in the 19th Century. A featured song in E.E. Rice's "Summer Nights" is the song "Who Dat Say Chicken In dis Crowd", with lyrics by poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

37."Who Dat Nation" has become a popular term for the community of Saints fans. According to Bobby Hebert, formerly a Saints quarterback and currently a sports commentator in New Orleans, the term "Who Dat Nation" originated after a 2006 game between the Saints and the favored Cowboys , which the Saints won; after the game, listeners from a wide geographic range called in to Hebert's radio show on WWL(AM), and Hebert commented, "Man, there's a whole Who Dat Nation out there."


36. The entire "Who Dat?" chant is: "Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?"

35. Although, beads were already a parade handout in the 1840's, glass beads didn't arrive as a popular staple in New Orleans until the 1880's. Things have once again changed, however. Most of the strands today are designed with cheaper materials such as plastic and aluminum.




34. According to an article from Slate.com, the celebration of Mardi Gras beads records back to the 1840's.

33. The other day as I was sitting on my couch I heard drums beating in the distance. They seemed to be getting closer. Soon it sounded like they were banging right outside my front door! I got up to take a look outside only to discover a whole marching band going past me! I watched in amazement as the musicians and dancers strolled by my house. It felt like my very own parade! I heart NOLA!

32. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state of Louisiana.

31. The climate of New Orleans is considered humid subtropical.

30. Saint Louis Cemetery #1 is located just 8 blocks from the Mississippi River on Basin Street. The renown VooDoo priestess Marie Laveau is buried there along with Bernard de Marigny, a French -Creole gentleman, who brought the game of craps to the United States.

29. Jean LaFitte's, The Old Absinthe House, sits at the corner of Bourbon Street and Bienville in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The building endures the name Jean Lafitte's because of the rumored meeting of Pirate Jean Lafitte and Andrew Jackson as they planned the victory of the battle of New Orleans on the second floor.

28. People have said that the LaBranche House on St. Peter and Royal is haunted by not only Mrs. LaBranche herself but also by a young woman by the name of Melissa.

27. The LaBranche House located at 700 Royal Street features the most photographed balcony in all of the French Quarter.

26. "Louisiana's Mardi Gras is marked by several lavish parades thrown by Carnival organizations known as krewes. But instead of politely watching the floats go by, spectators belt out the time-honored plea of "throw me something, mister" as they jostle for one of the trinkets tossed by masked men and women on passing floats."
www.news.nationalgeographic .com/news/2004/02/0220_040220_mardigras.html

This frame was inspired by a gift from my very good friend MLE.


25. The New Orleans Owls were a band that recorded 18 sides during 1925-1927. Their 1925 compilation album is called "The Owl's Hoot!"

24. In 2002, Louisiana began offering tax incentives for film and television production.







23. 10.1 million visitors came to New Orleans in 2004.

22. "It was in the city of New Orleans that I experienced a genuine new thrill, that of seeing ferns fairly take possession of two cemeteries located in the heart of the city, with but high brick walls to favor them."

- H.E. Ransier from "The Cemetery Ferns of New Orleans"

21. My favorite ice cream flavor at Creole Creamery on Prytania Street is Lavender Honey. It's amazing! I heart NOLA!






20. My favorite tree in Audubon Park is a skinny little tree that blooms a brilliant pink in the Spring.

19. Timber is Louisiana's number one agricultural crop.

18. Louisiana became the 18th U.S. state.

17. The famous New Orleans water meter cover was created in Wabash, Indiana.


16. Security workers once found 6 potentially stolen water meter covers in the luggage of travelers leaving New Orleans after alarms sounded on the baggage screening equipment.


15. The famous New Orleans water meter cover weighs approximately 9 pounds.


14. New Orleans was one of Ford Meter Box Company's oldest utility customers, and in 1924, nearly half of the company's sales were to the city of New Orleans.

13. "A Streetcar named Desire" is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams.

12. In the Uptown/Carrollton area of town there is a section of New Orleans referred to as "Pigeon Town."


The other day at work a pigeon walked through the front door. With a small crowd of customers watching I attempted to guide our new feathered French Quarter friend straight out the door, but instead he flew into the front window bumping his little bird head and landing coincidentally into what is the bird section of the store. I then attempted to pick up this flailing pigeon (and for those of you who know me well, you can imagine the gracefulness included in this performance), but before I made contact with the bird, a kind customer, silent and clad in black came to the rescue! Without saying a word he scooped the pigeon up in his gloved hands and then let the bird fly free back into the arms of the city of New Orleans! It was quite the site.

The zany incident left quite an impression on me and as a result I decided to create a frame dedicated to pigeons.

This frame was inspired by my husband.

11. Adam Klein Hall is a local New Orleans Artist who currently specializes in painting Garden District landscapes.

10. New Orleans is located approximately 105 miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico.







9. New Orleans is home to one of the largest and busiest ports in the world.





8. Baroness Pontalba finished the Pontalba Apartments in New Orleans' French Quarter in 1850. She ordered cast iron to be made in New York and shipped down to Mississippi. Her maiden and her last name began with an "A" and "P" which are winded in the cast iron railing which can still be found on the buildings today.

7. Amtrak operated the "City of New Orleans" reliably through the 1980s and into the 1990s; and in 1992, the "City of New Orleans" had the highest on-time performance rate of all Amtrak services at 87%.





6. The "City of New Orleans" is a nightly passenger train operated by Amtrak which travels 926 miles between Chicago and New Orleans.

5. The city of New Orleans is named after Philippe II, Duc d'Orleans, Regent of France.





4. The New Orleans water meter design was created by Edwin Ford circa 1920. Edwin Ford was the founder of the Ford Meter Box Company, which was founded in 1898.




3. The area code for New Orleans is 504.

2. On July 9 2008, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill into law making the fleur-de-lis an official symbol of the state. Following Hurricane Katrina, the fleur-de-lis has been widely used in New Orleans as a symbol of grassroots support for New Orleans' recovery.

1. New Orleans was founded in 1718 by French colonist Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.

Welcome!

Greetings! My name is Jennifer Mansfield, or Pen, and this is my first blog.

I would like to welcome you first by saying "Happy New Year!" As the end of 2009 approached, I began thinking to myself about the adventures the year had brought me. It had been a good year. I began thinking of my past and what this new future might bring to me. It is now 2010. It is the beginning of a new year , a new decade, and a new project for Pen. So this year I've decided one thing I'd like to do is learn more about the city I call Home, New Orleans! With each new NOLAheart creation I make this year I plan to include one new fact about "The City that Care Forgot." Check out all the Big Easy facts I find on my new blog: Jennifer Mansfield Designs!