New Orleans - Our First date
/By Shaunté Kinch
We decided to meet in New Orleans for Essence Fest July 4th weekend of 2013. I, Shaunté, had attended several times but hadn't been in a few years. Antoine had been wanting to go and he had been invited to participate on the Essence Bachelor's panel (I'll get back to that). New Orleans is a prime date destination. Cobblestone streets for romantic walks, amazing restaurants, interesting history, street performers and live music make this the perfect location for getting to know someone better and learning your common interests.
Although I had known AK (that's what I've been calling him lately) for 17 years at this point, I was VERY nervous to see him. What if we didn't "click" romantically? Could this weekend ruin our friendship? I had all kinds of fear running through my mind. But in true Shaunté fashion, fear has never stopped me before so why start this weekend. Antoine wasn't scared at all. He was ready. He had been ready for 17 years (or so he says).
Here are my recommendations for going to the Essence festival:
Essence Festival
Make a plan
- There are SO many shows with great artists. Get your tickets early. You don't want to find out too late that you just missed Prince. Review the schedule ahead of time and determine who you have to see perform. There will be performers on the main stage and in the super lounges performing at the same time. This year the headliners were Maxwell & Jill Scott.
- The convention center is POPPING during the day. Every major sponsor has a booth (McDonald's, Ford, MSNBC etc) There are free performances, Deejays, keynotes, a vendor market and give-aways. It can quickly be overwhelming. If you've never been, go. If you've been before I recommend just going at a specific time to catch the thing you want to see.
- They give away SO much stuff. If you're into SWAG then plan on checking a bag on the way home. It's wasn't really our thing, and we don't like standing in lines so we skipped a lot of it. My first time attending when I was when I was in my 20's. I brought home lots of bags of body oils, shampoo, t-shirts, cups, and all kinds of miscellaneous stuff that I didn't need.
- It a great girls trip, boo trip, or guys trip!
- I went with my girls for years. Since Essence caters to black women, there is plenty to keep us entertained (like a whole section dedicated to hair and beauty). We always had free passes (hook ups) and would hang out backstage and have the best seats but this time we bought our tickets ahead of time and had a good view of the stage.
- Although a very different experience, I loved going with Antoine. We sung to each other and danced like it was only us in the SuperDome.
- Being that the demographic in New Orleans that weekend shoots up to 80% women, it's the perfect time for single men to visit. This is self explanatory…...
The "Bachelor"
- As one of Essence's Most Eligible bachelors, Antoine had to spend about an hour on a Q&A panel while single women asked the men questions and then had the opportunity to mingle with them in hopes of getting a date.
- I'm a good sport. I just jumped right on in with the rest of the ladies. AK is at home in the spotlight. I loved seeing him in his element. I enjoyed watching other women vie for his attention, knowing that he was leaving with me.
Lodging
- This depends on your personal preference. If you are single, looking to meet people and be in the mix I suggest one of the larger hotels or the casino. The two times that we have gone now, we stayed in private rentals. The first year we stayed in a VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) that was on the edge of the French Quarter. This place was perfect. It was close enough to walk to everything but not in the middle of the madness so still great for us to spend some quiet time. The second year, we stayed in an AirB&B right on Bourbon Street…not a good idea (maybe when you are in your 20's).
Not bad for a first date right? We partied at day parties, went to concerts at night, ate brunch, listened to jazz, walked through art galleries, drank coffee at Cafe Du Monde, talked & listened to each other as if we had just met. Antoine's friend Chris had a cookout at his house on the Sunday that we were leaving. There I got to hang out with some of Antoine's BC classmates Kalia and Candace and their friends. The food was banging and Chris threw down in that kitchen! It was Antoine's first time having Crawfish as well! Everything was great and we didn't want to leave. It was time to go to the airport. I would head back to San Jose, California and Antoine would go back to Raleigh, North Carolina. Even though we knew each other since college, this was different. I think we both could see the potential and planned to see each other again soon.
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