Lower Haight Art Walk, Friday, August 6, 2010, 6-10pm: $60 Tattoos and Grayceon on the roof!!!! WHAT???!!!!

Yes, it's true! We are gearing up for the next Lower Haight Art Walk! I have a feeling this one might possibly top all the others (I know, I know, they've been pretty epic so far). I heard there will be food vendors in front of several stores, a neighborhood scavenger hunt, lots of live music and we will again be doing our special $60 Get-What-You-Get tattoos, . If you're not familiar with this I'll give a quick explanation: On the art walk night, and only the art walk night we do tattoos for a special $60 price. The only catch: you must get your tattoo from the gumball machine...whatever comes out is what you get. Get what you get. Get it? We put a bunch of images we're excited about tattooing so it's a lot of fun for everyone involved. And the part that I'm especially excited about is Grayceon will be playing on our roof at 8:30! I loooooooove this band, they are one of my favorite local bands to see and to have them play on the roof is going to be so spectacular! You seriously do not want to miss this night. Tell your friends.

Be Nice, Or Leave

Someone recently gave me shit for promising a New Orleans post and then not doing it. I think what's been taking me so long is I took sooooo many pictures and it's hard not to share them all but I also have to edit them and that's kind of a process for me so I just keep putting it off. And I don't want to spend all night doing this so I'm going to keep it short. Here we go:

This was my first meal in New Orleans. I got there sort of late and went straight to my hotel. This was the only place that delivered that late and it took FOR-EVER for it to arrive. I thought i was going to die. It looks kind of nasty but it was freaking delicious.

Here is my first breakfast. I stayed in the French Quarter and the shop, Electric Ladyland is located right on the edge so I dragged my equipment around in my little case on wheels, in the complete wrong direction from the shop because my iphone was being really, really stupid. I, again, was starving, and at this point sweating like a rapist (I really contemplated saying that but it's late and it seems kind of funny right now but I'm pretty sure it's going to be totally offensive when I wake up) and I finally found a divey looking bar called Buffa's that was open and served food. That breakfast was tast-eeeee! I drank like 6 cups of coffee and really regretted it later.

So I tattood this dude on this dude the first day I was there. I have to say it was a lot of fun and a good way to start out my trip.

This is Paulie, one of the receptionists/counter boy at Electric Ladyland.

The wall next to the copy machine...

I started a tattoo on Vanessa when I was in Austin a few years ago of a Much-styled girl riding and impaling a shark. She's from Memphis but she met me in New Orleans so I could add to it. I outlined her whole arm with poppies and birds and an ornate frame around the Mucha girl. This black bird is down by her wrist...

This was drawn by another artist at the shop, I did one on a girl and he did one on her friend. She told me they were part of a program (unfortunately I don't remember the name) with a group of people who all came down to help rebuild homes. The blue van was their transportation.

This is on the balcony of our room. I didn't really think about the weather when I packed other than I thought it was going to rain. I almost had a heat stroke with those socks and boots.

I looooooove all the hanging ferns and the architecture in the French Quarter.

Here's a view of the station I tattooed in at the shop.

Dramatic lighting and sky in the FQ

I love the way this sign is hung to look like the dress is blowing in the wind.

This tattoo is on another one of the shop boys. I totally forgot who did it it. But I like that the penis has a penis. It's attention to detail like that that sets some tattooers apart from others.

Flash on the wall at Electric Ladyland Tattoo

A cute panda I did on a man who was visiting N.O. with his family. He just emailed me the other day because they're going to be in the Bay Area and wants to make an appointment but unfortunately I'll be out of town...

This is a creepy mini version of a Hogarth hand that was fun to do.

The tiniest peace pipe ever...

I really loved this restaurant, The Green Goddess. They put us in this back room that was actually just a hallway to the bathroom and the stairs because the actual dining room and outdoor patio were full. We were the only ones back there and it was a lot of fun.

Not to mention the food was delicious! This was the best gazpacho soup I've ever had and I made gazpacho soup for weeks after I got home.

Bourbon Street. Didn't spend much time here.

Le Petit Soldier!

Window shopping

More window shopping...

I loved this art but everytime I walked by the gallery they were closed so I never got to see it up close. These "paintings" are sewn with fabric rather than paint...

Sno-Balls!!

voodoo

This was my least favorite meal. I went in to get beignets for Mr. S and got myself a crawfish omelet and some grits. It wasn't so good. I'm still sad to this day about that omelet.

My boyfriend's cousin lives in New Orleans and was giving us a tour. He wanted to take us to this bar but unfortunately it was closed. I'm so glad we got to see the building though because the mural painted on it is pret-ty cool.

right?

a blurry artsy photo

So we end up at this bar instead...

This guy was randomly hanging out inside. He used to work at Memphis Minnie's across the street from Idle Hand and got this Slayer tattoo from Iggy during our 06.06.06 party.

We got to hang out with Eric and Meredith who I worked for at Steel Angel when I lived in Texas back in the day. They're now living in New Orleans. These are Eric's hands. I remember sitting there while Justin tattooed them 8 or so years ago.

Al Green Drugs.

a quick sketch I made of the piano player at the oldest bar in the U.S.: Lafittes

 A new friend waiting for us at our room one night...

This cemetary is a group of tombs for the unidentified victims of the levee breaking during Katrina (I have a problem with saying they were victims of Katrina because New Orleans actually survived Katrina. What it didn't survive was the levee breaking and the flooding and the politics that created this disaster.)

 

The Benjamin Button house

Man I ate some good food on this trip! Everything you see here (except that little salad to the left) went inside my belly. The best part? The smoked duck quesadilla. What?!?!

This was inside the Pharmacy Museum, one of my favorite stops on this trip

Lunch at 13 (across from Electric Ladyland in my other favorite neighborhood, Marigny)  with my new bottle I found at one of the numerous, awesome antique stores right after we left the Pharmacy Museum.

 I too want to know where "the heck is wall drug"?!

At the Pharmacy Museum

Pharmacy

New Orleans has the best business signage

see the water line?

Brad Pitt is helping to rebuild the Lower 9th with these fancy houses that have solar panels and a bunch of other cool features.

We met Terry (one of the artists at Electric Ladyland) on our last day for brunch. Sadly I don't remember the name of this restaurant but what I do remember is how AWESOME my soft crab benedict was. Good Lord I want to go to there again!!!!!

Terry and his delicious benedict brekky.

I spied this little slice of San Francisco in the FQ

Started out on Burgundy, but soon hit the harder stuff

(I had no idea those buffoons were behind me, which is why I love this picture!)

A goodbye sky as we were leaving

I've missed New Orleans almost every single day since I left. I had so much fun tattooing at the shop, everyone there and everyone in New Orleans is so damn nice! I really can't wait to go back.

Thanks New Orleans, for the good times, laughs and new friends!

(p.s. so much for keeping it short!)