A Reminder Not to Judge Books (Or Wine Bars Apparently) by Covers

Saturday night we went to a wine bar called "Bacchanal". I'd met someone in the band the night before and been invited, and in the interest of safety, community building and good taste decided to invite the rest of the group to come with. A few agreed, adventures ensued, as they usually seem to around here.
Since some of us were making it the beginning of our night and others were making it a midway point, we decided to go in a couple of groups. The group I was in had no car, and decided to look up directions and find a friend to drop us off. According to Google maps, the place was in an area we'd never been before, and our driver expressed a bit of shock that we were headed toward the ninth ward, but what's Duke Engage without a bit of engagement right? So, we put on grown up clothes wrote down directions and piled in the car.
Per usual, Lil Wayne was blasting in the car (not a fan of that Mrs. Officer song by the way... What is Bobby Valentino thinking???) and, sitting in the back seat, I was too caught up in the madness of the lyrics to notice our driver's growing concern. I did notice, however, that we were not in the garden district anymore, and the further we drove, the less familiar and tree lined things looked. We finally pulled up to a run down building with the right address, but a completely different feel than what had been on the website. It took some convincing of the group mom, but we ventured on, past the faded brick and a few hipsters (or maybe hippies? the terms blend for me).
What we found inside was definitely worth the journey and the mosquito bites that would come. Chuck Perkins, a poet I now heart, emceed and the Voices of the Big Easy were playing. We got our first exposure to Mardi Gras Indians and I for one will be looking forward to their CD (yes, I may actually pay for music... Gotta support the locals.) We met the New Orleans fire chief, and various movers and shakers, and got a shout out from Chuck, and even did a little open mic improvisation. Good times all around.
What impressed me most was how open everyone was to us. Part of that may have been due to the hospitality of the musician that invited us in introducing us to so many people. But, I was really impressed that, although this was clearly a local place, no one seemed to resent our appearance, as touristy over eager college student as we were. That's quickly become one of my favorite things about the city- everyone is ready to be your friend.
So, lesson of the weekend- always open the book, even if it looks a little beat up.