Happy Weekend From Baltimore!

ALBERTO AND VALORIE TANGO IN BALTIMORE!

Saturday and Sunday, November 1-2
11 am - 4 pm
DIONYSUS Restaurant & Lounge
8 East Preston Street, Mt. Vernon
For details contact Laura at 443-841-9458

We arrived in Baltimore yesterday, and are staying downtown in this great neighborhood called Mt. Vernon. Our house hostess is the lovely Laura, who has an adorable apartment on St. Paul Street. This neighborhood has The Cultural Center, The Symphony, live theater, an art school, and Penn station connecting you to New York City in a mere two hours. It also has the grand Biltmore Hotel, cute bars and shops, and streets lined with beautiful brownstone row houses. I am in heaven! This is like a mini-me version of my old NYC neighborhood. The Fall weather is super fine, the trees are turning color, and I feel "home" again.
We're just here through the weekend, going home on Tuesday. Don't worry, we already voted early last week, which was an awesome experience. I have never seen people, all kinds of people, of all ages, stand in line for two to six hours to vote, and be so upbeat and excited for this privilege.

We have a free day today.
Last night Laura hosted a great tango party to introduce us to the dancers here, and it was a blast. It was at a beautiful and sexy little boite called Dionysus (where we will also be teaching our workshops), owned by the lovely Lynn, who I hope to do a post about, as she is a dynamic businesswoman and free spirit extraordinaire!
We are walking around, and now having lunch at City Cafe from whence I am writing.
It's Halloween, so tonight we are going to a Halloween milonga (a tango dance party), and I packed the perfect mask.

Of course I am going to try and see Meg from Pigtown, who should just be getting back from her fab birthday trip to London.
If she's not too jet lagged, I am going to ask her to take me the famous Book Thing!!!!!

In the meantime back home in New Orleans an interesting event is taking place tonight.
Behind the scenes of this grand event are Sally Ann Glassman, nice Jewish girl turned Voodoo Queen, and her society boyfriend Press.
Previously Sally Ann held a private Halloween night ceremony held in someone's home in the Marigny/Bywater (neighborhood where she has her botanica). You either had to be invited, live in the neighborhood, or know someone who would let you tag along.
Even though this was a celebration, everyone was cautioned to take it seriously and beware of any trickster spirits coming out to join the fun. Happenings at previous celebrations included spontaneous fires breaking out in the house, items moved or gone missing, the usual trickster antics. This year it goes mainstream, and all you need is the price of the $10. ticket HERE
Sally Ann and Press remind me of Marie Laveau and (19th century) Dr. John, two of the best entrepreneurs New Orleans has ever seen,
So Happy Halloween from my pumpkin patch to yours....

Sabina and Maya Graciela
twin daughters of Anie and Alfonso