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The Dixie Giants rocking out during our stop at Campo Fina during the Mardi Gras parade

Some of you may know already that Ash and I have moved to Healdsburg, Ca, right in the heart of Sonoma County wine country.  I got myself a new job at a winery and Ash is continuing  with her event coordinator job at another winery. It has now been about a month and we are loving the vibe of small town living. It is quiet and peaceful and the stress level is low. The nightlife also fits to our personalities and preferences. The  night after Mardi Gras Ash and I headed out to grab some mexican food and a few drinks. Ash had been told about how one of the local bars was having a live New Orleans style brass band play at their bar.  So we decided to go check it out; it was the best decision we had made all night. As we left from dinner and started to head down to the center square of Healdsburg we could hear a faint blow of a horn however it was not the coming from the direction of the bar. Ash and I  followed the sound of the horn and as we got closer we could hear the drum providing base to the brass horn. I started moving my feet quicker as the excitement grew in me. Suddenly we were met by the greatest sound in the whole world,  a New Orleans style brass band.  They came walking down the street with a procession following it dressed in Mardi Gras fashion. We decided join in with them and follow. The brass band was loud and upbeat as other members chanted old New Orleans folk.

Now I have a minor confession which I think many would share with me. I love New Orleans and Louisiana in general. If I could have been born anywhere else besides California it would have to be Louisiana.  I will be honest I have only been once, when I was young, but once I had heard brass band jazz I fell in love with the New Orleans style. I have a few friends from the state who taught me so much more about the culture mainly focusing on the music and food.

Now here I was with Ash walking down the street not in New Orleans but in our new home town, partying Mardi Gras style and dancing along with the music, slide trombone, drums, horns, trumpets, sax, and trombones playing at full volume.

As we followed we were led down an alleyway and went into the back of a restaurant. The band stopped for a bit and played for the surprised but soon to be excited diners. We continued to follow and dance with the procession.  The band supporters handed out flyers with the name “The Dixie Giants”  They played a couple songs in the restaurant and the proceeded out the front. We followed along and were taken to the front of the bar Bergamot Alley, as we entered the bar and the band placed themselves in the corner and played their hearts out. We were going crazy, laughing and dancing, singing out the familiar songs to me. We drank wine and beer and danced as the band played moving around the room. The Dixie Giants were just exploding with energy and we were teleported to New Orleans and were apart of the Mardi Gras celebration.  They played for about two hours and we just could not stop getting more. Everybody in the bar was up on their feet moving along to the music.

It was at that moment when we had realized we made the best decision by moving up to Healdsburg. It had re-inspired us to continue looking for new adventures and enjoy the life that we have by dancing, laughing, eating and drinking along the way; to share our experiences to hopefully inspire people to go out and live life and explore. The town of Healdsburg just seems to create new adventure in life and we are ready for more. We are glad that we moved to Healdsburg, The vibe of the town was exactly what we needed.

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Alex and Ashley

We are Ashley and Alex and we're foodies and boozies who eat, drink and live local. Our goal is to scour the globe looking for inside local tips, the best places to eat and the best places to drink with the locals. We are also authors of a culinary guidebook, "Eat Local in Barcelona: A Guide to Catalan Cuisine." This guidebook is all about learning how what and where to eat and drink local in Barcelona. Follow along with our adventures, so that you too can eat, drink and live local!