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MAIN~2 of 56 AmbushMag.COM Oct. 10-23, 2006 The One & Only Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide GayMardiGras.COM
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Celebrating Our Return 1 Year After Katrina & Rita the "official" dish by Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain RipandMarsha.COM E-mail: info@ambushmag.com This October 10th edition of Ambush celebrates the one year return to publishing this magazine following Hurricane s Katrina and Rita. Ambush reopened it s offices on September 27, 2005, the very day the city of New Orleans reopened the French Quarter and CBD. One of only four gay businesses to reopen, Ambush (opening at 11am) joined Queen Fashions which opened at 9am, Le Roundup at 9:30am, and Cafe Lafitte in Exile at 2pm. This was the beginning of the GLBT community s commitment to rebuild and help return New Orleans to the prominance as it was known across the world before the devastating hurricanes. New Orleans Tourism Industry Thriving in Fourth Quarter 2006 New Orleans - When the New Orleans Saints kicked off against the Atlanta Falcons before a nationwide audience Sept. 25, the moment signaled more than just the re-opening of the iconic Louisiana Superdome and the largest audience in ESPN history. It was a jumpstart to the city s critical hospitality industry for the fall of 2006, featuring a full convention calendar, the return of cruise ships, three major sporting events, and a 30,000-person convention, the largest New Orleans has seen in two years. Monday night s game was the biggest audience of the night among all TV networks, broadcast or cable. The dome re-opening, including pre-game concerts by the Goo Goo Dolls, U2 and Green Day, and a coin toss by former U.S. President Bush, featured an audience of nearly 70,000, a Saints victory by 20 points, and an estimated $20 million being pumped into the city s economy. The re-opening of the Superdome is a resounding success economically and emotionally, says Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. The imagery of the Convention Center and the Superdome the nation saw a year ago is being replaced by a new national image, with thousands of returning conventioneers and cheering visitors and locals. Last night s game gave us an unprecedented opportunity to tell the world that we are back. The feeling in that Superdome and the energy in New Orleans right now is indescribable. The hospitality industry is responsible for approximately one-third of the city s operating budget, $210 million supporting police, EMS, infrastructure, sanitation and education, and is the area s largest employer with 85,000 jobs. Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, perhaps the most important manufacturing plant in the state, reopened June 19 after a $60 million renovation in time for the American Library Association, first citywide meeting to return to New Orleans. Other signs of progress: Major Sporting Events - Three collegiate football contests that traditionally draw large crowds to the city are returning as well: The Bayou Classic, Southern University vs. Grambling University, Nov. 25, 2006; The New Orleans Bowl ESPN telecast game on Dec. 22, 2006; and The All-State Sugar Bowl Classic, Jan. 3, 2007. New Orleans also will host the 57th NBA All-Star Game in Feb. 2008. Conventions - The National Association of Realtors, holding its annual meeting in November, is reporting record pre-registration levels, and is expected to bring to New Orleans between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors. Pre-registration is 32 percent ahead of their 2002 convention in New Orleans and three percent ahead of last year s San Francisco meeting which was a record breaker. A full convention calendar for October and November, including the American College of Emergency Physicians (6,000 delegates), the American Society of Exploration Geophysicists (7,000), American Society of Human Genetics (5,200), American Society for Reproductive Medicine (6,000), and Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology (5,500). Avaya becomes the first Fortune 500 Company to meet in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, with 3,800 delegates in mid-october. In addition to the large association meetings previously planned, advisory boards of major association and hotel corporations are choosing to host their meetings in New Orleans. This gives us the opportunity to host decisionmakers in the meeting and travel industries so they can reconfirm the allure of New Orleans as a top destination and serve as an extended sales force for the New Orleans CVB. Cruise Ships - Other good news this October includes the return of the cruise ship industry to the Port of New Orleans, including the Norwegian Cruise Lines (Norwegian Sun) and Carnival Cruise Lines (Carnival Fantasy). RiverBarge Excursion Lines returns this fall and Royal Caribbean International (Grandeur of the Seas) returns in December. According to the Port of New Orleans, cruise business generates $219 million in direct inside AMBUSH/main the big diva 10 crescent city outlaws paparazzi 15 celebrazzi/cartoon 16 trodding the boards/on the boards 18 cookin' with auntie dee/chop chop 20 sappho psalm 22 e-mail/letters 23 "manly man" paparazzi 24 cw6 26 show/entertainment paparazzi 30 Big Halloween Edition Out: Oct. 24 DEADLINE: Tues., Oct. 17 EXPOSE/center snap paparazzi/nola 1 capitol comments/austin 2 austin paparazzi 4 hot tails of red stick/hit djs 6 baton rouge paparazzi 8 clubs & krewes 10 come out pensacola 10 lafayette paparazzi 14 allons acadiana/one last song 16 classifieds 18 Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 828-A Bourbon St. New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 504.522.8049 info@ambushmag.com and indirect sales annually among New Orleans area business. Cruise passenger embarkations and disembarkations grew 818 percent in the last 11 years before Katrina, from approx. 80,000 in 1993 to 753,000 in 2004. Cultural Economy - The Ritz-Carlton Hotel will reopen in December, and the Hyatt s renovation project is underway. Art For Arts Sake, a celebration of visual arts in galleries and museums Uptown, the Warehouse District and French Quarter, cancelled in 2005, was held Oct. 7 to kickoff the 2006-2007 cultural season In November the National World War II Museum will welcome international historians, newsmakers, authors, political figures and dignitaries when it hosts a four-day International Conference on World War II, another major event postponed from 2005. Voluntourism - In addition to the church and student groups that have flocked to New Orleans neighborhoods to assist with rebuilding, organizations much as Avaya and the National Association of Realtors are including in their meeting schedules acts of voluntourism and corporate goodwill. Sales executives from Delta Airlines spent a day last week helping to build homes in Habitat for Humanity s Musicians Village in the ninth ward. In June, the American Library Association, restored libraries across New Orleans and awarded grants to schools to help restock their bookshelves. As New Orleans Saints Drew Brees said in a Sept. 21 Times-Picayune article, It s important just to show that the city is very much alive and people are excited to be here - and there s no doubt in their minds that the city s going to come back better than ever. I think that s huge for people to see that, see the atmosphere, and say, Hey, that place is alive. I think it s just even more motivation and a reason for people to bring back tourism and come down here and spend money, because it s such a special space. Since 1960, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.neworleanscvb.com) has been the driving force behind New Orleans most important industry, attracting $4.9 billion to the region annually. Nationally recognized for superior customer service, NOMCVB represents over 1,200 members and provides convention services and visitor information for business travelers and vacationers. In 2004, the NOMCVB welcomed a record-breaking 10.1 million visitors to one of America s favorite meeting and leisure destinations. The NOMCVB is committed to rebuilding the city of New Orleans. The Road Home Program Update Baton Rouge - The Road Home, the largest housing recovery program in U.S. history, is designed to help residents of Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita get back into their homes as quickly and fairly as possible. Working together, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the Office of Community Development created The Road Home program to afford eligible homeowners up to $150,000 in compensation for their losses to get back into their homes. Approximately 120,000 Louisiana homeowners affected by either Hurricane Rita or Katrina are eligible for The Road Home pro- [continued on Main-6] Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 Texas-Florida OFFICE/SHIPPING ADDRESS: 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 USA OFFICE HOURS: 10am-3pm Monday-Friday [Except Holidays] E-mail: info@ambushmag.com PHONE: 1.504.522.8049 1.504.522.8047 ANNUAL READERSHIP: 650,000+ in print/3.5 Million+ On-line NATIONAL CIRCULATION: USA... Alabama-Birmingham, Mobile Florida - Ft. Lauderdale, Miami/South Beach, Pensacola Georgia - Atlanta Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Shreveport, Slidell Mississippi - Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Jackson Texas - Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Eustace, Galveston, Houston, San Antonio, South Padre Island STAFF: PUBLISHER/EDITOR R. Rip Naquin-Delain, New Orleans PRODUCTION DIRECTOR M. Marsha Naquin-Delain, New Orleans GULF SOUTH/NEW ORLEANS AD SALES Rip Naquin-Delain 504.522.8049 LESBIAN/POLITICAL ISSUES Toni J.P. Pizanie, New Orleans TEXAS SALES REP Garry Holley 512.291.1563 THEATRE/PERFORMING ARTS CRITIC Brian Sands, Patrick Shannon AD REPS/JOURNALISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Bob Hemby-Austin, TX Brad Benedict-Baton Rouge, LA Patrick Clinton-Lafayette, LA Starr Daniels, Miss Dee, Donnie Jay, Douglas Minich, Chris Schlumbrecht -New Orleans Roy Williams-Pensacola, FL CARTOONIST Kevin M. Butler NATIONAL ADVERTISING REP Rivendell Media~212.242.6863 AMBUSH Mag is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush, Inc., R. Rip Naquin- Delain, President. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEAD- LINE is alternate Tuesdays, 4pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: info@ambushmag.com. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and has the right to reject any advertising. The inclusion of an individual's name or photograph in this publication implies nothing about that individual's sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc., appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publisher or Staff of AMBUSH Mag. Subscription rate is $45 for 1/2 Year; $75 for 1 year. Sample Copy is $3 First Class Mail. 1982-2006, AMBUSH, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRO- DUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS and PHOTOS. AMgrant - AMbush Advertising Grant Donation MAIN~4 of 56 AmbushMag.COM Oct. 10-23, 2006 The One & Only Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide GayMardiGras.COM
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