Beat the Heat

It’s the time of year when the only acceptable outdoor activities are watering the garden in the morning or going for snoballs or ice cream. Otherwise, it’s time to cultivate a list of indoor activites until sometime in September or October. For me, this means deep cleaning (because no one wants to be indoors during a New Orleans spring) and otherwise freshening up our interior and creating meals that are low-to-no-cook. Tomato sandwiches, anyone? The rest of the time, I take advantage of the myriad indoor activities that New Orleans has to offer. 

Afternoons spent wandering through the galleries at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, The Historic New Orleans Collection and The Helis Foundation John Scott Center are at the top of my personal list, as well as popping into the galleries on Julia and Magazine streets. 

When those activities are exhausted it’s time to flee to the beach or mountains! In this issue’s “Get Organized” column, Rebecca Friedman has rounded up a host of travel gear to get you to and from your destination with style and grace.

For those times when you are home this season, we have a host of hot tips from New Orleans-based event and wedding planner Fresh Johnson in “Bright Ideas” and  bright, poppy goods for infusing a little (or a lot) of summer style into your tablescapes.

As always, more is more so keep reading for everything you need to have the best summer yet, despite the heat. Cheers!

P.S. Be sure to check out the Twilight at Longue Vue concert series, taking place every other Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. this summer at Longue Vue House and Gardens. Guests are allowed to bring drinks, snacks and picnic seating. The series of casual, open-air showcases for local musicians and performers includes Colgate Collective June 21, Sean Hobbes + The Hi Res July 5, The High Standards July 19, the Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band Aug. 2 and the Extended Trio Aug. 16. 7 Bamboo Road, longuevue.com — Misty Milioto