The Vintage Inn

I don’t blog that much about my favorite dance “The Lindy Hop“, but for today’s post I want to share with you an event that is close to my heart-ULHS…The Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown in New Orleans. And why today? Well this weekend marks the very last time this event will run, as the organizer is hanging up her hat (after 14 years) and letting it become a slightly different event called the New Orleans Swing Dance Festival.

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans -Lindu Hop on the Street. — Photo: Dean Villafuerte

What was ULHS? Well simply, it was a weekend in New Orleans (birthplace of Jazz) that featured Lindy Hop Dance competitions, Live New Orleans music, jazz club dance crawls, Second Line Parades, cool vintage buildings for dance venues and so much dancing! It was pure magic and one of the best events I have every attended.

Check out this AMAZING Video created for its 10th Anniversary that features outstanding Lindy Hop and takes you from its original start in Minneapolis to its final stop in New Orleans (seriously..watch this video).

Now for today’s blog I wanted to fill it up with pictures and some videos of the weekends I attended (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) to create one big I LOVE ULHS post.

Let’s Begin…

New Orleans

The Saint Louis Cathedral is the oldest Cathedral in North America, founded as a Catholic Parish in 1720 along the Banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans.

My friends and I outside of Anne Rices Old House (I think it was lol).

We ate at so many yummy restaurants, like our favorite Coop’s. IT’S THE BEST PLACE TO EAT IN NEW ORLEANS!

And another favorite of ours “Yo Mama’s” even at one point had a very interestingly placed pole in their dining room (it sadly is behind a wall now).

The Music and Second Line Parades

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans- Music on the street in New Orleans

d.ba. was a sweet place to listen and dance to music. They had a great selection of beers as well. -Washboard Chazz-

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans had a dance at D.B.A. a super place to eat, drink and dance in New Orleans.

Second line parade through the french quarter.

Secone line parade through the French Quarter in New Orleans. — Photo: Dean Villafuerte

The Lindy Hop Competitions & the Dancing

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans -Lindy Hop Competitions in the streets of the French Quarter. — Photo: Dean Villafuerte

The dancing at night was in venues, but the Lindy Hop was still jumping!

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans -dancing competitions at night. — Photo: d.tom

Solo Jazz Competition featuring my friend Nancy Hitzig (front and center).

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans - Solo Jazz Competition featuring Nancy Hitzig. — Photo: d.tom

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans - Lindy Hop Competition. — Photo: d.tom

Lindy Hop at Louis Armstrong Park.

Liz aka ‘The Vintage Inn Blog’ doing her own bit of Lindy Hop at the night dances.

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans-Lindy Hop Dance — Photo: d.tom

In 2009 at my first ULHS I was able to dance in the WW2 museum in the city. Simply..Amazing.

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans at the WW2 museum

The Fun-Ohhh the fun! I was lucky that every time I went to this event, many of my Swing Dancing friends were attending as well so it always turned into a good party. Here a collection of some of those images.

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orelans -Canadian Lindy Hop Drinking Team

New Orleans is always a party and you just never know who might grab you to dance (like this guy with me).

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orelans -dancing in a bar.

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans-Canadian dancers at a restaurant. — At Yo Mama’s (after the pole was put behind the wall)

More pictures of all the Canadian Lindy Hoppers at the dance (My husband and I are in the background).

We even were able to dance on a historic Paddlewheeler-The Creole Queen one year.

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown New Orleans-Paddleboat photo.

New Orleans-Large fish bowl drinks. — Drinking out of a Fishbowl is a must in NOLA

My husband always manages to get in all the photos with the pretty ladies haha 🙂

My turn with all the handsome men…man…and ummm…..

Love this photo. Taking a break at a super outdoor market on Frenchmen street with a dear friend.

I’m going to end my post with a video from one of the late night dances on Bourbon Street in 2009. The band is the fantastic Loose Marbles at the bar Fritzels.

Thanks for the fun Amy Johnson and Team!

Question Time: Have you been to New Orleans? Or maybe you attended ULHS yourself and if so how was your experience?

FURTHER READING: Collection of Vintage Blog Posts on Swing Dance & The Big Band Era

Liz 🙂

Well it’s officially..summer is over here in North America and I just heard on the radio that I’m in for a cold cold winter. Wonderful. So before this hits I wanted to look back and remember all the fun times I had before I’m crying in my bed to make the cold and snow disappear (I’m becoming a wimpy Canadian).

My summer started off with my big trip to Glasgow, Scotland, UK to visit my husband’s family and then London,UK to visit friends and do some site-seeing (I have never been). It was a fantastic trip and I’m eager to go back and see all the things I missed (In both cities).

Glasgow & Loch Lomond (area)

Vintage Inn Travels to Scotland — Highlights of Scotland

London

Hats and Horseshoes at Woodbine Racetrack for the Queens Plate.

Hats and Horseshoes at Woodbine Racetrack 2015 — Some of the Ladies of the Toronto Vintage Society in our Best Hats.

Me and the Parents! Don’t they clean up nice? My mom is wearing Stop Staring and my Dad is wearing a vintage jacket he purchased at VIVA.

I attended a full weekend of German Heritage fun at Germanfest in Milwaukee where I was in my glory. Beers, German Bands and Beers 🙂

Toronto Vintage Society held our annual Pinup Picnic in the Park.

(Note: I was kind of obsessed with my new Vivien of Holloway dress and you will see it again in this post..sorry! lol)

I spent a weekend with a bunch of Swing Dancers in cabins up north called ‘Lindystock’ run by Toronto Lindy Hop (that I do the Social Media for). I had so much fun! We swam, we played games, we did a bit of drinking, had campfires and just hung out. I wore no makeup all weekend, did not do my hair and I was super happy.

Toronto was lucky this year to play host to the Pan Am Games and Parapan Am Games. My husband and I saw Squash at the Pan Am and took my nephew to see Wheelchair Basketball at the Parapan am. Coolest experience ever!

Toronto Vintage Society along with the Gladstone Hotel held a “Vintage Night Market”.

Toronto Vintage society at the Gladstone — Some of the TVS Ladies with our wears we were selling

Even though we could not attend the Rosie the Riveter Guinness Book of World Records Event in California, we held our own mini version right here in Toronto.

For the first time ever I finally got to visit the East Coast of Canada-Nova Scotia to be exact. It was a short trip for a wedding (and I will be back) but it was so much fun!

Peggy Cove Nova Scotia and around — Some of the highlights of my visit.

Lastly the summer ended with the Toronto Vintage Society Annual Tiki Party. I played host again at the event of the summer and it was simply..awesome. Such good memories.

Tiki Lani Lanai Toronto Vintage society party — Some highlights of the night.

And here is a mishmash of all the other events I attended.

Toronto Vintage society summer highlights — Blue Jays Game, Hotel Event, Wedding Photo Booth

Did you have a good summer?

Happy Fall!

Liz 🙂

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown in New Orleans: The Memories

Bye Bye Summer-Highlights Of My Summer Adventures