Welcome to Southern Decadence XXV

Tens of thousands of revelers are filling the city for the annual "end of summer" celebration, Southern Decadence [www.southerndecadence.com]. A special welcome to "The City That Care Forgot" and the numerous events, parties and activities associated with this 25th anniversary year. The campy, trashy festivities are expected to attract between 50,000 and 75,000 participants, sure to be an all time record.

Miss Love will officiate at most of the events as Southern Decadence Grand Marshal XXV [SDGMXXV]. At his coronation on August 1st at Cafe Lafitte in Exile, Miss Love announced the theme as "The Love Tour: A Wedding To Remember," since members of our community are not allowed to marry legally at this time. Miss Love has not chosen an official groom or escort announcing that he's "sure he will have his pick of 100's" available during the weekend. He did, however, choose his colors as Silver, White and Teal, and Budweiser as his official beer.

As you flip through the pages of AMBUSH Mag 2000 [archive.ambushmag.com], you will find the most complete guide to Southern Decadence. Bars, restaurants, shops, accommodations and so much more is available here making your visit to the Crescent City an easy venture. A listing of all the SD Events is available on pages 46 and 47. Please support the many businesses in this publication who make the GLBT New Orleans community possible. This 84 page edition is the largest in the 15 year history of AMBUSH. As always, AMBUSH bypasses any competition with 10-25+ more pages in ads, making it the largest, most popular tabloid in the Gulf South market. A sincere thanks to all of the clients, writers and readers who have made AMBUSH what it is today!

Dining Guide

What trip to New Orleans would be complete without sampling the vast array of dishes created to dazzle any palette? Following is a list of recommendations listed alphabetically.

Andrew Jaeger's House of Seafood, 622 Conti St., has some of the best Cajun and Creole dishes prepared by Chef Donnie Jay. Bacco, 310 Chartres St., is home to this year's Southern Decadence Grand Marshal Greg. The Italian cuisine is prepared with utmost care with a New Orleans twist.

Cafe Sbisa, 1011 Rue Decatur, is noted for its New Orleans specialties including Trout Almondine. Ask for Denise, she is one of the most popular servers there.

Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon, has one of the best burgers in the city. And if you're lucky, former SDGM Blanche will be your waitress. Hula Mae's Tropical Wash and Beach Cafe, 840 N. Rampart, is very popular allowing ample time to do laundry while getting a bite to eat.

Krystal, 116 Bourbon, noted for its nostalgic burgers, is popular on jaunts to Canal St. to see the Aquarium or Riverwalk. Lucky Cheng's, 720 St. Louis, is camp dining at its best with some of the most provocative drag waitresses there to serve you. The Asian-Creole cuisine will satisfy any palette.

Mona Lisa, 1212 Royal, has one of the best pizzas you will ever enjoy. The Caesar salad and lasagna are also very tasty. Petunias, 817 St. Louis, boasts the World's largest crepes and some of the best Cajun/Creole dishes in the Quarter. Chef Jay Loomis' Cajun Pasta w/shrimp and andouille, the New Iberia Crawfish Etouffee, or Eggs Melanza are a must.

QSR [Quarter Scene Restaurant], 900 Dumaine, has some of the best down home cooking around. Mark and Blair Sollmeyer treat their guests to great New Orleans specialties for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Sebastian's Little Garden Restaurant, 538 St. Philip, is a delightful little bistro with the best stir fry vegetables with your choice of shrimp or pork in the Quarter. The Fettuccine Alfredo is also quite delicious.

The Secret Garden Tea Room, 3626 Magazine, would be the perfect stop while browsing the antique shops on Magazine. Enjoy classic tea in a casual setting or a light breakfast or lunch.

Vera Cruz, 1141 Decatur or 7537 Maple, has marvelous frozen margaritas which goes perfectly with the Roast Pork or any of the Mexican specialties offered.

Shopping Guide

The Crescent City also has some of the best shopping available. The specialty shops catering to the GLBT community are listed below.

Alternatives, 907 Bourbon, has great gift ideas, cards, and even Frank Parsley's "Refrigerator Art" magnets.

& Toto Too!, 901 Iberville, is New Orleans' premier pet emporium, and they will even deliver!

Bergen Galleries, 730 Royal, is hosting a huge end-of-summer inventory clearance sale. This gallery has the largest collection of male and female nudes in the South.

Cathedral, 225 N. Peters, is popular with its art and gifts, many with a religious theme.

Diversions, 337 Rue Burgundy, is quite trendy with its selection of boutique items.

Gargoyles Leather, 1205 Decatur, has doubled its size recently, incorporating a huge selection of clothing and assessories to its already extensive leather inventory.

Gay-Mart, 808 N. Rampart, boasts many gift ideas, but has one of the largest collections of Pride merchandise available in the Quarter.

Hit Parade Gifts & Clothing, 741 Bourbon, is the newest shop in town with popular West Coast fashions, as well as numerous gift and novelty items.

Limbo, 1125 Decatur, is a must stop for just that right Southern Decadence ensemble. This popular boutique has a fabulous selection of the unusual and provocative.

Postmark New Orleans, 631 Toulouse, has a large selection of cards and gift ideas.

Rings of Desire, 1128 Decatur St., 2nd Floor, is noted for exotic body piercing by certified master piercer Elayne Angel. The shop also has a great selection of piercing jewelry.

Something Different, 5300 Tchoupitoulas, is worth the trip Uptown. This shop has the largest selection of the unusual and even bizarre. Proprietors Brett and Jeff are quite the marketeers in town coming up with some of the most clever advertising promos. When you visit this shop and meet the guys, you will see why Something Different is the huge success that it is.

Three Dog Bakery, 827 Royal, is exclusively devoted to man's best friend, that's right, the dog. There are all kinds of goodies to tempt any dogs palette.

Don't Be Duped:
Support New Orleans' Original Lesbian
& Gay Pride Festival Oct. 11th & 12th.

T hat's right...it's happening right here in New Orleans. It appears that a group of alleged straight businessman, through their Southern Decadence marketing efforts, are trying to capitalize on the good name and reputation of New Orleans own Alliance of Pride. The Alliance has produced New Orleans Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival [PrideFest] for the past 18 years.

This is the only lesbian and gay festival produced by the gay, lesbian, bi, and transgender community in New Orleans. PrideFest '97 will begin on National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11th and end Oct. 12th at Washington Square Park, two blocks from the French Quarter.

Don't go to a lesbian and gay festival scheduled this Southern Decadence weekend. IT IS NOT New Orleans Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival. Keep GLBT money for New Orleans original celebration.

AMBUSHonLINE Tops 12 Million Hits

The GLBT Internet leader AMBUSHonLINE makes history once again as its conglomerate of sites passes 12 million hits. Online since Jan. 1996, the conglomerate now averages 1.2 to 1.4 million *hpm [*hits per month].

The Web Team includes administrator Rip Naquin-Delain, sales manager Sonny Cleveland and office manager George Patterson. The three men create, develop and market the award winning sites under their direction.

The conglomerate on the world wide web [www.] includes 10 sites thus far: ambushonline.com, ambushmag.com, crescentcity.com, gayamerica.com, gaybars.com, gayeuro.com, gaymardigras.com, gayneworleans.com, gayneworleans.org, and southerndecadence.com.

Don't miss the opportunity to be part of history in the making. For web development information call 504.522.8047 or outside New Orleans - 800.876.1484.