Thanksgiving at the Gentilly Racetrack
This Thanksgiving, instead of spending the whole day in a kitchen or on someone’s couch, I did something a little different: I grabbed my old 2011 Sony Cybershot, charged its decade-old battery, and headed to the Gentilly horse race track.
Before the gates, before the crowds, before the parade of enormous and delightfully unhinged hats—you have to start things the right way. Which for us meant ducking into The Seahorse, one of those tucked-away Gentilly spots that feels half dive bar, half neighborhood living room. A couple drinks there, surrounded by locals easing into the holiday, was the perfect warmup. The Cybershot hung from my wrist the whole time, that familiar lanyard feeling like a tiny anchor to a simpler era of taking pictures.
After a toast or two, we crossed the street with friends to the track—buzzing with families, regulars, first-timers, and the sort of characters who show up only on Thanksgiving wearing hats that defy architecture, common sense, and sometimes gravity.
The Joy of an Old Camera in a Loud Place
The moment we stepped through the gates, I was reminded why I love carrying this old point-and-shoot. There’s no pressure, no notifications, no editing, no instant sharing—just a real shutter button and the joy of capturing whatever feels interesting. And at the Gentilly track on Thanksgiving? There’s plenty that feels interesting.
Horses charging down the stretch. Trainers and jockeys hustling in the paddock. Friends laughing with plastic cups of beer. Kids running around in their holiday best. But most of all: the hats. Towering hats. Feathered hats. Hats that looked like they’d been engineered by NASA interns after three mimosas. Everyone wanted to show off, and the Cybershot loved it—bright sun, bold colors, and a camera that doesn’t try too hard.
I snapped everything: candid moments, ridiculous outfits, the texture of the dirt track, the chaos of the crowd right before the race starts. The Cybershot’s little sensor did its best, and honestly? The photos have more charm than anything my phone takes. Slightly soft, slightly contrasty, and full of life.
Holidays, Friends, and the Simple Stuff
Somewhere between the drinks at The Seahorse and the fourth race, I realized how good it felt to be out in the world on a holiday, around people—not doing anything huge, just enjoying something unique to New Orleans. The energy was fun, messy, warm, and totally unpretentious.
Looking through the photos later, I could feel the day all over again: the sun on the grandstand, the roar of the race, the laughter with friends, the sight of some guy balancing a hat the size of a satellite dish on his head like it was no big deal. And running through all those images was that comforting Cybershot wrist strap—proof that sometimes the most fun you can have is with old gear that still works and a few people you love hanging out with.
Not a bad Thanksgiving at all.
