All stories about "New Orleans"

New Orleans is largely known for two things: music and food. Starting on April 25, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has a killer lineup that includes Stevie Wonder, Santana, Ozomatli, Al Green, and The Roots. So next month might just be the best time to enjoy both of the city's specialties. In this month's issue, Bon Appetit magazine provides festivalgoers with a list of the best restaurants in the Big Easy. Their picks prove that neither the food nor the music scene in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The Federal Government may have forgotten about the Crescent City, but foodies and music lovers never will, so I've mapped some of Bon Appetit's favorite spots for New Orleans cuisine for your binge-eating and rocking out convenience.

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The NY Times' Frank Bruni has finished his coast-to-coast tour of new restaurants and is reporting back with his findings. Excluding New York, which Bruni doesn't include because it's his regular beat, cities with restaurants that rated include Washington DC, New Orleans, San Francisco, Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Boston, Seattle, and Napa, CA. The restaurants are all new (opened at least after January 1, 2006) and, apparently, all delicious. [NY Times]

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Prepare yourself, then dig in to this breakdown of the world's most expensive deserts. At the top of the list is strawberries Arnaud, served at the 90-year-old Arnaud's restaurant in New Orleans' French Quarter. Thanks to it's 4.7-carat pink diamond garnish, not to mention the $24,850 bottle port they pour on top, it'll cost you a whopping $1.4 million. At a relatively less outrageous price of $14,500, you can taste the "Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence" at its namesake Sri Lankan luxury resort. [Forbes Traveler]

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Courtesy of CNN's Squawk Box, meet Don Peebles, Miami real estate developer and author of The Peebles Principles: Hubristic Subtitle Cut for Space. He's excited about New Orleans -- so excited that he feels obligated to spearhead a giant redevelopment of the city into a charming vista of expensive hotels, luxury condos, and, oh yeah, affordable housing. I doubt he's planning on throwing up a loft tower in the Fifth Ward, but hey, those federal recovery dollars ain't going to spend themselves. The Miami mogul has to play catch-up with Donald Trump, who already plans a 70-story tower for downtown. Cheap real estate and depressed economies really brings out the best in people.

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We had the pleasure of attending the James Beard Foundation Awards last night which honored the best chefs and restaurants across the country. The highlight for guests was the gala reception, where 30+ current and former rising-star chefs presented their off-the-hook creations -- think cotton candy wrapped around foie gras and peekytoe crab cappuccino with lemon verbena. But the real reason for the ceremony was to give out big gold medals. It's easy to say that everyone deserved to win, especially in food obsessed cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. But in the end, some people deserved to win more than others. There weren't really any upsets except that foodie San Fran won surprisingly few awards. New York really put them away, but then again, the city has an award (Best Chef: New York City) all to itself. Find out all the winners after the jump.

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With the recent advent of Google's My Maps, users netwide have created all kinds of customized Google Maps mashups without entering a line of code. Though there's indeed been a flood of maps, most are of minor utility or for amusement only. A good way to check up on the latest noteworthy uses of My Maps is via sites like Google Maps Mania (general news and notable examples) or Ongopongo (a bulk directory of Google Maps mashups). In this first generation, we found several user-created My Maps worth a look. Some are useful, some informative, some illustrative, and some just worth a slight chuckle. If you have examples of good My Maps -- crafted by others or by your own hand -- let us know. After the jump, we got burgers, salsa, Grand Theft Auto, and exploding tanker trucks.

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The annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a.k.a. Jazzfest, begins this weekend and continues next weekend, ending on May 6. Thousands of local and international musicians and local chefs participate in the event, attracting 400,000 visitors. The festival will feature musicians from all genres of the Louisiana music scene ,including jazz, blues, gospel, Cajun, bluegrass, and country, among many others. If you don't already have Jazzfest plans, check out the Midtown Lunch blog of New York foodie Zach Brooks as he covers everything he consumes at the fest. Meanwhile, we've supplied a few choice New Orleans options, within and without Jazzfest itself. Should Be Obvious Note: Hotels are suggested for general use, as obviously all Jazzfest room dates were booked solid long ago. But even if you're not attending this year, you can fantasize about the food and the tunes.

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Usually we prefer posts about sex over sobering environmental wake up calls, but this super interesting interactive feature at the Times-Picayune piqued the Nova-loving nerdy Al Gorey side of us. The feature offers an informative and interesting, not to mention devastating, gloss of land loss in Louisiana. Every year the state loses 24 square miles of wetlands, or, as the stentorian narration of Dan "Pulitzer" Swenson informs us, approximately a football field every 45 minutes. By that rate, by 2020, New Orleans will basically be surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico. To fully navigate the feature, you'll probably need a good solid 15 minutes but the information is presented in a simple and interesting way and, hey, you can only read so many crass sexual posts a day, right?

The Rise and Dissappearance of Southeast Louisiana [Nola.com]

[Graphic: Coasts circa 1932 (top) and 2020 (bottom)]

Previously: Gridskipper's Travels With Dignity: Mardi Gras (NSFW), A Guide to Mardi Crass, This Week in Branding: Turning Funny-Tragic into Funny-Haha, Then and Now: Tourism in New Orleans

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Mardi Gras is a tradition rich in many things but perhaps most well-known for its roll as backdrop for girls going wild. This year, far-flung Gridskipper Nick McGlynn shot a load of video and our own Gawker videographer Richard Blakeley edited it. McGlynn explained the deal. "Dudes catch beads from floats during the parade and then give them to girls in exchange for seeing their tits." See it's not prostitution when you do it for beads!

Previously: A Guide to Mardi Crass, Then and Now: Tourism in New Orleans, New Orleans Drive Project, Gandolfini Wears A Dress

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Mardi Gras is happening and it seems the only thing the celebration exposes more of than tits is racism. In a recent Times-Picayune article columnist Angus Lind deftly paints a portrait of Mexicans as stupid, naive, wide-eyed wetbacks. Do I hear the Pulitzer-van approaching? Entitled Habla Carnaval, the article is ostensibly a guide to Mardi Gras customs but Lind gamely employs an arsenal of techniques to amp up the offensive factor. Let's take a look.

Cities are like freelancers, constantly pitching themselves to tourists. And like freelancers, they often rely on gimmicks to get the job done. Some, like Stephen Glass or New Orleans, turn their shatters into a strength; others like Toronto and Greg Lindsay, trade in on their dorkiness. Hence we get this gem from New Orleans. According to New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau spokesperson Mary Beth Romig , quoted in a Yahoo news piece, "We have to allow ourselves the permission, a year and a half later, based on what we are hearing from the general public, to take what they are questioning us about and at some times, laugh a little," she said. Hence 2 years after Katrina we get this. (Pretty quick considering it took more than half a century for a Hitler Comedy to come out in Germany):On the other side of the spectrum, Toronto is trading in on its image as smug, pasty white dorks with small tits to hilariously smug small-titted results. As part of the TO Live With Culture campaign, Toronto is defined by negation. Not like Hollywood (the ad below), not like Italy (no adultery), not like New York (pregnant ladies happily yield cabs to other passengers). Of course the second part of the ad mentions that, in terms of cinema, opera, and theater, Toronto is like those places. But what is cinema without the tits, opera without the adultery and theater without divas? I guess the answer is Toronto. Note: The woman is asking if she needs a breast reduction.

Ad Controversy [TO Live With Culture]
New Orleans Turns To Humor to Lure Tourists [Yahoo]
Complete set of N.O. Ads [PDF]

Previously: Country Branding, Seattle Falls for the Miniscule Neologistic Slogan, Slogan Failure: Germany, Orlando: The City With No Slogan, Esteem

About half of the original population of New Orleans has not returned home, the lower 9th is still a shell of a neighborhood, and tourism has not experienced a substantial revival. With a lack of good workers and out of town visitors, businesses are still suffering. But although much of the city sits in disrepair, almost all hotels, restaurants, bars, and sights have reopened. It's a great time to visit N.O.- the city won't be crowded, prices are great, and the economy is in dire need of your money. Here is a list of our picks and notable mentions from a recent NY Times piece.

Hotels: There are 180 hotels open in New Orleans with 28,500 rooms, which is about 2/3 of the pre-Katrina numbers. The Ritz just opened this month, the Hyatt will open next fall. The average rates hover around the same $100 a night mark as they did before Katrina. The difference now is the fancier hotels have all dropped their rates to below $200.

Antoine's: The New Orleans staple is in dire straights due to the lackluster tourism and local spending. While some restaurants seem to be thriving in the post Katrina environment, the upscale old world Antoine's (est. 1840) is on the verge of closing. Locals worry that the closing of Antoine's could signal the shape of things to come.

In the deluge of Katrina related art, one project that stands out is Bill Klingensmith's Drive Project. Klingensmith, a professor of design at the University of Rochester, hooked up a camera to his car and drove through the recovering city. Then he created an interactive map of the neighborhoods that links to some of the 8,000 shots he took. Though some sequences seem random, many are affecting, both aesthetically and emotionally. As an added interactive "bonus," there are 10 specially etched bottles Klingensmith planted throughout the city for you to find. Finders, he says, keepers.

New Orleans Drive Project

Previously: Gandolfini's Next Role: Effeminate God of Drink?, NoLa Presents Moral Dilemma for Frugal Traveler, Harrah for New Orleans, Post-Deluge N'Awlins Tips, Woody Allen Blows, Squeaks, New Orleans Creole Resto Takin' It Easy in Seattle

Perhaps tired of playing the old hetero hairy-backed knuckle-dragging brute, James Gandolfini announced he'll be the next Bacchus for N'Awlins's Krewe of Bacchus parade which takes place two days before the general chaos of drunken tit-flashing known as the Mardi Gras parade takes place on Feb. 20th. Aw screw it, there'll be plenty drunken tit-flashing during the Krewe of Bacchus, which is the more democratic of the holiday pageants. Let's just hope there's no Gandolfini boobage. Tony Soprano will join the ranks of Steve Guttenberg (Bacchus XXIII, 1991), John Larroquette (Bacchus XXVII, 1995) and Nicholas Cage (Bacchus XXXVI, 2002).
Safe to say Gandolfini's arrived.

Krewe of Bacchus
Gandolfini To Star in New Orleans Carnival [PR Inside]

Previously: NoLa Presents Moral Dilemma for Frugal Traveler, Harrah for New Orleans, Post-Deluge N'Awlins Tips, Woody Allen Blows, Squeaks, New Orleans Creole Resto Takin' It Easy in Seattle

The NYT Frugal Traveler Matt Gross made it down to New Orleans in time to report in the Sunday Times that the town's tourism is slowly but surely recovering from Katrina. Matt Gross was mildly wracked with the existential dilemma of whether it is wrong to enjoy the Big Easy's tourism quiescence, scoring bargains at hotels, seats at restaurants and a stroll through the French Quarter unharried by thousands of obese, fanny-packed tourists. In short, Gross answers, ehhh, kind of. He doesn't skimp on the enjoyment but does decide to volunteer to assuage his guilt. Here now are his picks.

Café du Monde "The frill-free standby for café au lait and fresh-from-the-fryer beignets"

Casamento's: "An oyster bar on Magazine Street with fluorescent lights and yellowish tiles that scream no-frills" with "neighborhood feel and cheap oysters (a dozen raw were $7.80)"

Circle Bar Nola: "Occup[ying] a run-down Victorian house, the bar offers "cheap bourbon" and "1960s garage rock"

Cochon Restaurant: "A casual restaurant in the warehouse district" with a "blond wood and picnic-chic décor" and "haute renditions of Cajun and Southern classics -- none of which cost more than $19."

D.B.A.: A "yuppie-free, charmingly grimy bar" with a small stage with local bands, like a Zydeco Zeppelin cover band

Eat: A sunny cafe and nice brunch spot at which to recover after a night of debauchery.

Le Bon Temps Roulé: A "down-to-earth bar" on busy Magazine street with free music and even better, free oysters.

The Spotted Cat: A small grimy-cum-yuppie bar with music but little space for dancing.

Habitat For Humanity: The volunteering organization takes volunteers Tuesday through Saturday and assuages guilt.

Back to New Orleans Gently [NYT]

[Photo: NYT]

Previously: Harrah For New Orleans, Post-Deluge New Orelans Tips, Leguggenheim and Other Monuments Legoed, Katrina Exposed in NoMa, New Orleans Says Hello

N'Awlins is bouncin' back. How can we tell? Starters, because the Saints destroyed the Falcons at the Superdome on Monday but more importantly because Harrah's, with its cheesy decor and rigged odds, is back in town. Harrah's New Orleans is no different than Harrah's anywhere else. 26 stories, 450 rooms, wifi, flatscreen, a Todd English restaurant wishfully called Riche, annoying purple everywhere. But let's face it, crap though it may be, the arrival of Harrah's is a step toward normalization of life in New Orleans, gaudy casinos, bad taste and all. Rooms start at $150.

Harrah's New Orleans

Previously: Post-Deluge New Orleans Tips, Katrina Exposed at NoMa, New Orleans Says Hello, Brad Pitt Rebuilds New Orleans, Queerty Goes to New Orleans, Nouveau Orleans, Mardi Gras Wrapup

We have to thank Ask Metafilter for their thread on post-Katrina tourist advice for New Orleans. Unfortunately, the city's difficulties recovering economically translate into a number of closed landmarks and non-standard traveling challenges. Visitors to New Orleans as of September 2006 still report random power outages and garbage rotting in the streets in the French Quarter and the Central Business District. In addition, a massive shortage of service workers means many French Quarter bars are now closing well before midnight. But recommended food/drinks/tourist attractions from the new New Orleans include brunch at Court of Two Sisters, roast beef sandwiches from Mother's, the cemeteries that are still accesible to visitors and live music at Preservation Hall. Several commenters noted that public transportation in Nola is still in its infancy; a suggested replacement is Faubourg Marigny's Bicycle Michaels.

Need current advice for first-time visit to New Orleans [Ask Metafilter]

[Neal Ungerleider]

Previously: Katrina Exposed at NoMa, New Orleans Says Hello, Brad Pitt Rebuilds New Orleans, Queerty Goes to New Orleans, Nouveau Orleans, Mardi Gras Wrapup

If atoms are the building block of all life, legos are specifically the building blocks of leisurely lives. According to Thorstein Verlen, of Conspicuous Consumption fame, The leisure class, writes Verlen , are habitually engaged in "quasi-scholarly or quasi-artistic accopmlishments and a knowledge of processes and incidents which do not conduce directly to the furtherance of human life." But just because these pursuits aren't getting these guys laid, doesn't mean they aren't a good way to pass a few moments of your day. Exhibit A: New York City, Legofied. Exhibit B: New Orleans Legorified. Exhibit C: San Francisco Legorized. Exhibit D: Lego Porn

Massive Lego Art Gallery [via Curbed]

Previously: Origami: Some Real Street Shit, If God Played Lego and Loved Techno, Normon Foster's Library, Glass Armadillo

After reopening in March, the New Orleans Museum of Art is mounting a new exhibit titled "Katrina Exposed: A Community of Photographs." The exhibition showcases over 700 photographs taken by over 140 photographers before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. Some are media pics, others are amateur or impromptu captures. A selected catalog of 150 photos from the exhibition is available for purchase as well. The photos will be up through September 3.

Katrina Exposed at NOMA [Blogging New Orleans]
Katrina Exposed: A Community of Photographs [NOMA]

Previously: New Orleans Says Hello, Brad Pitt Rebuilds New Orleans, Queerty Goes to New Orleans, Nouveau Orleans, Mardi Gras Wrapup

The Roundup Roundup collects recent "roundup" articles or general material about cities and city travel worldwide.

Bologna
In Bologna (Thanks to a Cheap Flight) on My Trip Around the World [NYT]

Chattanooga
Let's make tracks to Chattaboogie [Telegraph]

Cologne
A historic brew [Guardian]

Dublin
Going To: Dublin [NYT]

London
Drinking London: What Londoners Drink, and Where... [LondonNet]
Art Alert [Urban Junkies]

Los Angeles
My kind of town: Hollywood [Telegraph]

The short version about recovery progress in New Orleans is that much has improved -- in some places, dramatically. But there is still quite a bit of work to do for the city to ever come anywhere close to its former state. This week's big news was the rebuilding of the levee system on schedule, minus some floodgates, pumps, and other rather critical elements. And that doesn't address concerns that the whole system needs an upgrade. In the city itself, there's a huge disparity between neighborhoods in terms of rebuilding or even habitability. After the jump, a rundown on the state of the city, and what it means for visitors.

The Roundup Roundup collects recent "roundup" articles or general material about cities and city travel worldwide.

Beijing
Still Hungry? The Dish on Six Beijing Restaurants [Washington Post]

Chicago
A marathon trip to Chicago [Times]

Festivals
Summerfest '06 [Daily Candy]

Flights
'Open skies'? Not across the Atlantic [IHT]

Glasgow
Going To: Glasgow [NYT]

Guides
How do they keep guidebooks current? [Chicago Tribune]
For centuries, guidebooks have led the way [Chicago Tribune]

Helsinki
48 Hours: Helsinki [National Geographic Traveler]

iPod
Travels with iPod [National Geographic Traveler]

Las Vegas
Outside Las Vegas, a Game of Skill [NYT]

Maastricht
Going To: Maastricht [NYT]

Madrid
The personal concierge [Guardian]

Metropolis
The summer's hottest cities [Sunday Times]
8 great American cities [Chicago Tribune]

Mumbai
My kind of town [Telegraph]

Museums
Five 'Don't Miss' Exhibitions This Summer [NYT]

New Orleans
Big Easy's broken but unbowed [LAT]
New Orleans Right Now [Budget Travel]

New York
NY's Green Horizon [Metropolis]

Nightlife
Europe's Best Wine Bars [T+L]

Paris
Cultural News in Paris [Budget Travel]
Postcard from Tom [Washington Post]

Seattle
Streetless in Seattle [Metropolis]

Security
Passport: Don't leave home without it [Chicago Tribune]

Sydney
On the beaches [Guardian]

Transit
More options for traveling by rail [Chicago Tribune]

Venice
Take a bow, Venezia [Telegraph]

Vilnius
Baltic city that stands apart [Guardian]

Zurich
Swiss Bliss [T+L]

The new Cochon Restaurant in New Orleans is quickly winning a lot of fans. It could be chalked up to post-Katrina cheerleading, but a look at the menu suggests otherwise. It's Louisiana traditional with a twist, including such items as boudin (rave reviews at New Orleans Metblog), cochon rillette, and crawfish pie. As a staid fast Northerner, certain items both alarm and intrigue me, such as the bacon and oyster sandwich. This restaurant is exactly the sort of thing New Orleans' tourist industry needs right now, and it speaks volumes that thery're getting such good feedback before the website has even been completed.

EGullet
New Orleans Metblog
Cochon Restaurant

[Katherine Spiers]

Previously: The Culture of Queer @ LLGAF, Brad Pitt Rebuilds New Orleans, Queert Goes To New Orleans, The Best Pad Thai In LA, Mercado Del Puerto

The Culture of Queer art show started at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, was shuttered during the hurricane, and has now taken up residence at The Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation in New York. It features the work of nine Louisiana artists and is rounded out by select pieces from the LLGAF permanent collection. Runs until July 1st with an opening reception tonight at 6pm.

The Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation [Official site]
Procced at Your Own Risk [NSFW]

[Katherine Spiers]

Previously: Video City NYC Video Guide, NYC Album Artography, NYC Wine Bar Google Map, And the Horse He Rode You In On, Queerty Goes to New Orleans

With his own two hands! No really, Pitt has just lent his endorsement to a design competition held by Global Green USA that will highlight sustainable, eco-friendly rebuilding in the Big Easy. All quite laudable, and it's good to see a little of Angelina Jolie's philanthropy rubbing off on Brad (among other things, I'm sure). Fortunately, unlike pal George Clooney, Pitt not only answers questions, he also makes statements. Or at least, his publicist does. Just to try to imagine Brad himself actually speaking these words aloud:

"It is our hope that this competition will generate and uncover new and innovative ideas which will advance the practicalities of responsible architecture, as well as spark a long overdue rebuilding effort for the people of New Orleans," said Brad Pitt. "Honoring the traditions of this unique city and the voice of its residents, our goal is to create designs and ideally built projects for neighborhoods which are stable, beautiful, sustainable and affordable. This competition asks the question can this catastrophe be turned into opportunity? Can we create for these neighborhoods and its families something even better than they had before? We encourage anyone with an idea to get involved."

Actor launches contest to build green New Orleans [Guardian]
Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans [Global Green]

[Photo: Getty Images]

Previously: Nouveau Orleans, Maison de Ville & DFNDNO Tees Return, World Press Award Pics, NYC Hearts NOLA, New Orleans Devacuates

GLBT blog Queerty is currently taking a Big Gay Roadtrip and stopped by New Orleans along the way. Plenty of pictures, tips for French Quarter hotels and b&bs (avoid Canal Street, ask for rooms away from street, on-street parking is easy due to the post-Katrina situation and the muggers are back), a trip to the reopened gay bar Oz and some staggering photos of post-Katrina devestation. Words cannot describe the last link; just click on it. Unbelievable.

Big Gay Road Trip [Queerty]

[Neal Ungerleider]

Previously: Nouveau Orleans, Mardi Gras Wrapup, Mardi Gras Hangover, Maison de Ville & DFNDNO Tees Return, World Press Award Pics, Roundup Roundup #16

Fascinating long essay about urban rivers on Inhabitat by BLDGBLOG's Geoff Manaugh. The Los Angeles River is the touchstone, but Manaugh goes on to explore the geography and psychology of redirecting rivers around, through, or under cities (like the above image of the Westbourne River sewer underneath London). Cool stuff.

The LA River [Inhabitat]

Previously: Los Angeles River Run, Hotel Uberfluss, Gridskipper Interview: BLDGBLOG, The Bathing Ship, Nouveau New Orleans: Shrinkage, Mr. Go Goes