The Flood’s Been Over: Exploring the New New Orleans

by Paul Brady on


Driving to the best breakfast spot in New Orleans, a somewhat dingy beignet shop in suburban Metairie called Morning Call, where cops and bounty hunters converse at the corner table, I turned on the local radio. The set picked up AM 690, and a program called Inside New Orleans. The host, Eric Asher, started talking about Tales of the Cocktail, an annual drinking convention for bartenders and liquor brands that’s quickly becoming one of the city’s banner festivals.

He loves the event, he tells his guest “Mr. Cocktail,” because it brings people to the city to see it’s not still underwater. Turns out, there are still people, six years after Katrina and the levee failure, who think New Orleans is flooded. On the contrary! The city is building, with an ever-expanding museum, local entrepreneurs starting businesses and, yes, an absolutely unparalleled drinking scene.

Traveling the American Road – New Orleans Rising


The most notable development for tourists since the storm in 2005–besides of course the clean up–is The National WWII Museum, a stunning collection of buildings housing artifacts large and small, cataloging the history of the war. Set on the western edge of the Central Business District, the latest addition is a 4-D movie, complete with lighting effects and rumble seats, that tells the story of the war’s multiple theaters.

Tom Hanks narrates the 45-minute production that doesn’t shy away from the difficult history of the period. Similarly, the museum galleries are brutally honest about the horrors of total war, from photos of the dead and dying, archival footage from concentration camps or frank discussion of the civilian casualties at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sober displays of the weapons of the war used at the infantryman level–grenades, flamethrowers, squad machine guns–frame them as viciously effective tools of death, not the glamorous props from war movies.

The museum also recognizes the sacrifices of those who endured the war, through exhibits and an honest recounting of history on the home front, from rationing to racist propaganda posters.

A newly opened Restoration Pavilion displays PT-305, a patrol boat originally crafted in New Orleans at Higgins Industries, currently being rebuilt for the permanent collection. Future additions to the museum will house even more artifacts, including two B-17s recently donated by Boeing.

The city’s recovery is visible elsewhere, including on Magazine Street, now a must-visit shopping destination west of the French Quarter. I stopped at Dirty Coast, a t-shirt boutique that spins out New Orleans-insider themed shirts, with designs that creative director Blake Haney describes as “Levels deep.” The screens look cool, sure, but to insiders, the jokes and puns run levels deeper, like on the Acadiana Self-reliance T. Haney, a New Orleans native, describes the design, which celebrates the region’s power, access to the sea and culture, as the national flag of the city–if it ever got organized enough to secede from the Union.

Haney has also launched a local news site, Humid Beings, that follows stories that wouldn’t be out of place on HBO’s Treme. (When locals watch, Haney says, there’s little surprise in the magically realist story lines since “We live this every day.”) He’s also plugged in to local music–rappers Ballzack and Odoms are favorites–and the still-nascent co-working scene, with Icehouse in Mid-City and Launchpad near Lafayette Square pioneering the way. Co-housing is starting to develop too.

Of course, New Orleans is still a drinking town, particularly when Tales of the Cocktail descends on its bars. In a nod to the event’s influence, the Times-Picayune insert, Lagniappe, published its 2011 Bar Guide on July 22, at the height of “Tales.” Most notable is the list of 11 new bars, spanning the city and filling niches still untapped. Descriptions range from “pulses with Top 40 hits” to “comfort food, rock ‘n’ roll and whiskey” to “only spot in town where you can enjoy a cocktail and a gourmet snack in a luxury movie house.” Unparalleled drinking scene indeed.

Cuba: Nine US cities cleared for charter flights

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Nine US airports have been approved for charter flights to Cuba, Reuters reported this morning. The Cuban travel agency Havanatur Celimar made the announcement on Friday.

The US government forbids commercial flights between the United States and Cuba, so all air travel between the two countries has to proceed on charter planes. The Obama Administration has already removed all restrictions on travel to Cuba by Cuban-Americans and eased the guidelines for travel to Cuba by US citizens more generally.

The general changes already enacted by the administration include an easing of restrictions on religious, academic, and professional travel and the return of people-to-people educational exchanges, which were outlawed by the Bush Administration.

The lucky nine cities approved by Havanatur Celimar: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, New Orleans, San Juan, and Tampa. Charter flights to and from Cuba already take off and land from Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.

[Image: Alex Robertson Textor]

Pop-up restaurants: dining for a new decade

by Laurel Miller on

First, it was underground supper clubs. Now, everything’s coming up pop-ups. As with food trucks, this form of guerrilla cheffing borne of economic need has become a global phenomenon. Equal parts dinner party and dinner theater, a pop-up refers to a dining establishment that is open anywhere from one to several nights, usually in an existing restaurant or other commercial food establishment.

The impermanent nature of pop-ups means no real overhead or utilities, and little food cost and labor. They’re not enough to sustain chefs financially, but are instead a great way for them to make a name for themselves and draw some income in between (or during) gigs. Pop-ups also give chefs a chance to stretch themselves, stylistically or ethnically, although some prefer to let local ingredients shine. Most pop-ups give props to sustainability by sourcing product from local farms, which is part of what gives these fly-by-night operations such a wonderful sense of place.

I first heard about pop-ups while couch-surfing in San Francisco two years ago (my own pop-up form of survival after relocating back to the West Coast from Colorado). Chef Anthony Myint, the brainchild behind SF’s Mission Street Food pop-up, which started in 2008, was serving much-lauded, locally-sourced dinners Thursday nights, each time with the help of a guest chef. The food was unpredictable with regard to cuisine or style. The location? Lung Shan, a nondescript Chinese restaurant in the city’s vibrant Mission District (FYI, my favorite place for great, usually cheap, eats). I remember thinking at the time, “More, please.”Fast-forward 24 months, and while the pop-up is no more, the venture was so successful, Myint is now co-owner of San Francisco’s popular Commonwealth, as well as newly minted (har) chef at the forthcoming Mission Bowling Club. And Joshua Skenes of Saison, one of Food & Wine magazine’s newly crowned Best New Chefs, started the restaurant as a pop-up.

San Francisco has long been an incubator for innovative ideas involving food, so it’s no surprise pop-ups are, ah, popular there (click here for a recent round-up). Meanwhile, fellow 2011 Best New Chef Jason Franey, of Seattle’s Canlis, has also been getting in on the pop-up. In February, he cooked a one-night gig at “Hearth & Home,” held at one of the city’s Macrina Bakery locations (another tip: if you’re in town, visit Macrina in its own right. Four words: chocolate-orange pound cake).

The pop-up trend–which now applies to boutiques, galleries, clubs, coffee houses, and bars–has gone national. Los Angeles, San Diego, New Orleans, Chicago, New York, Boston, Portland (Oregon), Miami: all popular for restaurant pop-ups. Oakland has seen phenomenal response to its Pop-up General Store, which features a twice-monthly gathering of food vendors held at a catering kitchen. Founded by former Chez Panisse Chef Christopher Lee and his former sous chef Saimin Nosrat (of Berkeley’s defunct Eccolo), the venue features all the deliciousness you would expect when a group of mostly former Chez Panisse cooks and food artisans get together and prepare things to eat.

Pop-ups are even crossing the pond. The New York Times reports that, starting today, Singapore is sending some of its top chefs and a pop-up kitchen on a yearlong trip around the world, with nine stops planned in Moscow, Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Delhi, Sydney, and Dubai. Dubbed Singapore Takeout, the goal is to showcase the city’s eclectic, multi-ethnic cuisine. The kitchen is a converted 20-by-eight-foot shipping container. Also hitting the road is chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, Ad Hoc, Bouchon, and Per Se. He’ll be featured in a ten-day pop-up at Harrods, London later this summer.

Tip: Due to the nature of pop-ups, the best way to find them is to Google the words, “pop-up restaurant, ____ (city).” You can also go to Pop up Restaurants for news. Get popping!

A first-timer’s guide to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

by Gadling Staff on

The annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, or simply Jazz Fest, is a massive springtime music and cultural festival that takes place over two consecutive weekends in late April and early May. Many music lovers of all ilk consider it the country’s premier music festival and return year after year. Others have called it the best party in America.

The name Jazz Fest is somewhat misleading, as jazz is only one component of the festival’s musical offerings. Performers represent a wide range of genres including jazz, rock, blues, gospel, R & B, Cajun, zydeco, folk, bluegrass, African, Caribbean and Latin. Non-stop performances take place on a dozen stages scattered around the festival site. In addition to music, there’s a huge selection of regional cuisine, arts and crafts booths, second line parades and numerous other attractions.

Over its seven-day run, the festival typically attracts around 400,000 visitors. Jazz Fest is really big and big-time fun.

When and Where
Most people attend Jazz Fest for only one of two weekends, though some stay for the duration. The first weekend begins on the last Friday of April and runs through Sunday. After a three-day hiatus, festivities begin again on Thursday and conclude on Sunday. The dates for Jazz Fest 2011 are April 29-May 1 and May 5-8. The festival takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course in the Mid-City section of New Orleans, about three miles from Downtown and the French Quarter. Daily hours are from 11am to 7pm which leaves fest-goers time in the evening to explore the city’s famous restaurants, bars and clubs.

%Gallery-121740%Jazz Fest through the Years
The first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival took place in 1970 in Congo Square, at the edge of the French Quarter. The single-day event attracted 350 people. It was produced by George Wein, founder of the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island. The lineup for the first Jazz Fest included Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt, Clifton Chenier, Fats Domino, The Meters and others. It quickly outgrew its original location and moved to its current site at the race track.

In 1975, the first limited-edition silkscreen festival poster was produced. Today, the Jazzfest poster collection is considered the world’s most popular poster series (you can view and purchase posters at www.art4now.com). In 2001, the year of Louis Armstrong’s centennial celebration, Jazz Fest set an all-time attendance record with 650,000 attendees.

Getting to New Orleans
Unless a springtime road trip is on your agenda, you’ll probably be arriving in New Orleans by plane. Discounted flights for Jazz Fest travelers are offered by American Airlines (discount code 2341BT) and United Airlines (discount code 584EZ). Delta Vacations offers combination air/hotel packages. If you’re having trouble finding suitable last-minute flights, consider flying into Houston’s Hobby airport then connecting with Southwest Airlines. Southwest offers numerous daily flights to New Orleans.

Where to Stay
With hotel rooms in high demand during the festival, don’t expect to find a great deal on lodging. Some hotels do offer slightly-discounted Jazz Fest rates. Priceline or Hotwire sometimes have affordable last-minute deals. Most visitors opt to stay in Downtown New Orleans or the adjacent French Quarter where much of the city’s dining and entertainment venues are concentrated. Another option is to stay in the quieter leafy Garden District which connects by streetcar to Downtown and the Fair Grounds.

From the Airport into Town
A rental car will be an unnecessary and expensive burden unless you’re staying in an out-of-the-way location. From the airport, you can get to your Downtown or French Quarter hotel by taxi, airport shuttle or city bus. Taxi fare is $33 for up to two people and $14 per person for three or four people. The shuttle costs $20 one-way ($38 RT). For $2, the Airport-Downtown Express bus (E-2) takes riders to the intersection of Tulane and Loyola in Downtown New Orleans (weekdays only). Board the bus at Entrance #7 in the airport’s upper level.

Tickets
It’s more convenient to purchase tickets in advance than when you arrive at the fairgrounds. Single-day tickets are $45 in advance and $60 at the gate. Tickets for children age 2-10 are $5. Kids under 2 are free. A limited number of VIP tickets are sold which include perks such as parking privileges, access to private viewing areas at some stages, private restrooms and private beverage concessions.
Tickets are available online through Ticketmaster, by phone (800-745-3000) or in person at the New Orleans Arena Box Office. Service and handling fees are extra. Children’s tickets are not available in advance. You can also purchase a ticket when you book the Jazz Fest Express shuttle (see below).

Getting to the Fest
Even if you have a car, driving to the festival is not recommended. On-site parking is only available for those with disabilities or those who bought a VIP ticket with a parking option. Parking in the surrounding residential neighborhoods is not advisable. There are a variety of other transportation options to get to the fairgrounds.

Taxi: Expect to pay around $5 per person for a taxi from the French Quarter or Downtown. The queue for taxis leaving the fairgrounds at the end of the day can be quite long.

Express Bus: The Jazz Fest Express provides round-trip bus service from Downtown and City Park for $62-$77 with a festival ticket or $14-$17 without. It’s cheaper to book in advance, but not required.

Streetcar or City Bus: For cheap transportation, a streetcar or city bus costs $1.25 each way. Board the 47-48 Canal Street Streetcar marked City Park/Museum either along the river in the French Quarter or at any stop along the route and take it to the end of the line. From there, the festival entrance is eight blocks away. For bus transport, take the 91 Jackson/Esplanade line.

Bicycle: A great option, popular with many locals, is to bike to the Fest. Bike racks are available in a secure guarded location near the Gentilly entrance. Biking is also a convenient way to get around the French Quarter. Bicycle Michael’s, located on Frenchman Street, rents bikes for around $25-$35 per day depending on the length of rental.

What to Bring
Travel light but travel smart. Be prepared for hot weather. Shorts and short sleeves are de rigueur. So are sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen. Wear comfortable shoes or sandals as you’ll be doing a lot of walking. Walkways get muddy after rain showers so leave your sparkling white tennies at home. Carry a pocket-size disposable rain poncho. You can pick one up in the French Quarter for a buck or two. Earplugs are at your own discretion. Don’t forget cash and a camera.

You can bring in one sealed plastic water bottle and refill it throughout the day. Neighborhood entrepreneurs sell them for a dollar on the street near the entrance on Gentilly Boulevard or you can pay more inside. Bringing alcohol into the fairgrounds is not allowed. Packs and handbags are searched at the entrance. For a list of other prohibited items, see this pdf.

The Layout
There are a dozen stages scattered throughout the 145-acre festival site. Five of these are inside tents and offer seating and protection from the elements. At the other stages, be prepared to sit, stand or dance on grass, dirt or on a blanket if you have one. The Acura and Gentilly stages are the largest and are located at opposite ends of the infield. This is where the big-name headliners usually perform.

There are two main food areas and a smattering of other food and beverage concessions scattered around the grounds. There are also two main areas to purchase arts, crafts and souvenirs. Elsewhere, you’ll find a CD store, bookstore, T-Shirt booth, poster shop and a variety of other concessions.

If you need a break from the heat or crowds, head to the air-conditioned grandstand where you can get a refill of cold water, view a fascinating museum exhibit, take in a cooking demonstration and partake of indoor plumbing. The Lagniappe (Lan’-yap) stage, in the inner courtyard, is seldom crowded.

The Music
The quantity and variety of high-caliber musical performances that run continuously throughout the day is, quite simply, mind-boggling. It’s helpful to begin each day with a general plan, but keep in mind that flexibility and spontaneity are often rewarded.

Start by printing out a copy of “the cubes,” a graphic depiction of the musical line-up for each day from www.nojazzfest.com. Undoubtedly, you’ll discover that several of your “can’t-miss” bands are playing at the same time in different locations. Ah, life can be tough.

As you put together your daily Jazz Fest itinerary, be aware that good viewing real estate is in high demand for the big-name headliners, especially on Saturdays and Sundays at the Acura and Gentilly stages. Unless you’re willing to stake out a spot far in advance, you’ll likely end up viewing these high-profile bands from a different zip code.

No worries. Seasoned Jazz Fest aficionados will often tell you that their most memorable experiences took place seeing local, obscure or up-and-coming bands steps from the stage at the less populous venues.

With that in mind, the Fais Do-Do (Fay’ Dough-Dough) stage seldom has large crowds and often features foot-stomping, homegrown Cajun and zydeco music. In addition, the venue has a small grandstand where you can rest your feet or chow down on a po’boy in relative comfort.

For a unique Jazz Fest experience, take in a performance of Mardi Gras Indians at the Jazz & Heritage Stage. Make sure your camera battery is charged up. You haven’t really done Jazz Fest until you’ve experienced a set in the Gospel Tent. The vibe is otherworldly.

If the music isn’t doing it for you at one stage, don’t hesitate to move on. Another band is rockin’ it just a few minutes away.

Sustenance
While great music will feed your spirit throughout the weekend, you won’t be lacking for physical sustenance either. If the music was removed from Jazz Fest, it would still be a pretty damn good food festival. The plethora of food options are largely Southern-inspired with some international flavors thrown in the mix. You won’t find a corn dog at Jazz Fest, but you’ll find jambalaya, gumbo, po’ boys, crawfish, alligator pie, boudin balls and bread pudding.

There is very little turnover of food vendors from year to year, meaning the available choices are proven crowd-pleasers. While everyone has their favorites, dishes with especially large and vocal devotees include the pheasant, quail & andouille gumbo, soft shell crab po’ boy, cochon de lait po’ boy and crawfish Monica. In general, food is portioned and priced to allow you to do copious sampling throughout the weekend. Leave your diet at the gate. Indulge and enjoy.

A limited variety of alcoholic beverages is available. Beers of the standard light lager variety are sold throughout the site. For more discerning tastes, Pilsner Urquell and Blue Moon can be found near the Blues Tent and Gentilly Stage. Several booths sell wine and champagne. A few stands sell daiquiri-type drinks that come in colors that don’t occur in nature. Consume at your own risk.

The Post-Fest Party
If you intend to sample one of New Orleans’ well-known restaurants – and you should – make a reservation in advance. When Jazz Fest ends each day, the clubs fill up as festival performers descend on the city’s abundant music venues for evening gigs that continue well into the wee hours. If you have the stamina, you’ll have amazing options for an evening on the town. Some shows require you to purchase tickets in advance. The Jazz Fest Grids is a great resource for club listings.

4 U.S. cities that need a major theme park

by Joel Bullock on

A glance at a map of the United States makes my theme park-addicted mind flag the states and cities with theme parks. To me, the states without theme parks look like big holes in the map. I figured I’d list the cities that I feel could use a major theme park. I’m going to preface this list by admitting that I have a completely outsider’s view of these cities. I’m going mainly on the population, so feel free to inform me of any local issues or reasons why theme parks aren’t there. And by theme park, I mean a 100-acre or more amusement park with roller coasters, thrill rides, and the typical attractions people associate with these parks.

A theme park developer once told me during an interview that the U.S. market is already pretty saturated and that it was unlikely that we would see new large theme parks. I’m no theme park businessman, but I find that a little hard to believe. Here are the cities that I feel need a theme park.

4 – Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville was recently the center of what looks to be at worst a hoax, and at best a well-meaning, but unlikely new project. Last month a developer unveiled plans for a $750 million theme park in nearby Spring Hill, TN. Since the announcement a number of questions have arisen around the developers background. There are about 1.2 million people in the Nashville metro area and around 600,000 in the city itself. There are two great smaller parks, Holiday World and Dollywood, that are about 3 hours away, but I’d still like to see Nashville with its own major theme park.3 – Phoenix, Arizona
AZ Central recently recounted the proposed Phoenix area theme parks and attractions that for one reason or another haven’t made it off the ground. They included an indoor ski park, Decades Theme Park, and the Mesa Waveyard. Aside from the climate, AZ Central goes on to point out the competition area attractions would have. A theme park would have to compete with a little attraction known as the Grand Canyon and the area’s other natural points of interest. The latest proposed project is an indoor theme park that would include a ski area and a water park. With 1.4 million in the city and 4 million in the metro area, the city definitely has the population to support a major theme park.

2 – New Orleans, Louisianna
After Hurricane Katrina flooded Six Flags New Orleans in 2005, the park remained abandoned for years. There were a few plans to re-open the park, but they fell through. Even as recent as last summer, the park looked like it was left in such dissaray (see video) that you’d think an apocalyptic event had happened. Something that removed the patrons and workers, but left the rides to rot and merchandise to lay out in the streets. New Orleans has over a million people and no competing major parks that are relatively close. The new park should probably be placed further away from the coastline or lake, but New Orleans seems like a city where a theme park could thrive.

1 – Houston, Texas
With a population of 2.1 million people and a warm climate, I can’t imagine why there isn’t a major theme park in Houston. Since the city lost Six Flags AstroWorld back in 2005, theme park fans have had to trek to San Antonio or Dallas to visit a large theme park. An eco theme park, called EarthQuest Adventures has been planned for the Houston area for a few years now. According to news from last summer, the new park is slated to open in 2013 in New Caney, Texas about 25 miles north of Houston. However, I couldn’t find an official opening date on the park’s website.

What city would you say needs a theme park? Do you know a reason why one of these cities shouldn’t get a theme park?

Photo Credit: Intamin10