The NEW New Orleans

Articles from Boomer Magazine in Richmond, VA

The New New Orleans

The Big Easy won’t let little things like a hurricane and an oil spill get it down

Story and photographs by Diane York

The Big Easy just keeps bouncing back. New Orleans has a history of vice, political corruption and, lately, hurricanes and oil spills. But nothing stops it for long.
In 2009, on the heels of two tragedies, 7.5 million people from all over the world showed up in New Orleans. The numbers for 2010 were expected to equal or top that. And 2011? Odds are that even more visitors still will experience the biggest party in the USA.

NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE DISASTERS
I had last seen New Orleans three days before Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Now, I had come back to a city I loved. New Orleans was like an old friend that had gone through devastating illnesses that I hoped were not terminal.
     I stayed in the French Quarter and was thrilled to find it alive and thriving. Bourbon Street is still a mixture of classy and trashy clubs and people. The traditional drink of the French Quarter, the Hurricane, has gone out of favor (understandably) but there are many replacements waiting, including the Hand Grenade. My traveling companion and I had Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale, and steaming seafood gumbo at the Gumbo Shop.
     We shared a giant muffuletta, heavy with salami, provolone and chopped olive salad, on the balcony of the Cajun Cabin, overlooking Bourbon Street. That gave us an eagle’s-eye view of a street parade held by Chris Owens, the most famous exotic dancer in New Orleans. At about 70 (her exact age is a well-kept secret), Owens looked fabulous in her lavender sequined gown and matching picture hat as she rode on a float.
     Restaurants such as Galatoire’s, Brennan’s and Arnaud’s, serving the recipes that have made them world-famous, were filled with customers. Seafood is everywhere, and restauranteurs say that because of last year’s BP oil spill, the seafood there is tested much more thoroughly than seafood from other locales. (Those from New Orleans are quick to note the spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, about 100 miles away from the city itself.)

CELEBRITIES AND THE FRENCH QUARTER
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s house on Governor Nicholls Street and Nicolas Cage’s house on Royal Street have added to the atmosphere of restoration and vitality in the Quarter.
Farther south, there’s Jackson Square, a sun-filled plaza built in the 1700s. It offers many fine examples of colonial Spanish architecture, including St. Louis Cathedral with its soaring spires and the Presbytere, home to the Mardi Gras exhibit (at press time closed for renovation). You might believe you are in Madrid except for the brass band belting out Dixieland jazz and blues that cause bystanders to jump into impromptu dances.
By the banks of the Mississippi River, Café Du Monde’s hot beignets, lavishly covered in powdered sugar, with café au lait on the side, are as ecstatic a food experience as ever.

AS GOOD AS EVER – OR BETTER
In the Garden District, with its collection of Victorian gingerbread homes, writer Anne Rice’s old home, which sustained considerable hurricane damage, now looks like the perfect turn-of-the-century estate. In the same area, the famous Commander’s Palace restaurant was so damaged by rainwater that it had to be stripped to its studs, with all roofing and walls replaced. It’s once again lovely, with a dining room full of guests.
While the French Quarter and the Garden District show no visible signs of Katrina, outlying areas such as the Ninth Ward and Jefferson Parish have many places where demolished homes are exactly as they were the day after Katrina hit. Some homes lie exposed with their insides out, ruined furnishings and personal effects moldering in the wet heat. There are still tours that will show you those areas.
But all the good things about New Orleans are still there. Its streets pulse with incredible music, art, food and people. It is a little bit of Paris and a bit of Barcelona— but unlike anything else in America.

Diane York is a Richmond-based freelance writer.