Kim Welsh

It’s our favorite time of year! Spring has sprung and the bead trees, our native species, are adorned with purple, green and gold shiny blooms. Our Spring festival season includes Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest, the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, St Patrick’s Day, and many more opportunities to celebrate. Mild weather invites us to imbibe in a cocktail or three alfresco in one of our many beautiful and charmingly romantic courtyards. Here are a few of our favorite places to bask in fresh air and glorious weather while enjoying a few refreshing sips.

Emilie Rhys is a supremely talented third-generation artist who specializes in depicting New Orleans musicians, French Quarter rooftop views, and cityscapes. In her serene French Quarter gallery, Scene by Rhys Fine Art at 1036 Royal St., she paints portraits on canvas and smaller images on copper plates. Often spotted at music venues, she spontaneously draws pen and ink drawings of performing musicians with remarkable accuracy. Her renderings capture the immediacy of improvisation. The only thing she enjoys more than hearing music is to "draw the music" while it's playing.

New Orleans is the birthplace of Creole cuisine, characterized by a blend of Native American, West African, Haitian, French, Spanish, German and Italian flavors. This fusion of flavors has resulted in iconic dishes such as Eggs Sardou, turtle soup, BBQ shrimp, beignets, gumbo, po' boys and étouffée, making New Orleans a culinary destination unlike any other. Your celebration will be complete with delicacies from these hand-chosen restaurants.

Antoine’s Restaurant
Antoines.com
713 Saint Louis St.

Craig Tracy, a pioneer of unconventional art, has created captivating images utilizing human bodies as canvases since 2001. Tracy's upbringing in New Orleans immersed him in the city's dynamic culture and influenced his artistic passion. Craig's parents, who were part of the nonconformist hippie movement, nurtured his creativity and instilled in him a unique perspective on art and life. "It was always evident that I was destined to be a professional artist," Craig recalls. Throughout his youth, Craig's art was filled with depictions of love and beauty.

Few foods embody the notion of what it means to be American like steak. The founding of the United States itself is tied up in every steak and hamburger. During the first half of the 19th century, most European immigrants to the New World embarked from Hamburg, and New York City was their most common destination. Restaurants in New York offered Hamburg-style American fillet, or even beefsteak à la Hambourgeoise. Early American preparations of beef were therefore made to fit the tastes of European immigrants, evoking memories of the port of Hamburg and the world they left behind.