fall 2016

Top Tix!

August 01, 2016

New Orleans’ multi-faceted culture is celebrated and world-renowned, yet the city’s live stage arts and other festivities certainly merit more recognition as well.

Besides festivals and spur-of-the-moment street parades and other celebrations – likely to pop-up right before your eyes – the city’s theatre and live performance community is vibrant and very much a part of everything New Orleans.

For example, there’s the long-standing tradition of strolling the Arts District in your best dress-whites the first Saturday in August on White Linen Night.

Royal Carriages Celebrates 75th Anniversary

by French Quarterly

August 01, 2016

Three generations ago, in 1941, Clem and Violet Lauga purchased a horse-drawn wagon from Aunt Sally’s Pralines, and thus began Royal Carriages. Scenic wagon rides throughout the cobblestone streets of the old French Quarter quickly evolved into entertaining narrated tours explaining the unique history and culture of New Orleans, and the small family owned business began to grow.

Jackson Square

by Robert Ticknor, reference assistant, The Historic New Orleans Collection

August 01, 2016

Jackson Square is in many ways the heart of the French Quarter. Today, as a public park and tourist destination, millions of people rest in its shade from the summer heat, taking in the splendor of the surrounding historic buildings and the Mississippi River. Park-goers can relax on the benches or lie on the grass admiring the regal statue of Andrew Jackson, honored for his role in saving New Orleans from the British during the 1815 Battle of New Orleans: Brass bands and fortune tellers line up en masse along the Chartres Street side calling out to people going in and out of the adjacent St.

Voodoo and Restless Spirits of the Vieux Carre

by Kim Welsh

August 01, 2016

In the land of voodoo, vampires, and witchcraft, it’s no wonder that America’s most haunted city is rife with tales of restless spirits. Native Americans warned French settlers not to build a city on this “cursed land.” Louisiana Voodoo originated from the traditions of the African diaspora as a cultural form of the Afro-American religions that developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American population of Louisiana. It is an African-based religion rooted in West African Vodun.

"We're Bringing Dirty Back," Dirty Linen Night Celebrating 15 years

by Thierry Dumont

August 01, 2016

The French Quarter has always been a place of celebration, street performers, musicians and artists. All this will be on display at the 15th anniversary celebration of the Quarter's fun and notorious Dirty Linen Night, which began as a reaffirmation of the Vieux Carre's status as the artistic center of New Orleans.

Food News is Good News!

by Brenda Maitland

August 01, 2016

New and revitalized restaurants are part of the expectations and fun in New Orleans dining. It seems like different places are opening all the time and others are closing for renovation or refurbishing. That’s a good thing, since New Orleanians have always been tagged as people who “live to eat.”

In fact, many significant personal and business agreements have been forged while dining out. A little wine can help as well!

Chef’s Profile: Chef Nicholas Scalco, Irene’s Cuisine

by Brenda Maitland

August 01, 2016

Upon appearance, Nicholas Scalco may appear more like a top-notch athlete than an acclaimed chef, but then, both profiles are correct.

An experienced, well-trained, across-the-globe Ironman triathlon participant, Scalco is also the chef de cuisine at Irene’s Cuisine, the beloved restaurant founded by his mother, Chef-Owner Irene DePietro, nearly 25 years ago.

Hippest Happy Hours

by Brenda Maitland

August 01, 2016

Some U.S. cities would just love to be referred to as “hip.” So, what is “hip?” with characterizations like off-beat, unconventional, retro, and even trendy… New Orleans has apparently always had that descriptive terminology applied to it, so visitors and residents here are used to the expression. When one thinks of “hip,” the reference could apply to just about anything sensory: music, art, fashion, décor, bars, eateries, people, neighborhoods and experiences.

Drink in the Art and Culture of the French Quarter, As Well as its Libation

by Thierry Dumont

August 01, 2016

A stroll along Royal Street, with its historic buildings, inspires visions of the past, of centuries when artists, tradesman and explorers exchanged both greetings and the products of their labors.

Art and New Orleans’ French Quarter have gone hand-in-hand for almost three centuries. As the city prepares to celebrate the 300th anniversary of it’s founding in 1718, it’s not hard to envision artists and cartographers, who often accompanied early explorers, sketching buildings and ramparts of the new city for monarchs and anxious investors back home in Europe.