The following piece appeared in Travel Weekly:
Bringing the Music Back: New Orleans is already rising from the hurricanes and looking to party!
By Matt Robinson
Though Katrina and Rita took a big bite out of the Crescent City, New Orleans is on its way back. According to New Orleans City Council, 1,270,000 of the metro area’s 1,417.000 have already returned and normalcy is beginning to poke its head out.
The city’s world-famous festival of Mardi Gras was a huge success this year, with an estimated crowd of 800,000 and area hotels reporting a 95 percent occupancy rate throughout the last weekend of the pre-Lenten bacchanal blowout.
As tourism accounts for 35 percent of the city’s annual operating budget, it is more important than ever that people come back to the Crescent City.
Fortunately, there is plenty for them to do when they get there!
On the weekend of April 27-29 and May 4-6, 2007, hundreds of local artists, chefs, craftspeople and revelers and thousands of visitors from all over the world will gather at the famed New Orleans Fair Grounds for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (www.nojazz.org) – a week of music, muffaletta and merriment. From local legends like Dr. John, Pete Fountain, Better Than Ezra, Cowboy Mouth, Harry Connick, Jr., Rebirth Brass Band, and Allen Toussaint and Tab Benoit (who were both recently featured in the IMAX documentary “Hurricane on the Bayou”) to imported stars like George Thoroughgood, Bonnie Raitt, Steely Dan, Ludacris, Norah Jones, and an even newer New Edition, ‘Fest will show off all New Orleans has to offer while drawing talent from all corners of the music world.
“A lot of the artists who come from other places may not have that soul connection,” says Festival associate producer Louis Edwards, “but they have all played here before and have helped the Festival gain the prominence it has. So it is all good!”
Whether you like old-fashioned Gospel, down-home Blues, native Cajun or good old Rock n’ Roll, ‘Fest has all you need for a good time!
“It is overwhelming how our musical family has rallied to our cause,” says Festival producer Quint Davis. “They are all committed to returning to be a part of the renewal of our spirit.”
With all this entertainment, it is hard to believe that tickets to Fest are only $45 ($35 if purchased ahead of time)! For those who wish to make their Fest experience extra special, Big Chief VIP packages offer admission, program guides, access to special viewing areas (most of which offer their own private Southern “comfort stations”), and, perhaps most importantly, access to an air-conditioned lounge with its own restrooms.
In addition to the “all good” music, Fest also offers scores of local artists who work in all manner of media to create Folk, African, and Contemporary art.
“The Festival is a celebration of Louisiana culture,” Edwards explains. “We want to let people know that New Orleans is back and that the culture is back and that they can come have a great time in a great city.”
That ‘Fest did not miss a season despite the destruction all around the fabled Fair Grounds Race Course on which it has been held year after year since 1972 demonstrates the strength of this beautiful city and the spirit of the people who live and work there.
“It marks the hard-earned comeback of the city,” Edwards suggests.
Though numbers were down last year, the spirit of Fest was high, as 350,000 music and culture fans and literally thousands of local and international artists, and artisans gathered at the Fair Grounds and throughout the rebuilding city for two weeks of music, food and laissez-faire fun. In the process, they brought over $200 million of desperately-needed business and support to the area.
“Some people like to go from stage to stage getting all the variety from Cajun and Zydeco to Gospel to Blues to Rock and Roll,” Edwards observes. “Other folks know exactly what they want to see. They wait all year for this and they love every minute of it!”
And for those minutes when you are not at the Festival, New Orleans has plenty of other things to offer. From the Audubon Zoo to Zydeco bands all over town, New Orleans is an alphabet soup (or is that gumbo?) of activities for young and old.
When not at the festival site, many tourists and locals gather in the French Quarter to listen and dance at the historic Preservation Hall (www.preservationhall.com), or just to take in the post Mardi Gras glories of the neighborhood’s storied streets where Jazz and Zydeco can be heard at nearly every hour of the day and night.
If you’ve had too much dancing (too much dancing?!), you can travel through the historic neighborhood in the back of a horse-drawn carriage or on a Gray Line bus (www.graylineneworleans.com). When the sun begins to set, take one of Marie Laveau’s famous “Voodoo tours” (www.neworleansvoodoocrossroads.com). And if you are feeling really adventurous, book a trip on an airboat through the Bayou (www.louisianaswamp.com) or climb on board the historic Natchez for a steamboat ride down the mighty Mississippi (www.steamboatnatchez.com).
If the animals on Bourbon Street are a bit too wild for your tastes, check out the world-famous Audubon Zoo or the Aquarium of the Americas (www.auduboninstitute.org).
Hungry? New Orleans is one of the best places to find yourself in such a state, for in addition to being one of the nation’s (and the world’s) musical Meccas, New Orleans is also one of the greatest dining cities in the world. As such, the Big Easy is an easy place to pack on the pounds…and love it!
According to a recent study by The Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA), 1,650 of the roughly 3,400 restaurants in the metro area are open, including 65 brand new openings!
If you want just a li’l sum’n, drop by for beignets at Café du Monde (www.cafedumonde.com) – an open-air coffee shop where you can watch the fried dough delicacies being made and eat them hot off the rack! In the mood for lunch? Then grab a Po’Boy at Napoleon House (www.napoleonhouse.com) – a corner café that was once lived in by you-know-who. The French Quarter is also home to a great farmer’s market where local produce, shellfish, coffee and other treats await.
As some of the world’s best chefs make their home in New Orleans, there is always a sensation to savor, whether it be at Paul Prudhomme’s K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen (www.kpauls.com), Emeril Lagasse’s similarly eponymous place (www.emerils.com), or the original Ruth’s Chris Steak House (www.ruthschris.com). If you want more of a taste of old New Orleans, reserve a table at Brennan’s (www.brennansneworleans.com), the birthplace of bananas foster (see the website for the recipe!), celebrate the first 100 years of Galatoire’s (www.galatoires.com) or take a pre-meal tour of Antoine’s (www.antoines.com).
For a lighter bite (perhaps a mid-afternoon snack), try Po’Boys at Domilise’s or Guy’s or for a breakfast-y kind of meal, you can’t beat The Bluebird Café (www.bluebirdcaferi.com).
After dinner, you might want to head back to Bourbon Street to catch the leather-clad dueling pianos (and world-famous Hurricanes) at Pat O’Briens (www.patobriens.com) or to witness the legendary entertainer Chris Owens (www.chrisowens.com).
For those who just can’t get enough music, there is the legendary Tipitina’s and Tip’s Uptown (www.tipitinas.com), The Howlin Wolf (www.howlin-wolf.com), and New Orleans’ take on the House of Blues (www.hob.com).
With last year’s successful campaign by the Saints and the return of professional basketball to the area, this hub of the sportsman’s paradise of Louisiana has also reclaimed its placed as a place to watch or play your favorite sports. Of course, the jewel of the city is the completely rebuilt and refurbished Superdome (www.superdome.com), but there are plenty of other parks and venues.
One noted sportsman who made sure to come back to New Orleans was boxing champion Bernard Hopkins, who trained last year that the Sheraton New Orleans.
“My conditioning coach Mackie Shilstone is from there,” Hopkins explains, “and I thought it would be great to be there for him and to uplift the spirits of the New Orleans people. The publicity New Orleans received by having me train there for one of the biggest fights of my career helped the rest of the country know that New Orleans is alive, vibrant and making its way back to what it used to be.”
Another grand attraction that has already brought thousands back to the city is the completely refurbished 357,500 square-foot Morial Convention Center (www.mccno.com). After a $60 million renovation, the Center is once again ready to welcome visitors from around the world and is already gearing up for the city’s largest convention ever- the 25,000-person National Association of Realtors convention that will take place from November 10-13, 2007. From the American College of Cardiology (March 23-27) to the American College of Sports Medicine (May 29-June 2) to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (October 13-17) to scores of other events, the Center is already nearly fully booked for the rest of the year!
For the more culturally minded, the nation’s only museum dedicated to WW II (www.ddaymuseum.org) offers a stirring historical perspective on the second Great War and is currently mounting an exhibit on famed Jewish author Anne Frank. The world-renown New Orleans Museum of Art (www.noma.org) features local artists like Clarence John Laughlin and international stars like Picasso, Renoir, Degas, Manet, and Toulouse-Lautrec. On a slightly less serious tip is the new musical “Hats” at Harrah’s Casino (www.harrahs.com).
As for getting around, the 28 bus lines and the world-famous streetcars are running, providing an average of 23,000 rides daily. As such, Fest-ers and other visitors can still get from the Fairgrounds to the French Quarter (and many other places as well) with little trouble and, if they want to live in the bliss of ignorance, little evidence of the storm. However, opportunities abound for those who wish to combine the nation’s most important business with their pleasure, as organizations like Habitat for Humanity (www/habitat.org), Hands-On Gulf Coast (www.handsongulfcoast.org) and The American Red Cross (www.usa.redcross.org) can easily put you in touch with people and places in need, if only for a soul-cleansing day.
“A weekend or a day is not too little,” says Jeanne Ellinport, director of communications for the American Red Cross’s hurricane recovery program. “There is a lot to be done, but every little bit helps.”
“Volunteers that come to New Orleans to volunteer with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity [can] commit as much or as little time as they want,” adds New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity’s communications director Aleis Tusa., noting that a “typical” day with Habitat runs from 7:30 Am to 2:30 PM. “This gives volunteers time to rest, clean up and enjoy the city and all the area has to offer.”
With nearly 50 homes in production, there is plenty to do and opportunities for people of every ability and skill level.
“On the construction site,” Tusa explains, “volunteers are organized based on their interest. We have some who want to do more physical work and they usually are committed to roofing, raising walls, or building floor systems. Some prefer to paint, hang sheetrock or work on the interiors. Whatever their interest, we usually can find a task for them to work on.”
No matter what you do to help, though, the experience will benefit not only the people who will eventually move back to the area but those who helped them do it as well.
“I will say the best thing about volunteering on your vacation is that you get to give back and help out and still enjoy all the area has to offer,” Tusa says.
For those who have stayed in the city or returned after their hurricaned exile, there are also efforts underway to rebuild from the inside. Among these is the Musician’s Village, a rebuilding project that is being spearheaded by local sons Harry Connick, Jr. and the Marsalis family.
“Music is as much a part of the fabric of life in New Orleans as the cuisine and Mardi Gras,” says Branford Marsalis. “It is central to the city’s culture…and to the city’s infrastructure.”
“Since music is what we know,” Connck adds, “we felt we could be most effective by helping musicians.”
And help they are! From housing to a music school, Marsalis, Connick, and such legendary friends as Clint Eastwood and members of the Dave Matthews Band are band-ing together to help their friends and colleagues.
“A true community…is the model that works,” says NFL star and Musician’s Village participant Andy Lee. “The Village sends a message that, musician or…citizen, it is safe to come back!”
Though the levees are broken, the spirit of the city is not. After a temporary exile, thousands of native N’awlins are coming back and invite you to join them, either for ‘Fest or any time!
“I worked from the levees breaking until now to return to my home,” says Mark Samuels of New Orleans’ own Basin Street Records. “Although this is a very frustrating place to try to live right now, it is still a lot of fun, and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!”
