©2014 JCO, Inc. May not be distributed without permission. www.jco-online.com The Big Easy and All that Jazz fter Hurricane Katrina forced a change of A venue to Las Vegas in 2006, the AAO is finally returning to New Orleans April 25-29. While parts of the city have been slow to recover from the disastrous flooding, the main draws for tourists—music, cuisine, and architecture—are thriving. With its unique blend of European, Caribbean, and Southern cultures and styles, New Orleans remains a destination city for travelers from around the United States and abroad. Transportation and Weather The renovated Ernest N. Morial Convention Center opened a new grand entrance and Great Hall in 2013. Its location in the Central Business District is convenient to both the French Quarter Bourbon Street in the French Quarter at night. Photo © Jorg Hackemann, Dreamstime.com. to the north and the Garden District to the south. Museums, galleries, and other attractions, as well as several of the convention hotels, are within Tours walking distance, as is the Riverfront Streetcar line that travels along the Mississippi into the Get to know popular attractions in the city French Quarter. center by using the hop-on-hop-off double-decker Louis Armstrong International Airport is City Sightseeing buses, which make the rounds about 15 miles from the city center. A shuttle with of a dozen attractions and convenient locations service to many hotels is $20 one-way; taxi fares every 30 minutes (daily and weekly passes are are about $35 from the airport, although fares will available). Fares for the Regional Transit Auth- be a little higher than usual around town because ority’s buses and streetcars are $1.25 per trip; of the annual Jazz Festival. Amtrak passengers one- or three-day passes can also be purchased arrive at Union Terminal, centrally located a few (www.norta.com). The four- and six-person mule- minutes by taxi from the Convention Center and drawn carriages rolling through the French Quarter downtown hotels. from 8 a.m. to midnight can be engaged at April and May are usually mild to warm, but Carriage Tours in Jackson Square. Gray Line an umbrella would be advisable for anyone plan- Tours offers excursions within the city and beyond ning to be out and about this walkable city. One of by bus or boat. Capital City Trolleys provides the convenient Visitor Information Centers is a bus, airboat, and “ghost” tours, along with a visit good first stop; the Basin Street Station Visitor to the Villalobos Rescue Center for pit bulls, fea- Information & Cultural Center is housed in the tured on Animal Planet. Tours by Isabelle are restored Southern Railway Station, located at the small-group, personalized trips through the city, edges of the French Quarter and the historic neigh- antebellum plantations, and Cajun Country borhoods of Tremé and Iberville. Other French Quarter visitor centers are at 529 St. Ann St., 2020 Boldface names in this article are listed in the St. Charles Ave., and the Jean Lafitte Center at 419 Directory on pp. 126-128 with their telephone Decatur St. numbers and street addresses. The online ver- Mobile apps devoted to the Crescent City’s sion of this article (freely accessible) includes attractions, nightlife, and dining spots can be live website links; see the JCO Online Archive downloaded from www.neworleansonline.com/ at www.jco-online.com. tools (some free, some for a fee). VOLUME XLVIII NUMBER 2 © 2014 JCO, Inc. 121 The Big Easy and All that Jazz swamps; Spanish- and French-speaking guides can be arranged in advance. Jean Lafitte Swamp & Airboat Tours traverse a historical park and nature preserve, a 30-minute drive south of the city (children 8 and older are allowed on the airboats). On the waterfront, Steamboat Natchez, a true steam-powered vessel launched in 1975, fea- tures antique fittings from historic vessels and a 32-note steam calliope; daily brunch and dinner jazz cruises depart from the Toulouse Street Wharf The Riverfront Streetcar line runs along the in the French Quarter. The Paddlewheeler Creole Mississippi into the French Quarter. Photo © Queen, built in 1983 and propelled by an authen- Lawrence Weslowski Jr., Dreamstime.com. tic (but diesel-electric-powered) paddlewheel, launches every afternoon from the Port of New concert, Piano Night 2014, on April 28 at the Orleans for narrated cruises to the site of the 1815 House of Blues, which also hosts George Clinton Battle of New Orleans (Chalmette Battlefield) and & Parliament Funkadelic on April 27. Wednesday in the evening transforms to a jazz cruise vessel, at the Square, a free 12-week concert series at offering a Creole buffet and cocktails. Lafayette Square, goes on rain or shine; a special all-star line-up for April 30 includes Eric Performances McFadden, Jerry Joseph, Norwood Fisher, and Eric Bolivar. Mardi Gras World hosts the day- Although music is always in the air, the New long “Fiya Fest 2014 Crawfish Boil and Benefit for Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, held at the the Roots of Music” on May 2. To keep track of Fair Grounds Race Course north of the French the multitude of live-music venues during the 10 Quarter, is an annual highlight, drawing huge days of Jazz Fest, check the “Nearly World Famous crowds to multiple stages. This year’s festival will Jazz Fest Grids”, updated daily (www.jazzfest run during the weekends of April 25-27 and May grids.com). 1-4; headliners include Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, and Santana, backed by dozens of other musicians and bands Attractions encompassing “every style associated with the city Mardi Gras will be long past by April, but a and the state”. More than 100 Louisiana-based few venues celebrate year-round. The Mardi Gras vendors will sell restaurant-quality local delica- World facility in the port district lets visitors watch cies. Visitors should look into tickets and transpor- the real artists at work on costumes and floats for tation options as early as possible. next year’s parades while learning about festival During and between Jazz Fest weekends, history and culture. Free shuttle service is available live-music choices abound. The renowned from the central city and French Quarter. Tremé, Preservation Hall offers three nightly perfor- the oldest African-American neighborhood in the mances for all ages, and the Louisiana Music United States, features the Backstreet Cultural Factory, a French Quarter music store, features Museum, displaying memorabilia and the city’s live, in-store performances. The Pfister Sisters bring their traditional jazz vocal harmonies to Music at the Mint—that’s the Old U.S. Mint, part For subscription service and information on of the Jazz National Historical Park—on April our Online Archive, visit the JCO booth (No. 25. Progressive rock band Moe presents two per- 2452) at the AAO meeting. For information formances at the Civic Theater on April 25 and before the meeting, call us at (303) 443-1720, 26; radio station WWOZ stages its annual benefit ext. 11. 122 JCO/FEBRUARY 2014 *New Orleans unless otherwise noted. **Area code 504 unless otherwise noted. S. Roman St N. Roman St d Av R St S. Derbigny St u N. Derbigny St o y a Palmyra St Palmyra B Orleans Av Conti St Conti Dumaine St Latte Av Iberville St St Bienville St. Louis St Louis St. St. Philip Philip St. Ursulines S. Claiborne Av 90 N. Claiborne Av Nicholls St Gov. N. Claiborne Av 10 10 N. Claiborne Av N. Claiborne Av 90 N. Claiborne Av ST. LOUIS N. Claiborne Av Gravier St CEMETERY NO. 2 TREME t S Willow St Claiborne Av 1600 N. Robertson St N. Robertson St s l l N. Robertson St St. Peter St Peter St. St. Ann St ho Dumaine St Clara St c Cleveland St Cleveland Clara St y Ni Laharpe St w r Av N. Villere St 1500 N. Villere St N. Villere St o p Poydras St Poydras e x t t Esplanade Av ern E NEW ORLEANS v MERCEDES-BENZ a o S. Robertson St L Magnolia St n ARENA v G i SUPERDOME Sugar Bowl Dr Bowl Sugar A a 1400 La Salle St Marais St s Marais St r t n r a VOLUME XLVIII VOLUME e a l S. Robertson St Map reprinted by permission of New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.neworleanscvb.com. Freret St r h O c t S. Liberty St 1300 Treme St Treme St Treme St n Annette St o ST. LOUIS LOUIS P La Salle St Av Tulane CEMETERY S. Saratoga St 1200 Crozat St ARMSTRONG Girod St Av N. Villere St NO. 1 PARK St CITY HALL St. Bernard Av St. Claude St Freret St BASIN ST. STATION McShane Pl Marais St TOURIST INFO CENTER La Salle St Elk Pl Basin St From Columbus St From POLICE EXIT 236A Urquhart St Barracks St Barracks St. Philip Philip St. Ursulines Canal St Canal Esplanade EXIT 235B STATION Kerlerec St Canal St 1100 N. Rampart St LaSalle St Josephine St. St Julia Felicity St. N St. Claude St 200 500 600 700 800 900 100 200 300 400 St. Andrews St. UMBER 2 UMBER 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 300 Liberty St University Pl N. Rampart St Touro St U.S. POST OFFICE S. Rampart St 1000 Burgundy St St. Anthony St Loyola Av 400 O’Keefe St Vieux Carré Common St Common FRENCH QUARTER UNION Pauger St Poydras St Poydras Simon Bolivar Ave. STATION St Gravier 900 170 CBD S. Rampart St St Union Dauphine St FAUBOURG Perdido St Perdido Baronne St St CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT St Burgundy St Penn St St S.