Tourists–and the Party–Return to New Orleans

A look at the bright side of New Orleans since my last visit slightly over a year ago...
Check out this line at Café du Monde. The town is crawling with tourists. Between the Christmas holiday, the Sugar Bowl, the BCS game, and a convention of economists, I have not seen the French Quarter this busy since pre-K times, and business wasn’t too shabby over on Magazine Street, either.

And joy of joys, my favorite oyster house has finally reopened! albeit in a smaller space. I can’t tell you the number of times I've stood outside Felix's on Iberville with my nose pressed up against the glass wondering when they’d reopen and I could sit down to a mess of fried crawfish tails. It could be rose-colored-glasses syndrome, but my Felix experience this visit surpassed even my most golden memories. The tails seemed plumper and hotter, the remoulade fresher, and the service was definitely faster and friendlier.

And how ‘bout Hoi Polloi over on Chartres Street? The irony that swanky, girly store owner Lisa Shedlock would find success easier to achieve in post-K New Orleans than on Main Street was not lost on those of us who follow the downtown A2 retail scene. Lisa wasn’t in the store, but her mom Elise (above left) said they’ve had good luck with new lines like PJ Salvage and Maven Cosmetics, and they have high hopes for strong sales as the BCS looms.

Speaking of the BCS game, check out the swag for sale in the recently refurbished French Market (the work on the flea market side is complete, and they don’t seem far from done on the fresh produce side). Like the rest of the French Quarter, business in the Market was hopping.

What about Bourbon Street? Wednesday night after drinking this go-cup (strawberry, kiwi, and 151 rum) from one of the five dozen daiquiri places, the quality of my photography understandably deteriorated. But America’s unique corridor of bawd seems back to its licentious self, and as always there was considerable police presence to make the tourists feel safe. Katie (below right) is a local college junior, and I asked if her parents worried about her job. “I’ve worked on Bourbon since I was 18, and never had any real trouble.” If The Button fed me that line I wouldn’t believe her for a second, but as my local companion said, “it’s different for kids who grow up in New Orleans.” Imagine just how much different for the Katrina generation...

Oh, and as if the run-of-the-mill liquor flowing on Bourbon weren’t enough, did you know absinthe is legal in the U.S. again? Scott, a bartender at Tony Moran’s (the restaurant connected to the Old Absinthe House), poured us a free tasting. Sugar cube, lighting on fire, the whole nine yards. Ick. That anise flavor that I don’t care for. But the charcuterie plate (left) we ordered was mighty fine.

At the far end of Bourbon, a sad note for fans of Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, the piano bar in the oldest (supposedly) building in the French Quarter. Johnny Gordon, their ancient piano player, has Alzheimer's and retired to South Carolina. For as long as I can remember, Johnny has been banging away “Piano Man,” the entire Elton John catalog, and on a couple occasions made a good natured attempt to pound out “Tubthumping” after I sang it (off key) for him. I took this photo in November of 2005, when it was essentially a few Quarter locals and relief workers like my buddy and me singing along. Johnny, you’ll be missed.

"Tubthumping" has always been an anthem of sorts for my friend Kelly and me when we're in New Orleans. But, come to think of it, what an appropriate song for New Orleans as the city continues to try to rebuild.

I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never going to
Keep me down

More to come in my next post about the more serious side of recovery.