Happy 300th, New Orleans
As always, the city lets the good times roll.
Since its founding in 1718, opposing forces have convulsed and recast the Big Easy into a gumbo of competing cultures and traditions. The outpost in the bend of the lower Mississippi River was ruled first by France then Spain and the USA — all in less than a century — and populated by influxes of African, Caribbean and Italian newcomers.
That cacophony of cultures will be celebrated this year during the city’s 300th anniversary with panel discussions, parades, exhibits and parties.
It’s a milestone marking three centuries of survival from plagues, floods, invasions and hurricanes. That tenacity has created a rich diversity that is a great way to see the city.
“It’s important that people truly love the history of New Orleans, to be able to do something new and have people go for it,” says restaurateur Alon Shaya, who has garnered two James Beard Awards, including one for his namesake restaurant, and is opening a second restaurant in the city, Saba.
Bywater
This commonly overlooked area of the city is just downriver from the more popular French Quarter. A green space, Crescent Park, recently opened adjacent to the Mississippi River in the Bywater with the aim of reconnecting residents and visitors to the river.
“Everything that’s great about New Orleans came to it from this river,” says Sean Cummings, a New Orleans entrepreneur whose Rice Mill Lofts overlook the Mississippi.
Not far from Crescent Park, the Bywater American Bistro is serving dishes such as fried gulf oysters over jasmine rice, fish head curry and hogs head boudin. It’s the latest creation from alum Nina Compton.
French Quarter
The French Quarter has been the hub of official activity ever since Canadian-born French explorer JeanBaptiste Le Moyne de Bienville claimed the area for France.
Spain’s lasting influence on New Orleans — which it ruled from around 1762 to 1803 — is the topic of an exhibition at the Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo, the seat of Spanish colonial government.
A few blocks away, on Royal Street, The Historic New Orleans Collection will house a display exploring the city’s first few decades and earliest inhabitants. New Orleans, the Founding Era, is a fascinating look at the city’s earliest days through maps, charts, manuscripts and rare books.
Follow that with visits to some of the French Quarter’s iconic eateries and watering holes. Start with a cocktail at James-Beard winner Arnaud’s French 75 Bar. Head bartender Chris Hannah and his staff serve up cocktails such as the French Marquis, the Lani Makai or the bar’s namesake.
Follow that with dinner at Galatoire’s, which has been serving Oysters Rockefeller and Shrimp Rémou- lade since 1905. From the two-bladed fans to the interior gas lamps to the career waiters, Galatoire’s is one of the French Quarter’s stalwarts.
New trends are also taking hold next to the more traditional spots in the French Quarter. One of the newest is Manolito, a Cuban restaurant and bar serving sandwiches and ropa vieja arepas, as well as genuine Cuban daiquiris (simple lime-sugar-rum, not the syrupy concoctions on nearby Bourbon Street). Named for a bartender at Havana’s El Floridita, Manolito is the mastermind of bartender Nick Detrich and Hannah.
Mid-City/Treme/Marigny
The New Orleans Museum of Art is cycling through a variety of exhibits. The museum, tucked into City Park in Mid-City, had an exhibition of photographs of jazz and blues musicians by American photographer Lee Friedlander.
Down the road in Treme, the Backstreet Museum shows off Mardi Gras Indians costumes and tells the story of jazz funerals and social aid and pleasure clubs.
For lunch, Lil’ Dizzy’s offers nofrills Nawlins dining at its best, from Trout Baquet to some of the best fried chicken in town.
As nighttime approaches, Frenchmen Street in the Marigny is the best place to wander for music. Outside the tourist clusters of the French Quarter, Frenchmen is where the locals go to hear live music.
I started out with dinner at the bar at the Marigny Brasserie. I then caught the Treme Brass Band at d.b.a. New Orleans.
Out on the street, I squeezed into a crowd cheering Adrian Jusdanis and New Thousand, which incorporates electronica, trombones and hip-hop. Then I headed to my Airbnb room, content that there will always be room for new and old in New Orleans.
For a list of tricentennial events, check out: http://2018nola.com.