Can I visit New Orleans yet?
by John Jensen - June 13,2006
updated by Lisa Jensen - December 31, 2006

 

Absolutely! John and I just returned from our timeshare in the French Quarter, "The Quarter House."  Our perspective comes from 4 week long visits in the last year and a half. June 2005, December 2005 (3 months after Katrina), June 2006 and December 2006.

June 2006 & December 2006 Updates
   Food, Activities, Bourbon Street,
   The Quarter House (lodging)
December 2005 Update

 

FOOD

 

June 2006:  This may be the best time ever to visit New Orleans. The top restaurants, normally tough to get into, are all open:  Mr. John's Steakhouse www.mrjohnssteakhouse.com, Emeril's  www.emerils.com, K-Paul's Kitchen www.kpauls.com , Acme Oyster House, Hard Rock Café etc., are open and hungry for your visit. I have never felt more appreciated being a customer, anywhere, than everywhere in New Orleans right now. The people in this city thrive on entertaining the masses with fun, food and history. Right now it's more than a job. Having customers, doing their job to help you have a great time is another step back to normal in a tumultuous year.  

When you visit a bar, restaurant or attraction they're glad you came, thank you, serve you, share their hurricane story if you ask, and thank you again just for coming to New Orleans. Many told us the hurricane brought the city together like they have never seen. They simply want the chance to show it off again. "Mr. John's", an upscale steakhouse with Italian flair is a wonderful example.  Owner John V. Santopadre made a commitment to his employees and New Orleans after Katrina. We met this "restaurant family" in December at "Café Gumbolaya", also owned by Mr. Santopadre. With "Mr. John's" basement flooded and power months away, Mr. Santopadre ensured his employees would have a job to return to by combining staff at the French Quarter location of "Café Gumbolaya".  It is rare in the world today that you can see loyalty like these employees and this owner have shown to each other. I am sure there are stories like this all over New Orleans, but I know this one. Chef Christian, Manager Neil and the staff express a reverence for Mr. John. With so many negative stories from this tragedy it is wonderful to know the class and character of some rise above it all. As Christian said "This is a special time in New Orleans with special people".
                   

 Mr. John's Attentive Staff               Neil & Lisa (& Mr. John)

December 2006:  The Holiday season is a great time to visit New Orleans, particularly if you want to experience the culinary arts of the city. We saw many large parties in the restaurants (another sign that the city is coming back), and were pleased to discover Reveillon dinners.  Reveillon (French for awakening) is a 19th century tradition that is now celebrated nightly at most New Orleans restaurants during the month of December.  We enjoyed several multi-course samplings of Creole and contemporary New Orleans cooking - all for a reasonable fixed price.  You can see sample menus at: French Quarter Festivals, Inc.  We added a couple of new favorite restaurants:  The Gumbo Shop, where we enjoyed a starter, main course, side dish, desert and Café Brûlot for $24; and Muriel's at Jackson Square, where we enjoyed another multi-course meal after a free concert at the St. Louis Cathedral.

ACTIVITIES
June 2006: We took an airboat tour with "Airboat Adventures" based in the small town of Lafitte www.airboatadventures.com . Felix, our guide/pilot, was knowledgeable, fun and as comfortable in the swamp as you'd expect a young man born and raised in Louisiana to be. He coaxed gators from the swamp and talked to them (as we do our pets when no one is listening). He clearly knows and loves the habitat for these animals. Learning about nature is even more fun sitting in front of a V-8 with a giant propeller! We finished in Lafitte with a great lunch at Lafitte Seafood Maison, a small joint specializing in fresh seafood. This town was hurt directly more by flooding from Hurricane Rita. Indirectly it is Katrina's impact on New Orleans that reduces their visitors.
       

 John, Felix & Lisa       What a gator will do     A 600 lb gator looks
   on the airboat          for a marshmallow        for a marshmallow

The riverboat "Natchez" www.steamboatnatchez.com is making it's regular trips on the Mississippi. At $18.50 for a 2 hour paddle wheel steamboat ride/tour it's a bargain and a thrill to be on the "Mighty Mississip". You can have lunch for a little extra. Great food is easy to come by in the French Quarter so I'd skip this typical buffet. See and feel the spray from the paddle wheel then head for the top deck rear bar, grab a stool and listen to the narration while sipping on a "Hurricane".

 

New Orleans is the home to St. Louis Cathedral. It's a beautiful church and one of the most dramatic buildings in New Orleans. Attending a service in this building that has seen New Orleans history since the 1700s has a special feeling with all the city has been through.

 

If you are an antique shopper it is also a great time to go to New Orleans. Sadly some stores on Royal St. have closed. The volunteers, FEMA and construction workers making up the bulk of visitors the first 5-6 months after the storm just don't shop as much as a typical tourist. On the good side the remaining stores are offering substantial discounts.

 

Café Du Monde www.cafedumonde.com  is there for an early morning or late night beignet and coffee. Remember to wipe ALL of the powdered sugar from your clothes and face, and shoes. At night a guy with the gigantic telescope is there and for a few bucks you can see the rings on Saturn, the moons of Jupiter or an up close look at the moon.

December 2006:  Another reason to vist New Orleans in December is to be able to experience Christmas, New Orleans Style.  We found pages of choices on the French Quarter Festivals site, many of them free! 

Our first night in town we went to the Patron Party for the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC), a cocktail reception in a magnificent Garden District home.  The event was sold out weeks before, but when John told Sue Sperry that we were coming from Seattle, they were happy to make room for us - and reminded him that "we dress up around here at night!"  We also participated in the PRC's Holiday Home Tour, where we were able to walk through 7 historic homes in the Garden District.  Volunteers from the PRC were available at each home to share some of the history of the owners, the homes and the area.

              
                                  Archie Manning Home

John's favorite was Archie Manning's house, where next to the trophy shelf there was a wicker basket full of game balls earned by the Manning family!  They have a different way of telling you a home is "Sold" in New Orleans (click on the picture to see a larger image).

We invited Vondell (the manager from the QuarterHouse) to join us at one of the free concerts at St. Louis Cathedral.  The cathedral was packed as we listened to Phillip Manuel, a jazz & R & B vocalist, and Shades of Grace, a choir of 50 people of all ages, sizes and colors, sing Christmas Carols.  The concert started with Phillip asking how many people were from out of town. About half of the audience raised their hands as the locals applauded us.  It was very inspiring, especially when Phillip talked about his experiences after the storm, and invited the woman who had offered him housing in the French Quarter to join him for an improvised duet.

Some of the best entertainment in New Orleans is found on the street, day and night.  I was serenaded by "The Whistler," a man with a 14 carat gold smile (literally), whose enthusiasm and whistling skills make up for his singing.  A local police officer greeted him by whistling over his loudspeaker as he drove by.

We listened to Grandpa Elliott and Stony B. one day on Royal Street, and watched as they engaged the passers-by, even inviting some of them to sing back up.  We bought a CD and noticed 5 others buying one in the 30 minutes or so that we watched.  Not bad at $20 a piece!

The Calypso Tumblers perform gymnastics feats daily on St. Peter Street that most gymnasts would find difficult on a padded floor - and these guys do it on concrete!  Their show also involved audience participation, and they are highly skilled at encouraging the crowd to reward them for the risks they take!  (Click on pictures for larger images.)

       

 

BOURBON ST. and more bars/hangouts

 

June 2006:  How many bars do you need? Bourbon Street is like the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco. If you are there you have to see it, but the city is much more. The fun and excitement at night is thrilling and a bit crazy. It's not as crowded as before and there is more good music in one block than all of Pioneer Square. I prefer to be off Bourbon Street by 10:00 most nights. There's always a place on Royal St. or Decatur that's less hectic. I love to walk down Bourbon St. in the morning when it's quiet, the shopkeepers hose off the sidewalks, clean up the street and take deliveries to reload for the coming night.
              

 

The Quarter Crawl www.quartercrawl.com  is is a great resource. Snook's on Bourbon St. is connected to the Wyndham Hotel. With flat-screens everywhere and great service it's a nice place to catch a game. Touche on Royal St. feels like "Cheers" - even if you don't know anyone you soon will. Café Giovanni on Decatur has great $2 martinis (ladies only). The beautiful Hotel Monteleone has a classy bar with a space needle type rotating floor.  Napolean's Itch is the only non-smoking bar on Bourbon Street.

 

The Quarter House  www.quarterhouse.com
 

As with the great restaurants, now you can find quality rooms where it used to be impossible. Located on Chartres, 2 blocks from Bourbon St, 3 from the river, The Quarter House is a perfect home for a visit to New Orleans. The Marriott, Ramada, Sheraton and other hotels are open. But the condo style rooms with full kitchens, jetted tubs and separate bedrooms at The Quarter House make for a fun stay. Their staff is friendly and always seem happy. They provide continental breakfast in the courtyard Saturday and Sunday. Vincent does a Cajun cooking demonstration Thursdays.

 

We have all heard stories of abuse and fraud related to relief effort donations. There are so many affected. My opinion is the best way to help is to support the people that are working in New Orleans today. Go visit, by a drink, rent a room and have a nice dinner. You will feel great about helping, you'll have a blast doing it and be able to share your experience later. It really is a special time.

December 2005 Update
by John & Lisa Jensen

On our first trip we carried $2050 in donations from Tapatio's, The Golf Club at Newcastle, HomeStreet Bank and several individuals, plus 28 pounds of beef jerky and pepperoni from Oberto Sausage Company! The money was hand delivered to Youth Service Bureau CASA in New Orleans, a volunteer organization that advocates for children in foster care.   The food was distributed to the CASA offices, families and military personnel and others that are working in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Jump to:
Friday 12/9/05 
Saturday 12/10/05
Sunday 12/11/05
Monday 12/12/05
Tuesday 12/13/05
Wednesday 12/14/05
Thursday 12/15/05
Friday 12/16/05

Thursday, 12/8/05
We arrived in Dallas at 5:45 am.  It was 18 degrees, freezing rain, roads like an ice rink. We saw 50+ cars off the road and many jack-knifed semis.  We made it to Baton Rouge, LA by 5:00pm. 

 

Friday 12/9/05
We went to the Louisiana CASA office in Baton Rouge and met a displaced Methodist Minister who was temping there.  She described some of her experiences:  Working in the first relief center in Baton Rouge where families lived with cots moved together in family clusters, no walls, no partition, no privacy. She was emotional and appreciative to find out people as far away as Seattle (Newcastle) thought of them.

Saturday 12/10/05 We walk to the Saturday market on Magazine Street.  It's the first time it's open since the hurricane.
                       
 The Saturday Market                 A community art project.....    ....all are welcome!

We walk toward the river and see the Carnival Cruise ships that are housing police officers and many others.  We meet a security guard who gave up his job as a manager of an auto parts store to come to New Orleans to work.  He now commutes 70 miles each way, for better pay and less stress.  Most of the Riverwalk stores are still closed.  Being next to the convention center, they depend on conventions for most of their business. Some speculate that conventions won't return before 2007.  We see many damaged vehicles that have been left in the parking lot since the storm.

Sunday 12/11/05  New Orleans residents Craig and Kim took us on a tour of some of the flood damaged areas. We appreciate their pride in New Orleans, sadness at seeing some of the areas for the first time post-storm, and glee at seeing some old haunts re-opening.

On Canal Street toward the lake piles of garbage, insulation and refrigerators lined every block. Many homes appear untouched since the storm.  Some have had more care, but no one is living in these areas. There are thousands and thousands of damaged homes. The population was slightly less than Seattle (450,000) pre-Katrina. It is now approx. 70,000.

There were boats and jet skis here and there in the median, left behind when the water receded and they were no longer needed. The water lines on the homes leave a scummy band of brown lines. Near the lake there is more evidence of wind and storm surge damage. Buildings are shredded, boats in piles, shattered.

in the lower 9^th Ward it is obvious this was a terribly poor area prior to the flooding. Somehow it makes it even more sad to see a few working on gutting their homes of sheetrock and insulation. There is no power or water in any of these areas. There has been no decision on what will be rebuilt.

If there is a way to describe the state of New Orleans it would probably be quite similar to our experience. Up and down. The damage and destruction is on an unfathomable scale. The spirit of these people is incredible. One minute you feel really good about the possibilities, then the monumental reality of the task at hand tempers the joy.

Monday 12/12/05  Today we met with the CASA staff at their flooded Slidell office. Slidell is a suburban city of about 26,000.  Their office had about 5’ of water inside. Different from the flooding in New Orleans, this came from the storm surge so it receded quickly with the storm. The inside has been gutted and they are waiting to find out what modifications are needed before they can rebuild.
         

We also visit the Mayor's office while in Slidell, and are impressed by how organized the staff is in their temporary offices.  FEMA provided the city with trailers that were once part of a school.  We learn that many in the area have had substantial damage to their homes, and are just now able to get contractors in to work.  Every repair is cause for celebration! 

We left Slidell and crossed Lake Pontchartrain on the causeway.  On the South side of the lake in an upscale neighborhood there are boats and jetskis still scattered on the medians, along with signs of aggressive capitalism that will help the area clean up and rise above this mess.
                                
Homes were marked by investigating authorities. A large orange X was spray painted near doors with information in each quadrant: date, organization-FEMA, NOPD, NOFD, reference to pets, or bodies. Spray painted notes like “RED CHOW TAKEN TO WINN-DIXIE STORE” or “DOG IN UPPER BEDROOM-FED 9-22”  are common.  There are more FEMA trailers (unmarked white travel trailers supplied by FEMA) and recreational vehicles set up in yards of homes in this area. 
                               
Monday night we watched the Saints play the Falcons. It was not a typical “Home crowd” because most in the bar are out of state contractors. Our two neighbors were Naval computer specialists from Pensacola here to help “straighten out problems” at a local base.

Tuesday 12/13/05  We drive to the Gulf Coast and are amazed and saddened by the devastation.  Our first attempt to drive along the coast is quickly halted in Bay St. Louis.  We can only go a few miles on Highway 90 - the bridge is out:
                             
Most of the homes and businesses that were once along the highway are destroyed.  Some businesses have found a way to survive.
       

We have to go back inland to Highway 10 to continue to Gulfport and Biloxi.  A favorite restaurant several miles north of the coast has survived, but is only open limited hours.  We see signs like this on many of the businesses.  Many have limited menu selections as some ingredients are still difficult to get into the area.  There is so much construction going on along the coast on Highway 90, that it is closed to all but workers during most of the day.  Some beef jerky and pepperoni helps get us through the road block a little early.  The pictures don't even begin to describe the feeling you get as you drive through the area.
              

                         

                

Wednesday 12/14/05  The individual stories of peoples' experience during and after the hurricane continue. As we listen there are conflicted feelings of hope and despair. Their ability to laugh in the face of such hardship is impressive.  Seeing the depth of pain and emotion more than 3 months since the storm is scary.   

We went to a “French Quarter Community Hall Meeting” hosted in a bar owned by Harry Anderson from the old “Night Court” sit-com. Different than what we are used to, at this meeting most had a drink, smoke was heavy and swearing was regularly used for emphasis. A film crew was there eliciting mild frustration from Harry that “Everyone want s to make a documentary”.  The meeting felt out of control at times.  But then how do you manage 120 people, including many business owners, who are heavily affected by this tragedy? They were told the City would no longer collect garbage from cans or street; that business owners must take over this responsibility or be fined $500. They were told local elections would be postponed. “Why can’t we vote on our local leaders if they can in Iraq?” Several attorneys spoke on the different lawsuits pending to force the scheduled elections. As different as this was from what we are used to, it was encouraging to see so much leadership, organization and passion from such a large group. With so many people interested and invested in revitalizing the city, I am sure it will be done. 

Thursday 12/15/05   It’s the people that will make this town special again. We spent the evening at “Café Gumbolaya”. A flooded upscale Steakhouse, “Mr. John’s” has consolidated their employees here until the Steakhouse is running again. Sadly the employees outnumber customers again. This is our third evening here and the employees make us feel at home. Christian, the Italian Chef from Venice, is passionate about New Orleans and his desire to see it come back. At the same time he emphasizes that his real reason for staying after the hurricane is an allegiance to his boss, “Mr. John”.  Neil, the manager living on the second floor of his home because the first is flooded, agreed.  Marshall, a sales rep for a food service company, said the president of his company in Houston took him in, showed him his closet and said “take what you need.” Marshall’s waterfront home in Slidell was devastated. His story and attitude exemplify many we heard. He and his wife had to tell their 2 year old daughter that their house was broken. When they returned to the neighborhood she said “Daddy, lot’s of houses are broken.” 

It’s a bit like watching Rocky get back up. It is so sad to see a hit like this you want him to stay down, quit and move on. But you shake your head and cheer when he gets up.