11/30/11

Small Spaces with Big Heart on Frenchmen Street

Frenchmen Street is big-time these days, yet part of the charm of this nightlife strip is how small-scale and intimate some of its best clubs remain.

The sad news last week of Coco Robicheaux’s untimely death brought this home in a dramatic way. The hoodoo blues singer has fans around the world and a personal legend bordering on the mythic. And yet there seemed always to be an even shot of running into the guy during any random stroll down Frenchmen Street, especially one that detoured into the Apple Barrel, the hole-in-the-wall bar where he performed frequently and would hang out even more often. 

But that’s Frenchmen Street. The three blocks stretching from Esplanade Avenue to Washington Square Park is nightlife central, now dutifully...

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11/16/11

Brewing Along Broad at the Brewhaha

The local nonprofit Broad Community Connections wants to see more on Broad Street – more businesses, more renovated properties, more community resources and overall more people. At its annual Brewhaha this weekend, the group is using the appeal of a good New Orleans block party and the resurgent brewing tradition here to bringing all of that together.

Now in its third year, the Brewhaha, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will take over a stretch of Bayou Road just off of Broad. The “brew” in the name is a reference to two types of beverages that are big in New Orleans: beer and coffee. 

11/02/11

Partying for Preservation Hall

In the long list of great things about New Orleans, one has to be the way that even attractions and activities that sit high on the typical visitor’s checklist can still be so rewarding for locals to experience too. I think that’s because these things have such enduring authenticity, despite their high and frequent use in the tourism trade.

Doing that “tourist in your hometown” thing here can mean learning about Creole history on a house tour, getting covered with powdered sugar at Café du Monde, exploring the building where the Louisiana Purchase was signed and perhaps even (maybe, hopefully)...

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