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Lunch in the Golden Courtyard: The Café at the Collection
A revamped café at the Historic New Orleans Collection offers light fare by favorite local bakeries and eateries – in one of New Orleans’ most beloved courtyards.
– by Kim Ranjbar
Amtrak’s New Orleans to Mobile Line: “We’re Not Giving Up”
Like The Little Engine That Could, it’s been a long and challenging climb for Amtrak supporters working to reestablish passenger service between Mobile and New Orleans. Now, its success – and the fate of a $178 million federal grant that’s tied to it – rests in the hands of the Mobile City Council.
– by Ellis Anderson
Juneteenth 2024 at Armstrong Park
The annual Juneteeth celebration in Armstrong Park kicked off with a second line and kept the beat going all afternoon with live music, dance performances, presentations – and a vow exchange.
- photos by Scott Saltzman
A Pilgrimage to Algiers: the New Orleans Home of William S. Burroughs
A writer reflects on a London visit with Williams S. Burroughs and a later pilgrimage to the Beat writer’s home in Algiers Point, a place immortalized in Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road.”
– by Richard Goodman
Pride Parade 2024
This ever-popular parade danced its way through the French Quarter, where throngs of fans cheered them on.
- photos by Melanie Cole
Captain Robert Mitchell and Steamboat Natchez: A Five-Decade Love Affair
When a scrappy teenager from the Desire Project landed a job as a janitor on a boat nearly half a century ago, no one could have imagined the epic voyage ahead.
– by Mark Orfila
Palm Court Jazz Café’s Closing Night: Your Last Chance to Dance
The final night of a beloved New Orleans venue for traditional jazz underscores the threads of community connection – and the ties of the heart.
– by Ellis Anderson
World Naked Bike Ride 2024
In a city that’s obsessed with costuming, baring all for a charity event to build bike safety awareness has its challenges: See how many of this year’s riders solved the dilemma.
- photos by Melanie Cole
Major Clay L. Shaw: The French Quarter’s Unsung D-Day Hero
In 1969, a young college student befriends a decorated WWII veteran without realizing the French Quarter resident is at the center of an international media maelstrom.
– by Bethany Ewald Bultman
Culture Community: the French Quarter Museum Association
Several Vieux Carré museums are working together to broaden perceptions about the Quarter and raise awareness about their diverse offerings – for both locals and visitors.
-by Dean M. Shapiro
The Faerie Playhouse on Esplanade
A historic Creole Cottage on Esplanade Avenue became both a gathering place and resting place for gay rights activists – and now a nationally recognized cultural LGBTQ site.
– by Frank Perez
The Secret Garden Tour 2024
Six private French Quarter homes and the Historic BK House museum threw open their garden gates this weekend for the ever-popular Secret Gardens Tour, produced annually by the Patio Planters of the Vieux Carré. The organization is dedicated to the preservation and beautification of the French Quarter. This annual fund-raiser helps the group produce the popular Caroling in Jackson Square each year.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
Searching for an Artist and a Grandfather: Daniel Webster Whitney
A woman who feels a mysterious connection to New Orleans discovers that in the Roaring Twenties, her grandfather was a celebrated artist, art teacher – and notable French Quarter personality.
– by Catherine Whitney
Henry Bernstein: French Quarter Philanthropist
As of April, UNO’s College of Business Administration has a new name – one honoring a long-time Vieux Carré resident and dedicated champion of higher education.
– by Claude Summers
MaMou: Dinner Party Dining in the Vieux Carré
Industry vets Tom Branighan and Molly Wismeier team up to create a warm, bustling brasserie where a delectable menu and a stellar staff lead to delighted diners – and rave reviews.
– by Kim Ranjbar
Gallatin Street Music Fest 2024
The new Gallatin Street Festival eased folks down on the Monday after Jazz Fest, with an exciting line-up of local acts in a relaxed setting at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
- photography by Scott Saltzman
One Day, Two Final Farewells
The French Quarter and Marigny recently celebrated the lives of two beloved neighborhood personalities – street performer Peter Bennett and bookstore owner Otis Fennell.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
Hottest Hell Tours - Burning Bright and Hot
As its name suggests, this company is all about superlatives: Owner Bond Ruggles explains how she’s going about redefining the New Orleans walking tour industry.
– by Kim Ranjbar
The Sad Demise of the Ursuline Chaplains’ Cottage
A diminutive Spanish Colonial cottage demolished in 1917 played a major role in the development of French Quarter historic preservation. This is the first in a new FQJ series, “Preservation Chronicles.”
– by James G. Derbes
Otis Fennell: Mayor of Frenchmen Street
What began in 1978 as the first gay bookstore in the South is still thriving as Frenchmen Art & Books thanks to four nurturing owners – including the late Otis Fennell.
– by Frank Perez