Finding the Heart of New Orleans Outside the French Quarter

Last week, I took a trip “down yonder to Old New Orleans” after finding great deals for travel on off days during the holiday week. I am happy to report that this vacation spot is better than ever after Katrina. With the Super Bowl coming to the Crescent City this February, the city is hard at work repaving roads, upgrading the streetcar system and making other improvements to infrastructure. The shops and galleries of the French Quarter, the main draw for tourists, are open now that most of the proprietors have returned after the storm.

Heart NOLA

When I first visited New Orleans, the main attraction for me was the historic architecture of the Vieux Carré, which reflects the French, Spanish and Caribbean people who originally settled in the city. If you visit during the week, especially after Mardi Gras or in the fall, it’s possible to take a pleasant stroll down quiet streets and enjoy the mild weather. After having my fill of café au lait and beignets at Café du Monde as well as the stumbling drunks and cover bands of Bourbon Street, I decided to venture out of the French Quarter to discover what goes on outside the tourist zone. That’s how I discovered that the true strength of New Orleans is its people.

Cross the border of the French Quarter at Rampart Street, and you’ll enter Tremé, which is considered to be the first black neighborhood in America. Many famous musicians were born in the Tremé, and it’s even considered the birthplace of jazz. It’s also the site of the recently renovated Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square, where slaves used to gather on Sundays to play music and dance. If you ask anybody in the French Quarter, they’ll warn you not to go to the Tremé. Maybe they say that to keep the visitors spending money in the tourist area, or maybe it’s because I’ve lived in Baltimore for so long, but I felt completely comfortable walking around the neighborhood during the day. Everyone I passed said hello or made friendly conversation, making me feel welcome.

Backstreet Cultural Museum

If you are uncomfortable visiting Tremé alone, French Quarter Phantoms offers a wonderful two-hour tour. My guide was Emelie, who provided a wealth of information on the history and culture of the area and seemed to know everyone we passed. Since I was the only one on the tour, I felt more like I was hanging out with a friend than playing tourist.

After finishing the tour, I returned to the Backstreet Cultural Museum, which tells the story of the Mardi Gras Indians and other groups that make the culture of New Orleans so interesting. Mr. Francis, who founded the museum, is a delightful man, who enjoys telling personal tales about the people who donated the memorabilia. Although the museum only has two rooms, I spent more than an hour there, fascinated by the intricate work of the Indian costumes and his stories.

Wanting to experience the true music of New Orleans, I visited Kermit Ruffins’ Tremé Speakeasy at 1535 Basin Street after reading about his new restaurant in a local entertainment magazine. On Monday nights, this cozy restaurant offers a delicious, affordable meal and an amazing set by Kermit and friends that starts around 6:30 p.m. Etiquette in New Orleans calls for any musicians in the house to get up and play with the band, so a long list of people were called onstage to perform, even some of the servers.  Since there are only about ten tables, early arrivers invite the late-comers to fill in the empty seats, making it a great way to meet people. By the end of the set, everyone in the room was dancing together and tossing balloons around like old friends. It felt more like being welcomed to a house party than hanging out in a bar. You don’t find that friendly, laid back attitude in the North.

A typical night on Frenchmen Street

After all that fun, it was barely 9:00, and the night had barely begun. The couple next to me invited me along to hear more music on Frenchmen Street, the area next to the French Quarter where the locals go to hear the best jazz. How could I refuse? I suddenly found myself in a cab with this former scout for the Texas Rangers, his newly divorced girlfriend, Kenny Terry of the Tremé Brass Band and several other groups and his lady friend Raynette. While I normally wouldn’t get into a car with strangers, Raynette assured me that if they were murderers, she could stop the bleeding because she is a registered nurse. I had nothing to worry about because we had a blast popping in and out of clubs and dancing while Kenny joined the bands onstage. Kenny and Mike, the guy who invited me along, seemed to know everybody and introduced me around like they had known me for ages, or at least more than a few hours. I felt like a regular, and I liked it. When the night finally came to an end, Mike and his girlfriend even walked me back to my bed and breakfast.  

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Check out more of my photos of New Orleans.

Get Your Art on in Baltimore

If you’ve never been to Baltimore, your impression of the city has probably been formed by the television shows Homicide and The Wire, two gritty series about drugs, murder and corruption. After living downtown for 16 years, I can tell you that everything you see is accurate–broken families, failing schools, political corruption, gang violence, teen pregnancy, STDs and substance abuse. We’re known to many as the City that Breeds, the City that Bleeds and a few other titles that are nothing to be proud of.

John Waters has made Baltimore
famous for its quirky characters.

But there’s a lot more to Baltimore than you see on TV. There’s also the Baltimore of John Waters, creator of the hit Hairspray and several other quirky films that accurately portray the many lovable, offbeat characters with big hair and strange accents who have earned us the name Charm City.   

Art Lives Here

If you scratch off the grimy reputation, you’ll discover that Baltimore is a cultural gem. The city is filled with so many museums and other sites that feature world-class art, music, literature, history and theatre that you’ll never have time to see it all if you visit. In fact, after all these years, I still haven’t.

This weekend, Baltimore showed off its finer side by putting on Artscape, the largest free arts festival in the US. For three days every year, visitors from across town and across the country try to take in as much of Artscape as they can cover. The festival features every form of art you could think of and then some. The most popular attractions are the hundreds of booths filled with unique treasures created by local artists and at least five stages that offer music of every genre. This year’s national acts included Brian McKnight, Clutch and Rebirth Brass Band. Artscape also offers visitors the opportunity to find out about what’s new at local museums, pick up giveaways from national sponsors, enjoy street performers and take in short features by local filmmakers.

A walk down Charles Street is a surreal experience during Artscape. 

Welcome to Wonderland

Artscape’s borders have expanded to include Charles Street, which was converted into a fantasy land. In strolling the few blocks, I felt like I was living Alice’s adventures in Wonderland. I passed three stages, one of which was made of pallets; a knitted port-a-potty; a houseboat topped by a guy wrapped in a snake and a band; a rock opera performed by a cast of medieval punks; a turkey breast children’s ride; an enormous crash-test dummy; a large drawing of John Waters’ head, an art car exhibit and a fashion show. My favorite was a human exhibit that I think was supposed to be an artful interpretation of some down and out folks.

The most impressive part of the festival was that it brings together people of just about every race and economic class, and everybody gets along. Funny thing about art. It always seems to melt away the differences among people, yet it’s the first thing that gets cut when budgets are tight. Perhaps if we started replacing guns with guitars, our streets wouldn’t be littered with bullets and drug paraphernalia.

Dance more, sing more, make art more, Baltimore.

Check out more of my photos from Artscape.