Second homes: The good times roll non-stop in New Orleans

New Orleans is thriving better than many people could have imagined five years ago, when Hurricane Katrina wrought destruction so vast, its survival was in question.

Although some residential areas are still in disarray, its main tourist areas — such as the French Quarter, Garden District and Warehouse District — are revitalized, so much so they attracted 7.5 million visitors last year, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau says. The Superdome, home to the defending Super Bowl champion Saints, has had a face lift. And much of the other attributes that make New Orleans attractive to people seeking a second-home escape are back, too:

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New Orleans....amazing city

Scott woke me up at 11.30am so we could get ready for our City Tour of New Orleans, he’d been up a few hours already as he had a few less drinks than us the night before. We headed down for some lunch downstairs before waiting for our pickup. Bus arrived a little late, just after 2pm and after a few more hotel picks we started the tour. We went through the French quarter, garden district, business district, warehouse district, St Louis II cemetery, City Park and the 9th ward where the worst Levee broke during hurricane Katrina. The tour guide was really good and gave us lots of interesting information along the way. One of the funny stories was that all buildings in New Orleans can’t really be built above 55 stories tall as they need to drill down pylons like 70 feet under ground until they hit rock to support it. Donald Trump had planned to build a 76 story building in the cbd but since Katrina it has been put on hold. Our guide said that if it goes ahead it may be known as the leaning tower of trump! 

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The stars coming out for the Big Easy: New Orleans gets its groove back

As opening gambits go, 'Hey, you really look like Liv Tyler' is a bold one. As my optimistic friend approached the attractive girl at the bar in One Eyed Jacks  -  a hip music bar in New Orleans's historic French Quarter  -  the wind was swiftly whipped from his sails. I'm guessing the fact that she actually was Liv Tyler probably didn't help his cause.

Oh well. You don't generally expect to see Hollywood starlets mixing with the masses, but the population of New Orleans has a distinctly A-list feel to it these days. Five years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the city has picked itself up, reinvented and evolved, making it one of the most exciting cities in America once again.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1313020/Brad-Pitt-Angelina-Jolie-just-stars-love-New-Orleans.html#ixzz105JXm4rm

15 free things to do in New Orleans

1. Get Jazzed

Stroll along Bourbon Street, Frenchman and Fulton,where jazz pours out onto the streets.. it never ends – right up into the wee hours of the morning!

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Top Streets of 2009

Good Nola Readers Voted!!!!! Top Streets in New Orleans 2009

• S. Carrollton
• Frenchmen
• Chartres
• Maple
• Canal St. 
• Oak Street
• Magazine Street
• Decatur St.
• Royal 
• Desire

Mardi Gras bound? Learn about beads before you head to New Orleans

More than 7,000 miles and a vast cultural chasm lie between New Orleans and south China, but there is also a strong thread joining the two places.

It’s a thread strung with beads.

So though the workers who produce most of the beads for Mardi Gras have no idea that masked revelers toss those beads free of charge to crowds of strangers, they do wear purple, green and gold.

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Plan to revitalize New Orleans' tourism industry is officially unveiled

More than two dozen representatives from the local tourism industry stood together Tuesday to unveil an ambitious plan to reinvigorate the city's hospitality industry.

The proposal, the result of a months-long study conducted by Boston Consulting Group, calls for the industry to consolidate its governance, invest more money in marketing and capital improvements and focus on wooing a younger demographic. The results are intended to serve as a framework for a long-term, comprehensive plan of operation for the tourism industry, which because it includes such a wide breadth of businesses, from major chain hotels to tiny French Quarter shops, has never had a single vision for growth.

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New Orleans Upcoming Events

This year has already begun to be exciting – having already started with New Year’s festivities and with many more upcoming events, festivals, and celebrations. Other cities have only a few festivals a year; in New Orleans, we have a lot to celebrate – so there are festivals almost every week. Here are a few highlights that you should look forward to in the upcoming next few months in New Orleans!

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Free New Orleans!

Perhaps best known for its annual (and often rowdy) Mardi Grascelebrations, New Orleans offers a unique blend of American, Spanish, and French culture that make the city enticing to visit year-round. But exploring the city's diverse architecture, music, and culinary scenes doesn't have to burn a hole in your pocket.

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New Orleans hot spots

NEW ORLEANS - For fans of the Cincinnati Bearcats visiting New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl, a long weekend won't be enough to take in everything the Crescent City has to offer. New Orleans provides interesting diversions on nearly every corner at any time of the day.

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Hello from New Orleans!

Photos: a high-rise building downtown that is STILL unoccupied/repaired five years after Katrina, one of the new homes going up in the Ninth Ward, the repaired (but not reinforced) levees, and my BIL and SIL in their Saints gear. 

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New Orleans Road Trip

Carolina Correspondent Rick reports from New Orleans:

I made my annual trek to a Panthers Away game down in New Orleans this past weekend. We had an incredible time checking out Bourbon Street, The French Market, and the Garden District. As an added bonus, I also attended a New Orleans Hornets game.

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41 Hours In New Orleans

New Orleans is going to be okay, and so am I. Forgive the conflation of my affirmations, but I wrote this in a notebook on the plane home last night after a whistle-stop visit, suffering from the most incredible earache, and at the time, I really needed to believe it. No, my eardrums weren’t going to burst and fill the aisle with blood—what is it with Delta and the way they pressurize their cabins, anyway?!—and no, New Orleans is not going to be abandoned and have its culture disappear for good. Last night, I would have believed you on the New Orleans part. But man, was I freaking out about the ears thing. If you happen to see me today, talk loud. I can’t hear you.

mattdavisopenshismouth.com

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Prospect.2: Dates announced

The board of directors announced today the dates for Prospect.2, the second edition of theNew Orleans biennial — the largest of international contemporary art in the United States. Prospect.2 will inaugurate on November 13, 2010, and run through February 13, 2011, presenting more than 60 local, national and international artists in individual and group exhibitions that will be staged in various venues around the city. Full Story

Read more about what the media is saying about Prospect 2:

"Art Event's Return is an Exciting Prospect: An Editorial"
Times Picayune  I  Editorial Page Staff  I  November 13, 2009

"Prospect.2 New Orleans, International Art Show is Only a Year Away"
Times Picayune  I  Doug MacCash  I  November 12, 2009

"Prospect.2 Dates Announced"
Flash Art Online  I  November 13, 2009

"Prospect Biennial Plans Return to New Orleans"
artinfo.com  |  November 13, 2009

Film Spotlights WWII and Could Boost New Orleans Tourism

A new Tom Hanks film marks the unveiling of elaborate additions to New Orleans’ National World War II Museum, underscoring the city’s reemergence.

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Haunted Hotels In New Orleans

Hard to believe we’ve been doing all these haunted house stories and haven’t yet traveled to New Orleans. This multicultural mélange of architectures, lifestyles, beliefs and generations is maybe the most active destination in the country. It’s an ideal place to find top-quality haunted attractions and, if you like, perhaps something much more real.

Haunted hotels in New Orleans are particularly common, with more than twelve in the city limits widely accepted to be haunted. We don’t have time for them all today, but in honor of the season, here are five of our favorite Haunted Hotels in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Brandi Carlile "Dreams" of New Orleans Escape

I'm planning a trip to New Orleans in the near future and there are several areas I would like to make sure and see while I'm there -- one being this beautiful tree in the opening scenes of Brandi Carlile's "Dreams."

CMT.COM

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The Best Course to Play on New Orleans Golf Vacations

With so many other big draws — music, food, architecture…your industry’s trade show/convention —  I’ll concede that you’re probably not going to take a New Orleans golf vacation so much as you might play a round or two while you’re on vacation (or a business trip) in New Orleans.

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Where to eat and sleep in New Orleans?

We're adding brand-new pages on New Orleans and need your help to build them. Our stories regularly report on great finds, including the rabbit-and-andouille gumbo at cozy Brigtsen's Restaurant; the family-run Chimes Bed & Breakfast, from $99; and the International House, a glam hotel with a nod to the city's penchant for superstition, from $110.

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Eight wonders of New Orleans

f you travel to New Orleans, the one thing you must do is eat! Forgo the nouvelle cuisine restaurants in favour of the sandwich joints, cafés, oyster bars and cocktail lounges. Here are my musts:

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