Notes From New Orleans

Love NOLA: One Step Forward In Mental Illness

Brett Will Taylor — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:26:13 +0000

My, how we love our characters in New Orleans. Which is a good thing.

Locals still talk about Ruthie the Duck Girl, even though she died in 2008. In my neighborhood of Tremé, we have a tall man with a scraggly beard who pushes a grocery cart around, having random conversations with a street corner. Or an empty can.

Sixty Second Weekend: Birdfoot, Boogaloo And Clybourne Park

Laine Kaplan-Levenson — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:12:22 +0000

This weekend, Bayou St. John gets one more hit before it’s slower summer/fall/winter season with the B-o-o-g-a-l-o-o. Go to that, but go to these things, too:

FRIDAY, 5/17

Just What Are These Tibetan Monks Building?

Thomas Walsh — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is visiting New Orleans this weekend for a series of pubic speaking events. This past week a group of Tibetan monks gathered at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to construct a mandala, which will be completed on Friday morning and then ceremonially deposited into the Mississippi River that afternoon.

Club Whatever Puts The Party On Wheels

Laine Kaplan-Levenson and Nina Feldman — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:59:12 +0000

You may have seen it before: a behemoth of a vehicle, rolling at a snail’s pass up Canal Street blasting speaker smashing beats. Its violet exterior shields its partiers from the outside world — all that can be seen of them are their arms, flailing wildly from every open window. And then there is the noise: a penetrating boom that reverberates off the surrounding buildings, shakes the bus and compels riders and bystanders alike to bounce up and down.

Sixty Second Weekend: Let Us Return To Normalcy

Laine Kaplan-Levenson — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:29:42 +0000

Hear that? The birds chirping, the construction on Esplanade, yep — New Orleans is back to normal. Jazz Fest came and went, and now it’s up to us to keep having fun. Shouldn’t be that hard:

Burden Of WWII Responsibilities Kept Secret For More Than 30 Years

Sharon Litwin — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Sixty eight years ago this week — May 8, 1945 to be exact — the Second World War ended in Europe with the signing of the official documents in Berlin. But, for one group of British military women, it would be more than 30 years before they were allowed to talk about their secret role in that devastating conflict.

Sharon Litwin had the chance to speak with one of them for this week's Notes from New Orleans; she filed this report from the back patio of a charming, soft-spoken resident of Covington, Louisiana.

Make Way For Buck Moths: Caterpillars Above And Below

Brett Will Taylor — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:20:00 +0000

You only have to spend about 10 seconds in New Orleans to know that ours is a city that relishes being over the top. And we do love her for it. Most of the time.

But not when it comes to bugs. Seriously. Must New Orleans bugs be so, well, New Orleans? Larger than life? With a voracious appetite? And more than a little crazy?

Need Plans After Jazz Fest? Make a Date with the Master of Puppets

Sharon Litwin — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Inarguably, festival season in New Orleans is in full swing. But while most of the attention is going to multi-million dollar projects with international fans, there are still other festivals happening under the radar.

On this week's Notes from New Orleans, Sharon Litwin speaks to a Marigny artist about the festival she's put together at two separate venues. One's family friendly, while the other is a bit taboo.

The Hosts of the Party: Bayou St. John Responds to the Jazz Fest Takeover

Laine Kaplan-Levenson and Nina Feldman — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:23:00 +0000

The people of Bayou St. John tell of merriment and traffic as the festival descends on their neighborhood.

In shady Bayou St. John, the neighbors really know each other. The same crew assembles each morning at the local coffee house to read the paper and debate its assertions; another crowd convenes at the various watering holes each evening.

“It’s one of the great things about this neighborhood,” says Fortin St. resident Jonas Bishop. “The fact that I know everyone on my block… It’s definitely a community-centric area that you don’t find a lot of places.”

Delanie Manuel, server at Liuzza’s by the Track and Jonas’ neighbor, agrees. “I thought I’d be a Quarter Rat forever,” she admits. “But no, I love it here.”

60-Second Weekend

Laine Kaplan-Levenson — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:04:27 +0000

It’s not jazzfest... yet. But there’s still plenty to do this weekend in New Orleans, even in The Fest’s (newly-paved) nearby Esplanade Ridge area.

So, whether you’re down on St Claude, from the Lower 9th, or attached to Mid-City, we've got your weekend: