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A Changed New Orleans: Beyond Football At The Hawaii-Georgia Sugar Bowl

by Richmond Eustis
12/28/2007

The Bulldogs and their fans have been to the Sugar Bowl before. Lots. They’ve been to New Orleans before. But they haven’t been to this New Orleans. The city that hosted the dazzling skill of Herschel Walker and witnessed Georgia’s last Sugar Bowl win is not the New Orleans visitors will encounter in 2008.

The failure of the federal storm walls after Hurricane Katrina has changed New Orleans in ways that won’t be understood or realized for decades. The slate hasn’t been wiped clean as so many pundits like to claim - but it isn’t exactly the same place it was on Aug. 27, 2005, either.

Sure, if you’re visiting for the Sugar Bowl, most of your time will be spent eating and drinking in preparation for the game. Then attending the game. Then recovering from the game. But just in case you have an hour or two to spare - or if you have any interest in seeing the ways in which New Orleans is changing and remaining the same at the same time, here are some things you might consider doing:

Rebuild

The best way to see the real effects the flood had on the city is to do a little bit to help rebuild. There are options galore here, but Habitat for Humanity is one of the entities mentioned with a certain reverence in Post-Katrina New Orleans. Not every project has turned out as some would have liked (the musician’s village has been a bit of an issue, as few musicians can afford to live there). But there is no doubt that this is an organization doing very, very important working rebuilding desperately needed housing in this city. Check out their website for more information.

If you don’t have the time or inclination for volunteer work, but still want to check out some of the ways people are helping the city rebuild, a good place to start is at the corner of Claiborne Avenue and Reynes Street: the starting point for tours of the “Make it Right” pink house installation. Brad Pitt’s nonprofit is using the pink houses as markers - each time the group finds a sponsor for one of the permanent, environmentally conscious houses it is planning to build in the Lower Ninth Ward, a pink fabric house goes up. It’s a sign of hope in a depressed area. And you really might see Pitt, who spends a lot of time on site.

If you want to see the devastation for yourself, you can. There’s still a great deal of it around. Even in areas that are functioning fine, you will notice the search and rescue crosses on many houses. In areas like Lakeview and the Lower Ninth Ward, whole stretches of neighborhood are still wasteland. Getting around in these areas can be a little tricky, so if you feel you must tour, call a credentialed tour company. They will even show you where the breaches occurred. Louisiana Tour Company and Grey Line (yes, the tour buses) are two options.

Revisit

Music: If you leave New Orleans without hearing music, you’ve wasted your time. The city’s scene is as vital, varied and singular as it has been for generations. But jazz remains perhaps the most exciting strain in the city. Pick up a copy of Gambit or the “Lagniappe” section of the Times-Picayune for listings.

Check for the old favorites, but also keep an eye out for Glen David Andrews and the Lazy Six, Trombone Shorty, The Hot 8, and the Soul Rebels. All of these are young, fiery jazz musicians who play a ferocious blend of traditional and modern jazz. It’s dance music with horns and a huge beat. (A heads-up: Andrews plays at d.b.a. on Frenchman St. in Faubourg Marigny Dec. 30). If you stick around long enough: check out The Bingo! Show: a Brechtian dadaesque Carnival affair with some of the wildest lounge-cabaret jazz you will ever hear.

Food: Here’s a quote from novelist Walker Percy (who experienced both Athens and New Orleans): “From France [New Orleans] inherited that admirable institution: the passable neighborhood restaurant. I attach much more than passing significance to the circumstance that a man who stops for a bite in Birmingham or Detroit or Queens, spends as little time eating as possible and comes out feeling poisoned, evil-tempered, and generally ill-disposed toward his fellowman; and that same man can go around the corner in New Orleans, take his family, and spend two hours with his bouillabaisse or crawfish bisque (which took two days to fix).” So hit some neighborhood joints. Get the fried chicken plate at Willie Mae’s Scotch House (2401 St. Ann St. 822-9503). Your knees will buckle. Get the soft shell crab at Casamento’s (4330 Magazine St.). Get a po-boy from the Calhoun Superette (3135 Calhoun St.) or Domalise’s (5240 Annunciation St.). Tune in WWOZ 90.7, go up to the ‘Fly at Audubon Park and eat while watching the colossal freighters passing by on the Mississippi River.

Coffee: deserves a special mention. New Orleans has countless local coffeehouses. These are truly local independents, and local chains that long predate the Starbucks era. For the coffee freaks: those who cannot pass Espresso Royale or Jittery Joes without stopping for some kind of fix - New Orleans is your paradise. The two main chains are P.J.’s, which has spectacular cold brewed iced coffee, and CC’s, which is affiliated with local brand Community Coffee. Among independents, check out Café Rue de La Course at 3121 Magazine Street and 1140 South Carrolton Ave. For a change of pace, try Sound Café (1100 Chartres St.) in Bywater just downriver of the French Quarter. The servers there actually take such pride in their espresso, they will toss a batch they think is less than perfect rather than serving it to you. There’s also a good chance you’ll bump into local musicians and writers who have adopted it as a home base.

Relax

Want to get out of town? The Abita Brewpub (985 892-5837, Levenson St. in Abita Springs) is a short drive away. You know you like the TurboDog. Or at least just like the name. Good food. Lots and lots of good beer. And if you need a walk, the Tammany Trace Hiking Trail is steps outside the door. Another option is to head out to Jean Lafitte National Park - named for the pirate and smuggler who helped Andrew Jackson fight off the British at the Battle of New Orleans (fought on Chalmette Battlefield in the park). There are walking and paddling trails, and even a nature preserve at Barataria.

Like gambling, but tired of the casino? Hit the track and watch the ponies for a few hours. The New Orleans Fairgrounds (1751 Gentilly Blvd.) is where the Jazz and Heritage Festival takes place in the spring, but in the winter, it’s all racing. Admission to the grandstands is free, to the Clubhouse (where a jacket is suggested) is $5.

OK. Have a beer at The Bulldog (3236 Magazine St.) It has a huge selection of beer, and a nice patio. And it has the right name. While you’re on Magazine Street, you should do some shopping. Magazine quickly is become New Orleans’ quirky shopping district. Buy lots of things - local things from local shops. Go to Metro Three (2032 Magazine St.), get a “Make Levees Not War” T-shirt. Or get some of the newer, even cooler designs. Want to look like a local? Get a T with the old K&B Drugstore logo on it.

These suggestions are just a starting point. Part of the fun of New Orleans comes from encountering what you never would have expected. I should mention that, sadly, the city can be dangerous these days. It is far more dangerous for locals than for tourists, but it’s a good idea to stick where lots of people are, and to be aware of your surroundings.

But the best New Orleans stories come from leaving the house intending to do one thing, and winding up doing another. That spirit remains in the city. So explore. Talk to locals. See where your interest takes you. And see how New Orleans is changing again.