New Orleans gave the world jazz, a musical form born from the collision of African, Caribbean, and European traditions in the city's clubs and street parades over a century ago, and that live music culture remains as central to daily life here as anywhere in America, even as the city continues rebuilding, two decades on, from the catastrophic flooding of Hurricane Katrina.
Jazz and the French Quarter
Frenchmen Street, a few blocks from the more touristy Bourbon Street, is where locals go for live jazz, blues, and brass band music most nights of the week, smaller clubs with no cover charge often deliver more genuine performances than the bigger, pricier Bourbon Street venues.
The French Quarter's architecture (wrought-iron balconies, courtyards, and pastel Creole townhouses) reflects both French and Spanish colonial rule; much of what looks 'French' actually dates from the Spanish colonial period following an earlier fire that destroyed the original French buildings.
Resilience and Culture
The Lower Ninth Ward, among the hardest-hit areas during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, continues a long recovery process, guided tours run by local nonprofits offer context on both the disaster and the rebuilding efforts, a sobering but important complement to the Quarter's festive reputation.
New Orleans's food culture (gumbo, jambalaya, po'boys, beignets at Café du Monde) reflects the same Creole and Cajun fusion as its music, and a proper meal here requires seeking out neighbourhood institutions well beyond the Quarter's more tourist-oriented restaurants.
Recommended Stay · New Orleans · Central Business District
The Roosevelt New Orleans
A historic grand hotel dating to 1893, famous for its ornate lobby and the Sazerac Bar, a short walk from both the French Quarter and the Garden District.
