This is my second full year living back in my old neighborhood in the Carrollton Riverbend area of New Orleans. We continued to enjoy the art, music, food, and culture of the city. This post covers some of the highlights of the year with links to posts that go into more detail.
Music – New Orleans can easily be said to be to most vibrant and affordable music scene in the world with many free festivals and numerous performances with no cover charge, as well as great second lines. Those that do require a cover rarely charge more than $10. We continue to enjoy the wide variety of musical styles the city provides. Armstrong Park, Lafayette Sq., the Ogden After Hours, and the Botanical Garden all had weekly concerts for much of the year with great artists. So far this year we have seen live music on over 100 days and have enjoyed over 200 different bands on those days. Here are a few highlights.
Some Great New Orleans Musicians on YouTube
NOLA 2014 Jazz Fest Highlights: Complete Listing of Posts
Ten NOLA Music Performances in 2014 - Part One
Ten NOLA Music Performances in 2014 - Part Two
NOLA Music Thursday Night Trifecta; Colin Lake, Shotgun Jazz, and Ed Wills
Art – We visited the museums and galleries of the city, including NOMA and the Ogden, as well as such celebrations as White Linen Night on Julia Street, Dirty Linen Night on Royal Street, and Art for Art Sake on Magazine Street. It was my first full year of painting in Pirate’s Alley. I greatly enjoyed my days in the French Quarter and worked most of the time, while offering my work for sale. Here are descriptions of the seasons.
Painting in Pirate’s Alley #1 - Spring 2014
Painting in Pirate’s Alley #2 - Summer 2014
Painting in Pirate’s Alley #3 - Fall 2014
My paintings were for sale in five different locations. Here are posts with a description of each showing. Three of these are still current.
Current:
Willie Mae’s Uptown, St. Charles Ave.
Albert Brown Salon, Magazine Street
Riccobono's Panola Street Café
Past:
Louisiana Pizza Kitchen Uptown
Buffa’s Back Room, New Orleans
Food - New Orleans has over 1300 restaurants, almost doubling the total before the storm. There is a wide variety of cuisines and almost all are excellent as the bad ones do not survive the competition. Here are a few highlights of our eating tour of the city. We paid close attention to the winners in Gambit and New Orleans Magazine.
Some Great New Orleans Meals in 2014 – Part One
Some Great New Orleans Meals in 2014 – Part Two
Summer Dining in New Orleans 2014
Fall Dining in New Orleans 2014: Part One
Fall Dining in New Orleans 2014: Part Two