July 2008 Archives
Ryan (warriorengineer to you Twitter-holics) was recently musing about classic Creole-French restaurants and cooking. His suggestion for a new restaurant is interesting:
Now let me join the two thoughts together. Although I don't see big demand for Jazz Dance Halls, there has been ahuge explosion in demand for the "Jazz Brunch". These things are insanely popular. So here is my idea. Renovate the old Halfway House into a restaurant that serves classic New Orleans food while playing to classic New Orleans music. It'll have jazz all the time, not just at brunch. It'll be a family place, but still kind of nice. People will eat, drink, and be merry. Following is the sort of menu I had in mind (and if I forgot anything, please let me know.) All entree's come with one side of your choice.
Brilliant idea, but the location has...well, it's got issues. Three, specifically:
1. The place is potentially a SuperFund site: In its last incarnation, the building at 100 City Park Avenue was the headquarters for Orkin Pest Control in New Orleans. After years of storing pesticides in and behind that building, I don't know what it would take to clean it up to be properly restored.
2. The building is currently leased by the state. The area of 100-120 City Park Avenue (basically from the railroad right-of-way to Cypress Grove Cemetery) was leased to the Orleans Parish Communications District. This is the agency that runs the city's 911 emergency telephone service. They're a state agency, though, not a city entity. This is the typical white-black racial crap we see when white Republican pols in metro New Orleans want to do something. Their first thought is to immediately take steps to make sure the Eebil Coloreds don't run things. That would be Bad. The OPCD pays lip service to the notion that they'd like to sub-lease the property around their building, but repeated enquiries about the Gateley building (at 120 City Park) went unanswered. I don't think they're serious.
3. Neighborhood resistance. The people of the Lakeview Civic Improvement group came out full-force to oppose the modifications to the Canal Street/Canal Blvd transit terminals proposed by RTA. Their reasoning was varied; some of the racists in the crowd didn't want black folks changing from streetcars to buses at the cemeteries, and others were concerned about traffic and parking. They would be quite the hostile environment if someone wanted to renovate the Half Way House.
Which is a shame, because the place has a lot of historic value. Half-way between downtown and West End, it was a great place for jazz and partying.
Now let me join the two thoughts together. Although I don't see big demand for Jazz Dance Halls, there has been ahuge explosion in demand for the "Jazz Brunch". These things are insanely popular. So here is my idea. Renovate the old Halfway House into a restaurant that serves classic New Orleans food while playing to classic New Orleans music. It'll have jazz all the time, not just at brunch. It'll be a family place, but still kind of nice. People will eat, drink, and be merry. Following is the sort of menu I had in mind (and if I forgot anything, please let me know.) All entree's come with one side of your choice.
Brilliant idea, but the location has...well, it's got issues. Three, specifically:
1. The place is potentially a SuperFund site: In its last incarnation, the building at 100 City Park Avenue was the headquarters for Orkin Pest Control in New Orleans. After years of storing pesticides in and behind that building, I don't know what it would take to clean it up to be properly restored.
2. The building is currently leased by the state. The area of 100-120 City Park Avenue (basically from the railroad right-of-way to Cypress Grove Cemetery) was leased to the Orleans Parish Communications District. This is the agency that runs the city's 911 emergency telephone service. They're a state agency, though, not a city entity. This is the typical white-black racial crap we see when white Republican pols in metro New Orleans want to do something. Their first thought is to immediately take steps to make sure the Eebil Coloreds don't run things. That would be Bad. The OPCD pays lip service to the notion that they'd like to sub-lease the property around their building, but repeated enquiries about the Gateley building (at 120 City Park) went unanswered. I don't think they're serious.
3. Neighborhood resistance. The people of the Lakeview Civic Improvement group came out full-force to oppose the modifications to the Canal Street/Canal Blvd transit terminals proposed by RTA. Their reasoning was varied; some of the racists in the crowd didn't want black folks changing from streetcars to buses at the cemeteries, and others were concerned about traffic and parking. They would be quite the hostile environment if someone wanted to renovate the Half Way House.
Which is a shame, because the place has a lot of historic value. Half-way between downtown and West End, it was a great place for jazz and partying.
Ohio, that is:
I decline to trade Ann Arbor for Columbus, a college town that looks like Albert Speer got bored and gave up on it halfway through the project.OK, now THAT was funny :-)
The original book was the "Streetcar Guide to Uptown New Orleans." Pelican Publishing has contracted with me to do an update that includes Riverfront and Canal as well as the venerable St. Charles line. I'm starting with Canal, because I need to block out the route for "zoom-in" maps that list attractions. I also need to make "stop numbers." In the 1980s, NOPSI officially numbered stops on the St. Charles line, and the original guidebook took advantage of this. Riverfront stops are also numbered, so that leaves Canal. I'm going to start with the French Market Terminal as stop #1 and the Cemeteries Terminal as the last stop.
For zoom-in maps, I'm thinking of this breakdown:
Map 1: Riverfront/French Quarter. I'm thinking of running the map from the river to Bourbon Street, Esplanade to canal.
Map 2: CBD: Foot of Canal to Claiborne/I-10. Bienville, maybe Conti on Quarter side, Poydras on Uptown side.
Map 3: Tulane/Gravier/Treme. Claiborne to Broad, Cleveland to St. Louis, maybe more into Treme.
Map 4: Mid City. Broad to Carrollton, Banks to Bienville.
Map 5: Cemeteries. Carrollton to City Park Ave, Banks to Bienville. This is technically part of Mid City neighborhood, but focus shifts from a tourist/visitor perspective to the cemeteries. They run far enough down Canal from City Park to argue that they dominate the area.
Map 6. North Carrollton/City Park. The Carrollton Spur, N. Carrollton Ave., from Canal to Beauregard Circle.
refer to http://www.gnocdc.org/orleans/index.html for neighborhood boundaries and basics.
So, starting today, I'm on the street. Once I finish my coffee here at The Bean Gallery, I'm going to walk the Map 5 part of Canal, taking pics and making notes. Lunch will be one of the Mexican places at Canal and Carrollton, I think.
For zoom-in maps, I'm thinking of this breakdown:
Map 1: Riverfront/French Quarter. I'm thinking of running the map from the river to Bourbon Street, Esplanade to canal.
Map 2: CBD: Foot of Canal to Claiborne/I-10. Bienville, maybe Conti on Quarter side, Poydras on Uptown side.
Map 3: Tulane/Gravier/Treme. Claiborne to Broad, Cleveland to St. Louis, maybe more into Treme.
Map 4: Mid City. Broad to Carrollton, Banks to Bienville.
Map 5: Cemeteries. Carrollton to City Park Ave, Banks to Bienville. This is technically part of Mid City neighborhood, but focus shifts from a tourist/visitor perspective to the cemeteries. They run far enough down Canal from City Park to argue that they dominate the area.
Map 6. North Carrollton/City Park. The Carrollton Spur, N. Carrollton Ave., from Canal to Beauregard Circle.
refer to http://www.gnocdc.org/orleans/index.html for neighborhood boundaries and basics.
So, starting today, I'm on the street. Once I finish my coffee here at The Bean Gallery, I'm going to walk the Map 5 part of Canal, taking pics and making notes. Lunch will be one of the Mexican places at Canal and Carrollton, I think.
