Recent Stories
Jazz park singing blues over new center
NEW ORLEANS— A national park created to trumpet the history of jazz has been singing the blues lately here in New Orleans. Congress passed a law in 1994 establishing the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. At that time, the park was to be spread throughout four structures already standingRead More…
Pirate’s Alley show highlights artists
NEW ORLEANS — “It’s gotta be real art here, no crafts,” said local artist Wade Langlois, during the spring 2004 Pirate’s Alley Art Show. Art lovers flock to the art show (Photos by Rachael Henrichsen). He was born and raised in “New Awlins” as he called it, and only competesRead More…
Preservation Hall maintains jazz traditions
NEW ORLEANS— Ben Jaffe, the 33-year-old bass player and co-director of the New Orleans jazz venue Preservation Hall, has an affinity for making analogies to food (such as red beans and rice) – especially when he talks about his mission to perpetuate the city’s traditional jazz sound. This isn’t tooRead More…
The Voodoo business of the Quarter
NEW ORLEANS — Walking along the streets of New Orleans, it is difficult to ignore a sense of spookiness hanging in the air, especially when dusk sets in and the lively mix of bar-hopping tourists and eccentric locals is rinsed in shadow. Street performers seem to vanish, replaced by dramaticRead More…
Barataria offers rare up-close wildlife
MARRERO, La. — New Orleans is known more for its nightlife than its wildlife, but visitors who want a more natural Louisiana experience may want to spend a day at the Barataria Preserve. Cypress trees with Spanish moss hanging (Photo by Julie Major). The preserve, just south of the FrenchRead More…
Café du Monde keeps city’s traditions alive
NEW ORLEANS— When you first become acquainted with Café du Monde, the historical coffee shop amidst the bustle of New Orleans’ Jackson Square, it’s easy to deprecate the place as a quaint old tourist trap. Sure, given that it was founded in 1862, it has its legacy and fosters tradition,Read More…
Chalmette Battlefield recalls War of 1812
CHALMETTE, La. — Nestled on the banks of the beautiful Mississippi River, just six miles east of downtown New Orleans, rests a quaint open meadow. It is bordered by the pleasant Rodriguez Canal to the west, a small grove of trees to the north and the river bank to theRead More…
Battlefield shares historic site with cemetery
CHALMETTE, La. — Visiting Chalmette National Cemetery Chalmette, La., could be compared to walking into a history book. The region’s major and minor events, its people and its stories are recorded in granite and stone, the headstones like bookmarks sticking up from pages of the past. Grave stones of theRead More…
Lafitte Park offers French Quarter tours
NEW ORLEANS — If you plan to visit New Orleans’ French Quarter for its famous leisure-time activities, you’ll quickly figure out tourists have to pay to play. Looking for a bathroom in the French Quarter? Buy a drink at a bar first, or else give ‘em five bucks for theRead More…
Historic Federal Hall continues to be key site
NEW YORK— The bustling, fast paced city of New York is home to several important landmarks and headquarters. However, many people do not know that it was the location for our nation’s first capitol. Standing in lower Manhattan in the Wall Street Historic District is Federal Hall. Initially quarters forRead More…
Erie Canalway history tells key story
It is a splendid project and may be executed a hundred years from now, but it is a little short of madness to think of it this day. —President Thomas Jefferson (1809) ALBANY, N.Y. — In 1809, means of traveling in the young and developing United States were slow andRead More…
Canalway offers more than just passage
ALBANY, N.Y.— In 1825, it was called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” To hold such a title today, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor would have to boast alien life. But more than 500 miles of interconnected canals, rivers and lakes that at one point boosted our nation’s economicRead More…