I just heard from Chin Music Press that a paperback version of our book, “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” is arriving soon. I am honored to be among some original thinkers and good writers in this anthology and with such a creative publisher.
The hardcover is gorgeous; the design is worthwhile to get it in hardcover while you can and then get the new paperback to lend out.
http://store.chinmusicpress.com/product/do-you-know-what-it-means-to-miss-new-orleans
One area we need to spend a little more time throughout the city, but to me especially in the Quarter, is green space. With millions of tourists walking and spending money in that neighborhood, some beautiful AVAILABLE green space is quite overdue. Public landscaping, short paths in the parks, more tiny green spaces would all help make the Quarter seem like the paradise it should be.
The High Line was a kee-razy idea that a few people put together over a period of years, and now is one of the most admired projects in the city among the NYC residents that I know.
I challenge my fellow activists and citizens to come up with ideas about how we make the Quarter a lush garden. Feel free to contact me about the FQ tree inventory project I am still working on if you want to help.
The mayor of Filettino… wants his town in the hills east of Rome — population 598 — to become an independent state under a monarch.
Secession is a tough subject, but in the Italian city’s own words:
“If that’s what it takes to keep the town autonomous and protect its natural resources,” said the mayor, Luca Sellari, who was elected in May.
I’m not really advocating secession for the city of New Orleans (although I recommend that it warns the state of the possibility at times!), but it seems like a darn good idea to at least think about adding a local currency that is heavily marketed in the French Quarter. Not only will we be able to track the currency and promote local owners better, but people tend to hold on to local currencies for keepsakes too.
“Filettino has even printed its own currency, the fiorito, which means “flowered” (“like the town will flower in its new guise,” the mayor explained) and which harks back to the florin, the money first coined in 13th-century Florence. If fioritos become legal tender (so far they are just souvenirs), the exchange rate is supposed to be set at two to the euro, or about 72 cents apiece.”
And our Grand Duchess and her extended family would be happy to continue to serve their people in the village. (See the Grand Duchess category to the right for an explanation.)
To get to the city unfortunately, means going through our airport for most visitors. A more disappointing experience would be hard to imagine, since the food and leisure space there is pitiful. On top of that, the politics of the selection process for the concession contracts give us a constant reminder of the old boy corruption that we live with here.
I say the corporation that runs the airport should be advised by the entrepreneurs that run places in the French Quarter, who work constantly to serve the locals and tourists. Okay, maybe not the folks who run the French Market, but those little shops and restaurants that actually work to bring joy and pleasure to travelers and residents alike.
To get started, let’s get at least 1 place in each concourse that is open before 7 a.m. and serves a decent cup of coffee in a city that loves the stuff.
The high winds of Hurricane Katrina managed to displace two large oak trees in St. Anthony’s Garden behind the Cathedral, dislodging 30 feet (9.1 m) of ornamental gate, while the nearby marble statue of Jesus Christ lost a forefinger and a thumb.
Restoration of St. Anthony's Garden at St. Louis Cathedral..
The garden restoration is finally underway….This video link tells its fascinating history (albeit a bit hokey with the fuzzy recreations) and about 14 minutes in, tells about the dig that started the restoration. Nice to know it was a flower market at one point, and how many toys they found in the excavation…And that the earliest structure in the French Quarter ever found in a dig was uncovered. And that fruit trees and native plants are being used.
<http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=5507649944314471148&hl=en&fs=true
French Quarter block by block 
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