by

Jackson Square artists can reproduce

The idea that artists on the square can only sell original art has included a rule against prints, which has angered many artists through the years.
What I learned a few years ago is what angers some is that the more well established artists reportedly still do it, even while policing others – simply by having a storage or apartment near by to take customers when they ask about prints.

This is a tricky business, this cooperative selling space. The Square has changed personalities a few times in my lifetime, and I assume, we’re about to see another change with this ruling.

<a href="http://<a href="“>Prints“>Prints

by

Come to the Carousel

Hotel bars, oddly, are not plentiful in the French Quarter. The main standby has always been the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone. The bar does actually circle and has circus markings, which is so great for the drinking crowd.
But it’s been undergoing renovations, which although needed, have interrupted the holiday meets there. But I hear it’s reopening this week and will be completely done in January.
The hotel itself isn’t very historic, as it was rebuilt completely in the 1950s-1960s, although it’s still a lovely place at which to stay. The Monteleone family IS historic, as they have been serving New Orleans on that corner since the late 1880s.
Stop by for some music and a drink and see for yourself how well the Monteleone anchors the Upper Quarter.
Starting in January, the Carousel Bar’s lounge will host two, free shows nightly. Musicians scheduled for standing gigs include Lena Prima, Luther Kent and the George French Jazz Quartet.

Drink Menu

by

Flowering locally

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.)

Italian town talks secession

by

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.

Concessions

by

Back home in the French Quarter

If you’ve read this blog before, then you probably know why I am so attached to this little village, having spent my teenaged and early twenties here learning about history and community.
I have lived in the Quarter 4 different times, and am now alternating between the house on the North Shore that my grandparents white-flighted to in the early 1960s, and a week or so every month at a little pied-a-terre on Orleans Street – not avenue, as friend Greg has pointed out- Orleans only becomes an avenue after it crosses Basin Street. When it gets a neutral ground.
The location is ideal, the neighbor (friend Greg again) is welcoming and even Maddie the Cartoon Dog seems to be comfortable so far.
This will be the vantage point that I write about the village a few days a month. It will also be my trial apartment for a possible full move to the Quarter next spring.

The one room with excellent bathroom by the way – often hard to find in the Quarter – is nicely furnished and with all of the modern amenities. When I sit in the courtyard with the bubbling fountain, typing on the iPad, everything seems right and to scale. Friends and family, food and drink, life and drama happening nearby.
Really, what else is necessary?

20111215-114843.jpg