Ships from the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Great Britain and Canada will line the shores of the Mississippi River and you’re invited to join in on the action. Starting Friday, April 24th, the ships will be open for General Public Visitation – explore as many as you can! Hours for ships may vary by day, so take a look at our calendar or the individual ship’s pages and start planning. School and community groups are also invited to learn more about scheduling private group tours.
As part of New Orleans Navy Week 2015, The Historic New Orleans Collection will host a special presentation on April 27, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at THNOC’s Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street just a few blocks away from the riverfront, where the visiting ships will be docked.
The program will feature two lectures moderated by Cyril Lagnavec, who teaches at Jesuit High School and the US Naval College.
William H. Forman, professor at the Naval War College in New Orleans, will open the program with his talk “The 1814 Battle of Lake Borgne: Prelude to Victory,” which will examine the naval engagement between US and British forces that preceded the monumental Battle of New Orleans.
Jason Wiese, associate director of THNOC’s Williams Research Center, will follow with his presentation “United States v. Andrew Jackson: The Fight over Martial Law in New Orleans,” which will explore Jackson’s decision to impose military rule in New Orleans in December 1814 and to keep it in effect after the war’s end, as well as the controversies that ensued.
New Orleans Navy Week will take place April 23–29, 2015, with a host of events at venues throughout the city. The program at The Historic New Orleans Collection is free and open to the public. Reservations are encouraged and may be made by calling THNOC (504) 523-4662 or emailing wrc@hnoc.org.
“Gray tailed him for a few blocks, when, he said, Wells found an easy target: a red cruiser bike tethered with a cable lock. With a snip, the bike was free and Wells was on the move, Gray said.
Wells pedaled up to the Lowe’s hardware store on Elysian fields where he tried to sell the ride to the day laborers out front, Gray said. Finding no takers, Wells approached Gray, he said.
“Know anyone who wants to buy a bike,'” Wells asked, according to Gray’s account.
Gray said he only had about $15 on him. Wells said that was good enough, and the deal was sealed, Gray said.”
Keep your eyes and ears out about suspicious behavior around bikes and report it to the Stolen Bikes Nola Facebook page. And DON’T use cable locks.
Finally, the French Quarter gets Vietnamese food! It’s always been hard to believe that the old Quarter missed the emergence of our region’s favorite Asian cuisine.
Nine Roses is my personal fav of the West Bank Viet spots, so you can be sure to find me here regularly.
A few years ago, while a staff member of the public market organization Market Umbrella, I did a series of short films under the name “Go Fish”; one featured an interview with the Catholic leader of the NO East Vietnamese community, Father Vien, who gave the history of the New Orleans Catholic Vietnamese community:
Nine Roses Café is open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Nine Roses Café: 620 Conti St., New Orleans, 504.324.9450
link to menu
What is probably my favorite weekend in the Quarter is over. I would say that it is all over but the yelling, but that is prolly still going on at the Stella contest that ends the TWLF. (Although I’d like to know when they stopped ending this day with the happy birthday toast to Tennessee?)
I spent the big bucks for the mid-level pass this year, which gave me access to all panels and master classes. Not sure if I’d spring for the master classes next year, as I’ll wait ’til those become more of a class and less of a one-person panel. I did see some great panels, two of which featured my pal Nancy Dixon, editor of N.O. Lit, which in my opinion, was the book that should have been one of the 2015 books of the year. Lauren Cerand, literary publicist was another standout as a thoughtful and prepared presenter, as was Bryant Terry, author of Afro-Vegan and social justice warrior.
My available cash for this event is always limited but I do spend it. I wish the organizers understood how to give great value to the least as well as they do to those who spend the most. I’d suggest creating more focused tracks for a writer or a scholar to follow throughout the weekend, and maybe even offering a special price for those with LA i.d. to get more working writers there. Additionally, I’d recommend a salon room for writers and bloggers with access to internet and maybe some authors stopping by to keep the buzz moving in between the panels.
The highlight of this is usually the theater offerings, which for the first year ever (of around 20 for me) I did not attend any. Funds and scheduling were the issue there.
Having done all that complaining (as my grandmother would say), I urge every working writer to spend a little time at this event in future years, even if it is just to roam the halls or volunteer at an event to get a panel pass. You’ll walk away with a few nuggets and a renewed belief in New Orleans as a destination for readers and writers.
French Quarter block by block 
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