My Facebook memories were a good thing today, as it reminded me that this day last year, I went to…read moresee the Tulips at City Park. So, I went, hoping that I wasn't too late (or too early). I was not either of those. They did look as if they were holding on for dear life though. This isn't a spectacular show, as they are a delicate flower, and New Orleans weather can be harsh. And this is nothing like the Woodburn, OR Tulip shindig, which is tulips as far as the eye can see for acres, but this is amazing. The beauty of the flowers beside the lake, in front of the museum sets me in awe of this amazing miracle. There are ropes setting them off, but I was kind of angered as I saw a couple making out nearby, holding the leash of their dogs, but because they were not paying attention, the dogs were munching on the flowers. That is not cool. Be careful, because they are right by the walking/bike path and it is easy to be so amazed by the flowers that you are blocking those trying to excersize. Be aware of your surroundings! Hopefully next year, I will remember sooner so I can enjoy them in their full glory. Come see the flowers while you can! Or come next year! The shelf life is short, so seize the day and enjoy!

These are nice and extensive fields of flowers, and one of those things that isn't world famous but…read moretourists ought to stop by to appreciate.

Picking up the pieces and turning it into art…read more This is literally how "The "Scrap House" Memorial to Hurricane Katrina was built. New Orleans artist Sally Heller created a house "uprooted" by the winds of Katrina and "hurled" onto an abstract tree. The piece was created from scrap metal that was salvaged from 55-gallon oil drums and other debris left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's destruction. The monumental sculpture was unveiled on August 29, 2009, the fourth anniversary of the storm. The piece stands across the street from the New Orleans Convention Center where many evacuees lived after their homes were destroyed. The piece is sad and beautiful simultaneously. The house is askew. The eaves and shutters are broken. The branches hold a house that doesn't belong there. The house reflects the damage that local residents saw in the aftermath of the storm with houses in trees, boats on top of cars and destruction everywhere. A haunting piece, indeed.

This is a tall, slender mural by California-based art collective, Cyrcle. The South Market…read morecommissioned the group to do the painting in 2017. The mural depicts a tall and slender silhouette woman in a green field, against a blue sky, "exploring the boundaries of her world". The figure appears to be touching both sides of the walls that it is painted between. The mural is located between the Willa Jean's resturant and The Paramount at South Market Apartments. It is a neat piece and I like its use of colors. The sky in the mural is realistic and beautiful. There is metered street parking and paid lots available nearby to park and get out to take a closer look. You could also get a good look from the windshield of your car doing a slow rolling drive by. Anyway, as with most murals I have reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You should consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals and attractions in the area, such as the Survive Mural that is in the same parking lot that it is in, to maximize your time and trip.

This piece just jumps and grabs you. it is amazing. I dare you not to look. You can't do it. It is…read morethe masterful work of Brazilian painter Carlos Eduardo Fernandes Leo, AKA (artistically known as) Eduardo Kobra. The mural was painted in 2019 and is 45 feet tall. It depicts a close up of a wide eyed Louis Armstrong blowing into his trumpet. The artist had to work around 10 windows on the building to paint the mural and keep the flow going. In order to do so, he just blended them into the mural's colorful translucent geometric pattern. It is very realistic and looks like a photograph. However, the mural is divided into different color filtered squares. Those geometric patterns are a trademark of Kobra's style. Kobra said, the rainbow colors "symbolize that people are all the same." It really looks like he is looking at you. This is one of my favorite pieces, not only in the CBD, but in the entire city. The mural is on the side of The Rampart Hotel and overlooks a paid parking lot. The building is over 100 tears old and fittingly is located in a part of the city that what was known for jazz-era nightclubs. There is metered street parking and paid lots available nearby to park and get out to take a closer look. You could also get a good look from the windshield of your car doing a slow rolling drive by. Anyway, as with most murals I have reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You should consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals and attractions in the area, such as the SuperDome, to maximize your time and trip. Fu Fact: The mural was dedicated on the 118th anniversary of the Satchmo's birth.

Sweet babies, they're trying. 10 years of festing in Central City is challenging, and nature…read moredoesn't make it easy. A dramatic rain-out in 2015 followed by strange street construction in 2016 makes this festival a work-in-progress. I enjoyed the 2014 festival, but we're still getting it together to actually call this a proper festival. The 2016 music line-up was chill and danceable and drew the crowds...insomuch as we had crowds. I popped in for the afternoon sets, and I made a good decision with Bookoo Rueda, Alexi Marti & Urban Minds, Free Agents Brass Band, and Bamboula 2000 anchoring the afternoon. The food vendors this year left a lot to be desired. There were...four plus one of the restaurants on OC Haley. I mean, Black Swan is good, but they can't be your only anchor. (Diva Dawg, the Dryades Public Market, and some random snoball stand were also vending.) I was generally not impressed. I love festival food options! Give me a little more and a more diverse menu than just the gumbo/jambalaya that Dryades Market brought. I did like a number of the art vendors, with some great jewelry standouts among them. I'd love to see more diversity among the wares, but it's a start. I come out because this is my neighborhood festival. It's blocks from my house and an easy thing to do on a Saturday in November. Were it not close, I'd still consider heading over because the parking is plentiful and free, the music is solid, and the neighborhood is trying. The OC Haley Merchant's Association really does try to do things right, and they're the folks who put on this little fest. Accessibility notes: entire street area is concrete. Can get crowded. Each booth and vendor has their own accessibility standards.

I was so excited that David and I actually made it down early enough to catch a good part of Zulu…read more I had never been to Zulu before and I knew that it was one of those parades that I just had to see. Everyone is familiar with the style of Zulu and, along with Rex, it's one of the big parades to roll through New Orleans on Mardi Gras day. The crowd was thick and the riders were having a great time and throwing generously. Of course, the "goal" was to catch a Zulu coconut, which I noticed that they were throwing copious amounts of, so I figured our chances were pretty good. We were in the back of a huge crowd when David put his hand up and a rider tossed him one and he caught it like a pro! It's so awesome that this was our first Zulu experience and we were able to get a signature throw. The crowds are always a lot more mellow during parades on actual Mardi Gras day, so I enjoyed the parade and the big crowd was tolerable. I definitely want to make this a yearly tradition.

This year was not Mardi Gras. I grew up going to the parade and being under the bridge with my…read morefamily. The parade route was completely altered and I know this was not the fault of Zulu. But the traditions and culture were snubbed out. The parade didn't run like it normally does and I could have sworn several floats were missing. The Tramps were missing and it definitely felt like they should have still been able to walk the wind wasn't that bad and the route cut extremely short. Some of the police officers were extremely rude and terrorizing. Threatened to have people removed from the parade for crossing over the barricades to get the coconuts because the floats were so far away and it's illegal to throw coconuts but allowing people right next to them on both sides cross the barricades and not say a word. Mardi Gras was not Mardi Gras. The best was made out of a bad situation.

We ran into this Humongous Whale Wall that covered the entire side of the building as we were…read moreleaving the Riverwalk

Parking lot is as large as the mural. Reasonable rates. Pretty amazing that you get your ticket…read morewhen you drive in and do not have to try to guess at how much time you will be spending visiting wherever you are going. Pay when you leave.

This 14 story (240 foot) mural is the work of Canadian artist Danae Brissonnet. She painted it on…read morethe side of the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown New Orleans in 2020 as part of the Unframed Mural Project presented by the Helis Foundation. It is pretty cool. The mural is pretty busy and Brissonnet draws her inspiration from many areas including mythology, Louisiana's natural topography. She also pulled from the state's history, culture and social issues. The mural has many images including a multi-eyed crawfish in the mouth of an alligator, some black feet, a snapping turtle, human shaped figures, with fire inside their upper toros, marching up the stairs to the spots of a blue leopard some corn and a pelican that saves houses from the flood waters on it's wings. It really like Brissonnet's color usage in the mural. It demands your attention. The mural wraps around a corner and is on two intersecting walls, so the ideal spot to view it is from the intersection of Julia and South Peters streets, catercorner from the hotel. There is metered street parking and paid lots available nearby to park and get out to take a closer look. You could also get a good look from the windshield of your car doing a slow rolling drive by. I recommend parking and getting out though, if you can. Anyway, as with most murals I have reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 3 minutes. You should consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals and attractions in the area to maximize your time and trip.