New Orleans/Other parts of town Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
In addition to the attractions in famous New Orleans neighborhoods like the French Quarter and Uptown detailed in other pages, the city has other sights of interest elsewhere within its boundaries.
Lower 9th Ward
This neighborhood of predominently African American working class homeowners became tragically famous when it was smashed by floodwaters with the catastrophic failure of the Federal levees during Hurricane Katrina.
Nearly a year later, a small portion of businesses have reopened, and a fraction of the population are back (many in FEMA trailers while they work to rebuild their homes), but large sections of the area are still in ruins.
- Scenes of devastation. Those who wish to see the worst of the destruction can drive around pretty much anywhere north of Claiborne Avenue, but the "ground zero" is along Jourdan Avenue north of Claiborne, the site of the major levee breeches. The levees and floodwalls have been rebuilt, and the giant barge which landed in the neighborhood has been dismantled, and thousands of truckloads of debris have been hauled away-- but the scope of the destruction is still astonishing.
While some returned locals resent the thought of being peered at by tourists, at least as many will say the whole world needs to see what happened here and be aware of these Americans continuing struggle to reclaim their lives. If you decide to visit the Lower 9th, do so with the respect you would pay at a solumn monument. Need we say: stay in the streets, DO NOT go on to people's property, even if it is a ruin; DO NOT hunt for "souveneers" (if one has lost nearly everything the occasional salvagable nicknack may be of special significance). If your life is better than that of the people living here, make a donation to the Common Ground Collective "Blue House" neighborhood center at 1700 Deslonde St [1].
- Steamboat houses on Egania Street at the Mississippi River. A tourist site long before Katrina, these over-the-top ornate Victorian wooden houses in steamboat-baroque style are on the high ground of the least affected portion of the Lower 9th (with only a few feet of floodwaters for a few days, as opposed to over the rooftops then 10 feet of standing water for weeks). Take a look at the exterior of these houses, then walk up to the top of the levee for a striking view of central New Orleans around a bend of the Mississippi.
Central City
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WARNING: As of the summer of 2006, the Central City section of New Orleans has been suffering from violent crime |
The Central City neighborhood, centered around Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, is as of early August 2006 experiencing a rash of violent crime, most apparently related to drug gang turf wars. At present the neighborhood should be considered DANGEROUS and is not reccomended to casual visitors. Should the situation improve soon, attractions include:
- Ache Cultural Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.[2] Culture and arts center
- Cafe Reconcile, 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. 568-1157, [3]. A non-profit offering breakfast and lunch.
Elsewhere around the city
- LongVue House and Gardens, #7 Bamboo Road, [4]. Elegant mansion set in lush gardens is pretty and historic. In Western central New Orleans off Metairie Road, a short drive from Metarie Cemetery and Mid-City.
- Little Vietnam is a mostly Vietnamese neighborhood in Eastern Orleans Parish; take Chef Menteur Highway past the urban area to out around Alcee Fortier Boulevard. There are an exotic collection of Vietnamese shops, groceries, bakeries, and restaurants. (Info in Vietnamese)
