The South - Eastern USA - page 827

established place in the Creole community as les gens de couleur libres (free people of
color).
The Spanish were largely responsible for building the French Quarter as it still looks
today because fires in 1788 and 1794 decimated the earlier French architecture. The in-
flux of Anglo Americans after the Louisiana Purchase led to an expansion of the city into
the Central Business District (CBD), Garden District and Uptown.
New Orleans survived the Civil War intact after an early surrender to Union forces, but
the economy languished with the end of the slavery-based plantations. In the early 1900s,
New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz music. Many of the speakeasies and homes of the
jazz originators have been destroyed through neglect, but the cultural claim was canon-
ized in 1994 when the National Park Service established the New Orleans Jazz National
Historical Park to celebrate the origins and evolution of America's most widely recog-
nized indigenous musical art form. Oil and petrochemical industries developed in the
1950s, and today tourism is the other lifeblood of the local economy.
In 2005 Katrina, a relatively weak Category 3 hurricane, overwhelmed New Orleans'
federal flood protection system in over 50 places. Some 80% of the city was flooded,
over 1800 people lost their lives and the entire city was evacuated. Today the population
has largely returned (80% of pre-Katrina population levels), and cheap housing and the
vibrant culture has attracted a whole generation of entrepreneurs.
NEW ORLEANS IN...
Two Days
On the first day, wander Jackson Sq and the French Quarter's museums. The Cab-
ildo and Presbytere are adjacent to each other and give a good grounding in
Louisiana culture, as does the nearby Historic New Orleans Collection . After-
wards, stroll along the mighty Mississippi.
Grab dinner at Bayona , localvore base of hometown legend Susan Spicer. Enjoy
drinks at Tonique and go see some live music at Preservation Hall .
Next morning, stroll along Magazine St in a state of shopping nirvana. Then walk
north, pop into Lafayette Cemetery No 1 , consider having a drink at Command-
er's Palace - it helps to be well-dressed - and hop onto the St Charles Avenue
Streetcar. Have a haute Southern dinner at Boucherie .
Four Days
On day three, join the morning Creole Neighborhoods bike tour with Confederacy
of Cruisers . This is exceptionally easy riding, and takes in all elements of the funky