Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is actually an extension of Canal Street, which runs from City Park Avenue
to the Mississippi River. Canal Boulevard is largely a residential thorough-
fare divided by a parklike neutral ground. Due to the breach of the 17th
Street Canal—on the west side of Lakeview—no one escaped the Katrina
flooding in this neighborhood. Consequently, houses were either restored or,
like the library, built anew. It's easy to spot the new ones: Many are two- and
three-story mansions, some of which dwarf their neighbors. Others are re-
stored early-20th-century cottages and bungalows. Almost all of the houses
were built high off the ground.
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Turn right on Filmore and walk five blocks to Argonne Boulevard. As you
walk, imagine the piles of debris that littered the neighborhood during the
Katrina recovery process. Many residents lived in trailers provided by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and for a long time,
Lakeview resembled a mammoth mobile-home park.
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Turn right on Argonne Boulevard and walk four blocks to Harrison Avenue.
Before Katrina, Argonne was one of the most attractive streets in Lakeview,
and it is once again, with most homes sporting lush and meticulously main-
tained gardens and lawns.
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Turn right onto Harrison, Lakeview's main commercial strip. At the corner
is The Velvet Cactus, one of several new restaurants that have opened in
Lakeview since Katrina. The Mexican restaurant's relaxing patio is great for
sipping a pineapple-cilantro margarita or any number of other tropical
drinks. Inside, the walls are adorned with the works of local artists, and most
of the art is for sale.
As you make the turn on Harrison, take note of the building across the street
and to your left: That's Edward Hynes Charter School, long one of the city's
top-rated public schools. After Katrina, the original school building was torn
down to make way for this new state-of-the art-campus. Students, at least
those who returned to New Orleans, were schooled in temporary quarters
while construction ensued. When the new Hynes opened in January
2012—more than six years after the storm—it was considered a crucial step
in the neighborhood's recovery.
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As you continue down Harrison, you'll pass an assortment of businesses,
from salons to banks. Some, like Jaeger Burger Co. and Cava (a bar and bis-
tro), are new to Lakeview since Katrina, while others, like the Sneaker Shop
(a shoe store) and Lakeview Harbor (a burger joint), are longtime fixtures.
