Sloshing your way down Bourbon Street, past the banks of Slurpee-like machines spewing mango daiquiris by the gallon, it's hard to wrap your head around the notion that by dancing to raucous music, eating too much and drinking way too much, you're helping get a fallen American city back on its feet. Even as you grow progressively less steady on yours.
But tourism is what drives New Orleans' economy, and the French Quarter is its revving engine. By sipping a hurricane from a go-cup, you're helping feed a family in the Lower Ninth Ward; by supping on shrimp remoulade at Antoine's you're creating jobs in Eastern New Orleans.
“Having fun in New Orleans is serious business for our economy," Police Superintendent Warren J. Riley said at a forum I attended in the spring.
Perched on high ground, the French Quarter was spared Katrina's full wrath, and today it's hard even for frequent visitors to spot any physical damage from the hurricane. A few restaurants are shut for lunch on days they used to be open, largely because it's hard to find workers, and a museum or two might not be back to full hours. But the real changes are far subtler.
But tourism is what drives New Orleans' economy, and the French Quarter is its revving engine. By sipping a hurricane from a go-cup, you're helping feed a family in the Lower Ninth Ward; by supping on shrimp remoulade at Antoine's you're creating jobs in Eastern New Orleans.
“Having fun in New Orleans is serious business for our economy," Police Superintendent Warren J. Riley said at a forum I attended in the spring.
Perched on high ground, the French Quarter was spared Katrina's full wrath, and today it's hard even for frequent visitors to spot any physical damage from the hurricane. A few restaurants are shut for lunch on days they used to be open, largely because it's hard to find workers, and a museum or two might not be back to full hours. But the real changes are far subtler.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
