Ebony Escapes! Returns to New Orleans!, Part Two

New York Amsterdam News › August 21, 2009

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Summary

Afro-centric establishments dotted throughout the French Quarter include La Belle Galerie & The Black Art Collection; Olivier's Creole Restaurant; Bryant Galleries, featuring the works of several African-American and Haitian artists; Harold Clarke's, a Jamaican haute couture dressmaker; and Rick Fox Studios, who also displays his work in Jackson Square, among others.

A new addition to the Frenchmen Street scene is Ray's Boom Boom Room, featuring soul, funk, jazz and brass bands. The legendary Ellis Marsalis, father of famed musician brothers Branford, Delfeayo and Wynton, often jams in joints along Frenchmen Street on the weekends.

A family-friendly event, the festival featured two stages with live music, including a performance by Los "Poboycitos," a Latin Funk band; a beer garden with a large-screen TV to watch the Saints play; a wide variety of artisan booths; a silent auction benefiting the Oak Street Main Street Program; a children's game and activity area; panel discussions about the history, making and traditions of the po'boy sandwich; and some of the most creative po'boy sandwiches you have ever heard of, made by some of the city's most famous restaurants. I had never heard of a Vietnamese po'boy, but when in Rome...

Annual events include, of course, Mardi Gras (February), the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival (March), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (March/April), French Quarter Festival (April), New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (May), New Orleans Seafood Festival (June), Essence Music Festival (July), Satchmo Summerfest (July), Southern Decadence (September) and the VooDoo Music Experience (October), just to name a few.

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Extract

Ebony Escapes! Returns to New Orleans!, Part Two

In Part One of this return to New Orleans series, we saw that despite all that has happened, New Orleans is open for business, and invites you to be part of a rebirth like this country has never seen.

Across all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines, New Orleans is a city of people who possess an enduring spirit and undying love for their homeand they refuse ...

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