New Orleans, an American city in the Deep South like no other

NOLA, or New Orleans Louisiana architecture and cityscape. (Photos: Ashwin Rajagopalan)

Everything you hear about New Orleans is probably true. I should know; I arrived here at 2 am and the party was just getting started at Bourbon Street, the city’s unofficial party hub. This was a mini school reunion, and we never ran out of good music, food and cocktails. This is after all the birthplace of Jazz, the hub of Creole cuisine and the city where many storied cocktails have their origin story. The city is home to Mardi Gras when the city’s streets are taken over by colourful floats (quite similar to Rio’s carnival). One more reason why this is one of my favourite cities in America:

French Connection

The French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, the US. (Photo: Ashwin Rajagopalan)

It was La Nouvelle-Orleans when it was founded in 1718 by the French Mississippi company. It was named after Philippe II, Duke of Orleans who was the regent of the France at that time. For years New Orleans was a French bastion in America before the Spanish took over. The state of Louisiana joined the American Union in 1803 after the historic ‘Louisiana purchase’. The French might have left the city, but their influence continues in the city’s French Quarter with its unique grid-like streets. Almost every building features the trademark cast iron or wrought iron work that lends New Orleans it’s unique vibe.

French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo: Ashwin Rajagopalan)

Where Jazz began

The story of Jazz begins in New Orleans, in Storyville  that was once the city’s red-light district. Jazz began as an amalgam of the multiple cultures — French, Spanish and African, that have shaped NOLA. Jazz began in a segregated environment before these divisions began to diminish. It was the ‘madams’ who first hired jazz musicians to entertain their patrons. Music was not the main thing on their minds, it’s what allowed the jazz performers to experiment with their music and truly express themselves.

Jazz is everywhere in NOLA. The New Orleans Airport is named after Louis Armstrong (the only major US airport named after a musician). Legends Park is a great spot to start your jazz discovery. This tiny outdoor venue has local bands playing almost round the clock with the backdrop of life-size statues of  local music legends. If you’re looking at a serious jazz immersion, then make time to check out a live act at Preservation Hall, an emblematic local jazz bar that dates back to 1961. We ended up spending an entire evening — it was more like an all-night long bar crawl, at Frenchman Street. Almost every bar here has a live gig every night. And then there are the impromptu street performances that add to the hedonistic vibe of this neighbourhood.

A whisky cocktail for all ages

The Sazerac bar at The Roosevelt, New Orleans. (Photo: Ashwin Rajagopalan)

It’s one of my favourtie whisky cocktails and I couldn’t resist going back to the bar where it all began. The Sazerac bar at The Roosevelt is a hallowed bar in NOLA. It takes its name from the cocktail that was invented here. At least that’s what all locals here claim. The mixologist at this bar — who’s probably mixed this drink a million times, also told us that this is the oldest

American cocktail with origins in the 1850s. That claim is disputed by culinary historians who quote the first ever definition of a cocktail back in 1806 by the New York tabloid The Balance and Columbian Repository. But I’ll stick with the New Orleans version.

The hub of Creole cuisine

To call New Orleans one of America’s best cities of food is not an exaggeration. It’s the deep South, small portions are an alien concept here. This is the home of Creole cuisine. Creole literally translates into ‘made here’ and represents an eclectic blend of French cuisine with local Cajun spices. Don’t leave town without trying the hearty prawn gumbo where rice and shrimps are cooked together with local spices.

No chain reactions

Jackson Square, formerly the Place d'Armes (French) or Plaza de Armas (Spanish), is a historic park in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo: Ashwin Rajagopalan)

If there’s one thing I love about the French Quarter, it’s the absence of ‘chain restaurants’; most restaurants are proudly locally owned. Pierre Maspero’s is a case in point;  it’s located in a historic 1788 building that once a slave exchange. I don’t think I’ve had a more scrumptious version of a bread pudding anywhere in the world.  Old bread combined with generous quantities of sugar, milk, nuts and raisins before being finished with a dash Bourbon whiskey. The locals will always tell you that alcohol makes everything better.

Cafe du Monde, New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo: Ashwin Rajagopalan)

Antoine’s is one of the best-known family-owned restaurants  (managed by the same family since 1840 in town and has hosted American presidents and Hollywood A-listers with a menu that leans towards classical French cuisine. There’s no coffee on the go here. You’re unlikely to meet a visitor who doesn’t queue up at Café Du Monde for coffee and beignets — the New Orleans version of a doughnut. Deep fried dough with a hint of banana flavour dusted with generous quantities of powdered sugar. Take a bite, smell the coffee and lose yourself in all that Jazz. Slow it down in NOLA and give in to the intrinsic charms of the Deep South.