While many cities are suffering from the economic downturn, and thus a drop in tourism, New Orleans is still a special case.
Although the French Quarter is in good shape, a drive through the rest of the city, from the Ninth Ward to the nicer suburbs, will show even the casual visitor that life post-Katrina is still a long way from normal. (For example, in Lakeview, an upper-middle class neighborhood that sustained heavy flooding, rebuilt homes sit side by side with empty lots, and still some abandoned properties)
One way to help New Orleans is to be a tourist and spend money. But for those who can’t visit, there’s an easy way to enjoy the flavor of Mardi Gras, and put money into local businesses. It’s called a King Cake.
For anyone who’s been to New Orleans in the weeks preceding Mardi Gras, a King Cake needs no introduction. It’s a rich yeast coffee cake, formed into an oval, with purple, green and yellow icing. Traditionally they are sold from Twelfth Night – January 6 – through Mardi Gras, which in 2009 is February 24. Some are filled with fruit, praline, and/or cream cheese as well. There are even sugar-free cakes.
And then there’s a baby inside. Well, a plastic baby. A tiny plastic baby.
Some say it represents the baby Jesus. (Yeah, the lawyers and the P.C. police haven’t gotten to this tradition yet.) The point of the baby is that whoever finds it, with luck not by chipping a tooth, buys the next King Cake. Which means in most homes and offices, a steady supply of sugary calories.
But you don’t need to be in New Orleans to share in the experience. While many local bakeries have long shipped King Cakes to homesick folks who have moved out-of-town, the Internet has made the process simple.
For in the neighborhood of $40 to $50, a King Cake, usually along with a few Mardi Gras beads and other items, can be overnighted anywhere in the U.S.
If this sounds appealing, and let me tell you, a good King Cake is worth a the considerable extra time it takes in the gym to work it off, several bakeries offer different sizes and flavors on their websites. Three recommended by my New Orleans friends are Haydel’s
Randazzo’s and Frances’ Bakery.
While King Cakes may not be great for your waistline, you can offset any guilt by feeling good about helping a local New Orleans business. And one good thing about ordering from out of town. As much fun as it might be to continue the local tradition, you can’t be tempted just to run down to the store to pick up a second one — whether you find the baby or not.
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From Jan Ramsey, Editor in Chief – OffBeat Magazine
There’s been a lot of trash-talking in New Orleans lately. Now that the media political frenzy for the Presidential election has calmed down somewhat, it seems that the national media has picked up on the feud between our mayor and the garbage men in New Orleans vis a vis picking up garbage and keeping the French Quarter clean. Our mayor decided not to renew the “Disney-like” cleaning services in the Quarter–just in time for Mardi Gras. Of course, local citizens, especially those in the Quarter, and tourism officials, are outraged, shocked and mystified over this decision. Tourism is our lifeblood, and a stinky, nasty Quarter is not what we need in order to get you guys to come down to visit us. For lack of better news I guess, the media jumped on this story and took it national (New York Times, MSNBC, etc.).
OK, you guys: the brouhaha is over and the Quarter will be clean and smelling lemony-fresh. The feud has been resolved.
So can you news folks please let everyone know that we are waiting to welcome visitors with wide-open, sweet-smelling arms? Our musicians need the work.
And you can get cheap fares on Southwest Airlines!
what a special city. I remember the first time there for a lay-over. Got up early, and departed my hotel for a few hours of sight-seeing. What a beautiful mixture of old and new construction. Bourbon street is touristy, but worth the walk. I wasnt on the street more then 10 minutes when I heard a bartender yell, “hey, come on in!” I thought, it’s 9am IN THE MORNING. I laughed. But, I soon realized that, that’s apart of it’s culture. Locals can be very friendly.
I dont fly into MSY very often. After Katrina, I had a turn-around in my schedule. (Fly in and out with the hour) I’ll never forget when the Captain announced our location. I raced to an empty row in the back and looked out. As we past over the water, you could see the homes that used to be on the Bay. House foundations were the only reminder that a HOME used to be there. Entire neighborhoods wiped out. As the aircraft got closer to the airport, you could use thousands and thousands of HOMES with blue tarps on their roofs. Still waiting to be fixed.
Alot of scars, still there.
I enjoy those turn-arounds into MSY. If I have enough time I like to run into the airport for beignets, (yum) LOL, the first time I bit into one, I didnt realize the sugar with go everywhere, I look DOWN and realize my entire uniform was white with sugar. In addition, you can get Creole or Cajun food at the airport.
Good article, Janice!
My wife is a NOLA ex-pat, and I can say from years of King Cake ordering experience that Haydel’s is the #1 choice.
I make my own, too, but there’s nothing quite like the real deal.
And while you’re ordering goodies from MSY, try the Doberge cake from Gambino’s. Call 1-800-GAMBINO or visit http://gambinos.info/
Best of all – spend money at mom and pop establishments.
Go to Preservation Hall Jazz, buy a ticket – buy something else.
Ask the locals about locaal gigs, events, etc. – patronize them.
Hve lunch at a neighbor hood joint.
Are they safe ? The locals wouldn’t go there if they weren’t.
Been doing this all over the world – been having a great time.
NOLA is a fine city. It is however, below sea level. Nothing built below sea level in a tropical climate is going to last very long. I’ve been to NOLA, I like NOLA, I just object to being told that we gotta save NOLA. Mother nature and the good Lord have the decision, not us. The original city, i.e., the Quarter, was built in the ONLY land above sea level for miles and miles around. More folk come down and built up around the Quarter which, as I said, is the only place above sea level darn near til you get to Kenner and Metaire.
I see no practical reason that in a 100 years that city is going to still be there. We need to cut our losses folks and start engaging the brain here. If a predominantly non-minority city was built below sea level or below local water levels, it would not be rebuilt by the gubmint when it flooded out. Proof of that pudding is in the towns flooded in Missouri along the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers which are now abandoned.
I state my objection to spending more billions and billions to save a doomed place. You want to live n NOLA – fine. Just please don’t expect me to pay taxes through the nose to rebuild every 15 years or so. And somehow, buying a $40 cake is not going to ’save nola.’ The only thing that will save NOLA is lowering the sea level.