Six years ago, Outlet Collection at Riverwalk became a downtown destination for first-to-market outlet shopping, as well as a popular lunch spot for locals working nearby. Since then, it has welcomed more than 18 million shoppers and touts more than $500…
The first time I saw Glen David Andrews perform was at d.b.a. on a hot August night. He and his band moved between trad jazz and raucous wailing with the ease of butter melting on grilled sirloin. I was…
When you write about tourism in New Orleans, a wonderful perk of the job is you often get to bring your family with you as you explore the city. Such was the case when my family and I made…
No scrooge can stop us. We are comfortably in the holiday zone, when we can drink Cajun eggnog daiquiris and sing along when WWOZ plays Louis Armstrong’s “Christmastime in New Orleans.” Maybe we even have…
Would you go on a date at an airport? Or spend some alone time shopping and dining there? Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) believes there is a demand for such visits, and today it launches its new…
It is the day before Thanksgiving, and how many of us are feeling completely calm and relaxed right now? In reality, many of us are reading this on our phones waiting to board a plan, in the guest room…
Every industry struggles with how best to use technology. Tech is constantly changing, consumers’ comfort levels are frequently adjusting and demands for convenience are increasing. That being said, the tourism and hospitality industry is, at its heart, an industry about…
New Orleans has a complicated relationship with alcohol. We celebrate historic cocktails like the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz. We tout our open container laws and create personalized go-cups for birthdays and weddings. That sense of freedom to imbibe is…
Something we do particularly well in New Orleans is party with a purpose. Our festivals draw visitors from across the country to join us in celebrating our culture and raising money for worthy charitable projects. One example of such is…
The time has finally come. After nearly four years of construction, the new $1 billion terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is opening Wednesday, Nov. 6. All commercial flights will use the new terminal at 1 Terminal…
A month ago, while working on my column for the November issue of Biz New Orleans, I wrote, “We just can’t seem to stop building hotels.” A week ago, as news of the Hard Rock Hotel collapse began to spread,…
When a city has over 300 years of history, it earns a patina of spookiness even in the brightest sunlight. As I finished that sentence and paused to consider the next, a dish in my sink just shifted against…
We’ve finally had a reprieve from the oppressive heat, and we can actually enjoy spending time outside. This weekend, celebrate fall with the family at the annual Gentilly Fest at Pontchartrain Park Oct. 11-13. Since 2007, Gentilly Fest has shined…
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans was named the fourth best large city in the country by Condé Nast Traveler magazine, which attracts five million monthly readers. New Orleans ranked amongst other top U.S. cities including Chicago (1), Minneapolis (2), and Boston (3).…
While most people in the Greater New Orleans region are losing sleep and fretting about when Drew Brees will heal enough to play again, travel writers are pulling their hair out waiting for an announcement from Louis Armstrong International New…
For many people, the only way they can travel is by reading books. Affordability, time off from work, family size, illness and physical accessibility are just a few of the barriers that keep people close to home. I was…
The hospitality industry is known as a sector where you start at the bottom and work your way up. The dishwasher earns her spot at food prep and tries to impress chef to get promoted to the salad station.…
For most Americans, the first time we see a musical is on a television screen. Maybe it is a classic like “Singing in the Rain,” or maybe it is one of the new Disney live action versions of an…
There are few things as terrifying as going to the doctor when you work in the hospitality industry. The office visit and maybe lab fees, the possible prescription and the unpaid time off of work all have the ability…
For many of us, we have a three-day weekend to plan (insert meme here). Labor Day honors workers with a paid Monday off, and I honor hospitality workers without the day off with extra gratuity. The following are some…
For many residents of New Orleans, any sense of hospitality toward short-term rental users has run out. On Aug. 8, the New Orleans City Council addressed the community’s concerns and unanimously passed new ordinances that will more strictly limit…
While it’s back-to-school season in the South, in the northern beach towns summer is still in full swing. To capture the attention of those vacationers, the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) is hosting New Orleans on the Vineyard,…
If you don’t yet know, the au courant togs that must be worn this upcoming Saturday, Aug. 10 need either be rouge of shade or sweaty of armpit. Once again, Red Dress Run coincides with Dirty Linen Night, two…
Seeing New Orleans from the perspective of a tourist reminds me how special our city is. It is so easy to become stuck in our work and family obligations, and sometimes weeks will go by and the most culturally…
In New Orleans, we are very good at being fashionably late. Maybe it’s because we like to make a dramatic entrance, or it might be because it is usually too hot to move with any rapidity. Whatever the reason,…
It’s an ominous time of year. We can feel the end drawing near. With each morning, there is one less morning. I am, of course, terrified of the last weeks of day camp before we have a nightmare break…
You don’t need to have a French surname to celebrate Bastille Day, or le quatorze juillet as it is known in France, especially if you are in New Orleans. We have a long tradition of celebrating our French culture,…
For more than 60 years, Storyland in New Orleans City Park has attracted children and families with its larger-than-life playground installations of fairy tale characters and their abodes. Now, like a lot of people who have surpassed the age…
One of the most ludicrous things one could write about summertime in New Orleans is that it is very hot. There aren’t really many similes or metaphors that can do our summer heat justice. It’s the kind of heat…
Remember summer vacation from school? Maybe you were looked after by a neighbor lady and had 15 other kids to make up games with, or maybe you went to a different day camp every week to explore your art,…
Once a tourist in New Orleans herself, Jennifer Gibson Schecter is proud to call NOLA home. Prior to New Orleans, she wrote for publications in the Midwest and New York City. She advises travelers to ask their cab/pedicab/gondola driver where their favorite restaurant is and to eat there.
