It’sa placethatlovespompandpageantry
—theentirecityshutsdownforthefestivalof
MardiGras— butalsomusicandtheartsand,
most importantly, its French-Spanish-Creole
roots.Andalmost 14 yearsafterHurricane
Katrina,there’satentativesenseofoptimism
anda fierceprideintheair,particularlysince
thecity’s300thbirthdaylastyear.Justask
Cleo Wade, the It-girl poet and activist
whoreturnedtoherhomecitytocelebrate
herbirthdayrecently,apack of her equally
coolgirlfriendsintow.
DownintheWarehouseDistrictis Maison
DeLaLuz(maisondelaluz.com),aboutique
hotelandanoasisamongthehubbubthat
houses Southern hospitality (the guest-only
Living Room bar operates on an honour
system)ina superchicsetting.Whetherornot
you stay, take respite in the on-site Bar
Marilou,whichstandsoutina seaofdrinking
holesforitsEuropeanapproachtococktails,
heroing vermouths, sherries and amaro in
a cosy atmosphere.SEATTLE
WITHA BURGEONING
TECHSCENEANDMORE
THANITSFAIRSHAREOF
CULTURE,THEEMERALD
CITYSHOULD BEFIRMLY
ONYOURRADARFirsttheblue-collarbirthplaceofgrunge,then
the home of tech giants Amazon and
Microsoft,nowSeattlehasa flourishingfood
and wine scene and an abundance of
contemporaryartandculture(thinkofit asthe
MelbourneoftheUS).Whileit’sstillalittle
rougharoundtheedges,youcanfindchic
boutiques, cult beauty stores and edgy
exhibitions and installations in one of the
friendliestcitiesyou’llevervisit.There’sgood
reason women’s club-slash-working space
TheWinghaspickedit foritsnext opening,
slated for some time next year.178
THEGO-TOs
EAT
TheWarehouseDistrictis
a formerindustrialboroughthat’s
nowa hotbedofrestaurants,
winebarsanda divebaror
two(werecommendTheRusty
Nail;rustynailnola.com).Meat
eatersmusttrythebarbecue-
heavyCochonRestaurant
(cochonrestaurant.com).But
ifyoudon’teata po’boy
sandwich(aLouisiana
specialty),didyoureallygo
toNewOrleans?Checkout
ParkwayBakery&Tavern
(parkwaypoorboys.com)
forone of the best.SIP
PoponovertoEffervescence
(nolabubbles.com)fora glass
ofbubbly.Orsidleuptothe
CarouselBar&Loungeatthe
ultra-poshHotelMonteleone
(hotelmonteleone.com).The
barslowlyrevolves,soyou
canpeople-watchtoyour
heart’scontent.Orhead
straighttoTheCountryClub
(thecountryclubneworleans.
com),a mansionturnedinto
apoolandcabanalounge.
NOLAresidentSolange
issaid to be a fan.DROPBY
Thecity’smosttranquilspot
is theSydneyAndWalda
BesthoffSculptureGardenin
CityPark(noma.org/sculpture-
garden).Theoutdoorgallery
hasjustdoubleditssizewith
26 newsculptures.Bonus:it’s
nexttotheNewOrleans
MuseumOfArt,soyoucan
spendanentiremorning
gettinga culturefix.Then,
makeyourwayovertoJulia
Street— knownas“gallery
row” for its surplus of studios.A guestroomat
Maison De La LuzPalihotel
Bar Marilou Maison De La Luz Seattle