Prospect New Orleans, the biennial international contemporary art exhibit, began its second showing as Prospect.2 on October 22. The talent of 27 creative minds, representing 9 countries and 4 continents are showcased in more than a dozen venues throughout the Big Easy. Prospect.2 will be on display and open for visitors booking a room at any New Orleans Bed and Breakfast through January 29, 2012.
This year’s exhibit showcases current art from around the world in a locale that is both historic and culturally unique. Prospect New Orleans contributes to the re-building of New Orleans by bringing international attention to the city’s visual arts community. Conceived in the tradition of the great international biennials, such as those in Venice Brazil, Prospect New Orleans was founded on the belief that the art of our time can play a major role in the rejuvenation of an important U.S. city.

The biennial remains focused on building a contemporary art tourism infrastructure utilizing a  signature event that brings together local art creation and entrepreneurial activity, while attracting tens of thousands of art lovers to New Orleans every-other-year.
Dan Cameron, creator of Prospect New Orleans, is an internationally recognized art museum curator and exhibition organizer. Some of his past credits include the biennials of Istanbul, Turkey and Taipei, Taiwan.
Prospect.2′s current list of artists includes 27 artists from countries that include: the United States, France, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Japan, Chile, and Vietnam. This year’s biennial also features work by artists who call New Orleans home, as well as a variety of site-specific projects inspired by the city’s distinctive history and culture.

These artists are exhibiting their work in Prospect.2 (nationalities are in parentheses):

•    Sophie Calle (France)
•    Nick Cave (USA)
•    Jonas Dahlberg (Sweden)
•    Bruce Davenport Jr. (USA)
•    Dawn Dedeaux (USA)
•    R. Luke DuBois (USA)
•    George Dunbar (USA)
•    Keith Duncan (USA)
•    William Eggleston (USA)
•    Nicole Eisenman (France)
•    Karl Haendel (USA)
•    Ragnar Kjartansson (Iceland)
•    William Pope (USA)
•    An-My Lê (Vietnam)
•    Ivan Navarro (Chile)
•    Lorraine O’Grady (USA)
•    Tsuyoshi Ozawa (Japan)
•    Gina Phillips (USA)
•    Ashton T. Ramsey (USA)
•    Alexis Rockman (USA)
•    Joyce J. Scott (USA)
•    Jennifer Steinkamp (USA)
•    Dan Tague (USA)
•    Robert Tannen (USA)
•    Grazia Toderi (Italy)
•    Francesco Vezzoli (Italy)
•    Pawel Wojtasik (Poland)

In addition to the projects organized by Prospect.2, a number of artists, including Canadian sculptor Michel de Broin, environmental artist Brandon Ballengee, and Seattle-based Don and Patricia Fels, are premiering their work simultaneously in New Orleans.
Works will be shown at sites throughout diverse neighborhoods and other locales in New Orleans, including:
•    Tremé
•    St. Claude Avenue
•    The Warehouse Arts District
•    City Park
•    Tulane University
•    Xavier University
•    New Orleans Museum of Art
•    Isaac Delgado Art Gallery
•    Arts Village
•    New Orleans African American Museum
•    New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation
•    Ogden Museum of Southern Art
•    Contemporary Arts Center
•    Newcomb Art Gallery
•    UNO St. Claude Gallery

For more information on Prospect.2 New Orleans, visit www.prospectneworleans.org or contact U.S. Biennial, Inc. at (212) 680-5305. To book a room in the city, check out New Orleans lodging deals.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Not far from the Avenue Inn Bed and Breakfast at 3001 Tchoupitoulas Street is NOLA Brewery. It’s a short taxi ride for guests to New Orleans to plan a visit for an afternoon of education and fun. The brewery specializes in craft-brewed beers and currently offers four year-round brews and one seasonal variety.  Located in what is referred to as the Irish Channel, the team’s efforts represent the creation of refreshing high-quality beer brewed in the heart of New Orleans,  the way beer was first made in the Crescent city. The brewery operation was founded in 2008 by Kirk Coco & Peter Caddoo, two highly experienced beer entrepreneurs. They brought a staff of outstanding beer makers to New Orleans and have grown exponentially ever since. NOLA Brewing Company is focused on developing specialized lagers and ales for its niche market. 

In recent months we have sent guests staying at our New Orleans Bed and Breakfast over to the brewery on Friday afternoons at 2:00pm for a tour of the facilities. The tour is usually guided by founder Kirk Coco and all have returned to the Inn saying that they enjoyed the experience and the free samples.

According to the brew master at NOLA brewery, the finest available ingredients are used in their beers. They include: English, Belgian, German, and American hops, a variety of malts from around the world, unique yeast blends and Peter Caddoo’s special touch.

Blonde Ale was the very first ale created and released in March 2009; it is a great introductory medium-bodied traditional American blonde ale.

Brown Ale is a brewery favorite; a light-bodied, full flavored English dark mild ale with notes of chocolate, coffee, caramel, and nuts.

Hopitoulas was the third addition to the year-round beer portfolio. It is a West Coast style India Pale Ale that combines 6 malts and 6 hops with additional dry hopping for three weeks.

“7th Street Wheat” started out as a Summer seasonal, but due to its popularity has made its place in their year round ales.  Named in honor of the 7th Street wharf across the street from the brewery, this filtered wheat ale is light-bodied American style with pounds of fresh lemon-basil added after fermentation.

Hurricane Saison, is NOLA brewery’s seasonal ale. It gets it’s name from the Flemish word meaning “season”. Brewed with five different types of malts, including un-malted raw wheat, pilsner and aromatic malts, Hurricane Saison also contains three types of hops: Sterling, Kent Goldings, and Styrian Goldings. Hurricane Saison is only available during the spring months.

Joe and Bebe, Innkeepers at the Avenue Inn Bed and Breakfast will be happy to give you directions to the brewery. Come on down to New Orleans and enjoy the fun.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Not far from the Avenue Inn Bed and Breakfast is a rapidly blossoming business area now referred to as the Freret Arts & Entertainment District. About 10 blocks from the Inn, the district is conveniently located in Uptown New Orleans, near the Universities — just blocks from the campuses of Tulane and Loyola. It’s accessible for our New Orleans Bed and Breakfast guests from many of the area’s main avenues and boulevards, and since the Freret Arts & Entertainment District is just 8 blocks long — its easily walkable from end to end.

One can stroll along this historic corridor (where Jewish deli, butcher and bakery shops used to call home) and visit diverse boutique shops, restaurants and bars. We took some friends there this past weekend and we were pleasantly surprised at what has been done in the past 18 months to improve and redefine the street. It’s our opinion that guests to our New Orleans Bed and Breakfast will be drawn this little neighborhood diamond in the rough as the district continues to grow and prosper.

The Freret Business and Property Owner Association formed the group to promote business on the Freret Corridor from Jefferson Avenue to Napoleon Avenue. Their mission is to establish an image that Freret Street is a safe, vibrant, easily accessible destination for shopping, dining and play. And it seemed to us that they have made good on their objective so far.

One of the main stays of the FBPOA is the Freret market. It’s held at the intersection of Freret Street and Napoleon Avenue on the first Saturday of each month between September and June. The market is split up along three category lines: food, art, and flea. The Saturday event is a good place to relax and find a unique item, and is important part of the renaissance on Freret Street.

In the second block on Freret (from Napoleon Ave.) , we discovered several restaurants, bars and even a boxing gym of all things,  that sponsors “Friday Night Boxing Events” for the public.

Guests that have booked New Orleans lodging with us will want to check out   Sarita’s Grill featuring Latin American fusion cuisine; salad bowls, burritos, tacos, entrees and flan are made with fresh local ingredients. The food was tasty and authentic. We were waited on by Sarita herself and she made quite an impression with her enthusiasm and focused attention on her business and guest satisfaction.

Other notable food establishments in that section of the venue included: High Hat, Dat Dog, Cure and Ancora Pizzeria & Salumeria. We’ll be writing about them soon. Can’t wait to go back!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Visitors to New Orleans need not be worried about the heat. Yes we have it, but there are so many ways to beat it. As Innkeepers of the Avenue Inn Bed and Breakfast we have researched (yes, its a tough job, but someone has to do it) a few favorite ways to enjoy our historic city — and still beat the summer heat. Are these ideas cool, or what?

• Take a stroll through the roof shaded French Market, and enjoy a cool fruit smoothie or gelato at one of the many unique food and beverage emporiums.
  The newly renovated French market is a great place to enjoy cool drinks at venues like the Organic Banana. Check out health food restaurants like Meals From the Heart Cafe, where you can order light low fat menu items that won’t make you feel overstuffed and uncomfortable in the heat.
• Check out one of the city’s unique movie theater experiences.
  Escape the hottest part of our summer afternoons by spending a couple hours in a chilling, dark state of the art theater. You’ll be stunned with the visual documentary at the Entergy IMAX Theater, part of the Audubon Nature Institute, or blown away with the Tom Hanks-produced 4-D Beyond All Boundaries experience at the Solomon Victory Theater at The National WWII Museum.
• Lick an icy snowball.
  Cool it with a taste treat kids love and adults crave — a colorful, shaved ice snowball. It’s a New Orleans “must have” staple; these delightful, icy confections come in a huge range of colors and unique flavors. Check out the sophisticated varieties like honey almond, honeydew melon or orchid cream vanilla.  And don’t for get to ask for one stuffed with ice cream and topped with evaporated milk and chocolate syrup.
• It’s Cool at the Cool Zoo.
  Cool off the kids at the Audubon Zoo’s new splash park, Cool Zoo, where exciting water features and three splash zones make hot summer days a real cool blast. By the way, we are one of the few New Orleans bed and breakfasts that accept families with kids five and up.
• Chill with a frozen daiquiri.
  Are you a multi-tasker? Why not cool off with one of these potent beverages while celebrating the laid-back vibe of New Orleans at the same time? Walk-up daiquiri stands are all around the city and in the New Orleans French Quarter so act like a local and pick up one of these refreshing adult beverages to beat the heat.
• Win the coolest casino games.
  Spend a few hours away from the sun at Harrah’s New Orleans, where more than 100 live table games and 2,100 slot machines will give you plenty to do in a superbly air-conditioned environment. It’s cool to win.
• You’ll be cool when you escape into stunning artwork.
  Avoid a hot day by being among the paintings, sculptures and other artwork at the New Orleans Museum of Art . Walk through more than 40,000 historic and contemporary art objects and soak up some culture within the cool, stone walls of the museum.
• The coolest exhibit this side of the Smithsonian! Visit the WWII Museum.
  Walk through permanent and special exhibits at the National WWII Museum, and see massive relics from this epic war, such as a Sherman tank, jeeps and a restored C-47 aircraft. By far, the best thing to do in New Orleans. Very cool.
• Explore the Riverwalk.
  Make it a mini day trip in the cool embrace of air conditioning. Indulge in a little retail therapy at the Riverwalk Marketplace, where you can satisfy your shopping addiction in the hundreds of shops and restaurants. Just outside the mall, stroll along the river levee and catch a cool breeze coming off the mighty Mississippi.
• Meet the coolest underwater creatures at the aquarium.
  Walk through an underwater tunnel made of glass, pet a perky stingray and get an up-close and personal glimpse of sea creatures in their marine habitats. You’ll be instantly transported to a world away from the summer heat and into an exciting adventure Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

Popularity: 28% [?]