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The Arberesh Community in New Orleans - Part One
From Albania to Sicily to New Orleans: across two continents, three countries, and five centuries, some members of the city’s Arberesh community still honors their roots, while others are just discovering them.
– by Mark Orfila
Pat O’Connell: Luck of the Irish Barber
The longstanding French Quarter barber keeps tradition alive on Bienville Street, one great haircut at a time.
– by Doug Brantley
Quarter Caretaker: Robert Cangelosi, Jr.
This New Orleans architect, educator and author holds many titles, but helping preserve the French Quarter neighborhood where he grew up is the one he’s best—and rightfully—known for.
– by Doug Brantley
The First Lady of New Orleans Antiques: Andrée Keil Moss
The survivor of a historic shipwreck, this legendary Royal Street antiques authority presides over an enterprise begun 125 years ago by her grandmother – a woman with determination, vision and a love of historic craftsmanship.
– by Bethany Ewald Bultman
Three Decades of Activism, One New Riverfront Park
Unrelenting advocacy over two wharf sites scores what appears to be a win for New Orleans residents while helping protect two of the most fragile neighborhoods in the country: the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny.
– by Frank Perez
Armstrong Park’s Unexpected Attraction: The Antique Rose Garden
This park adjacent to the French Quarter is home to the legendary Congo Square and statues of New Orleans’ jazz greats, but a rarely noticed antique rose garden provides an unexpected delight.
– by Ellis Anderson
A Labor of Love: Caroling in Jackson Square
A mid-century gardening club’s seasonal gathering has become one of New Orleans’ favorite holiday traditions, now hosting thousands of carolers each year.
– by Dean M. Shapiro
Giving the Dead Their Due: The Abandoned Tomb Initiative
Marie Laveau’s tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was one of the first to be restored in a unique initiative that cares for New Orleans’ fabled Cities of the Dead.
– by Reda Wigle
Dodwell House and Anna’s Place: Tremé Touchstones of Possibility
The Timeless Napoleon House
Longtime patrons of the venerable establishment will find very few changes after eight years of ownership by noted restauranteur Ralph Brennan.
– by Angelique LaCour
Arcadian Books & Prints
This year marks a milestone for a neighborhood institution: Arcadian Books & Prints has been keeping love of the written word alive in two languages for 40 years. Stepping into what proprietor Russell Desmond calls the “organized chaos” of his French Quarter store (714 Orleans), customers are generally thrilled – and occasionally overwhelmed – by the literary riches packed into the confined space.
Extended Family: Vieux Carré Wine & Spirits
Immigrating from Sicily in 1957, Biagio “Blaise” Todaro worked in a neighborhood grocery before opening his own shop - one that's become a French Quarter institution.
To Live in a Masquerade: Inside the Mask Market
To Live in a Masquerade: Inside the Mask Market: On the weekend before Mardi Gras for the past 38 years, the French Market has hosted one of the most unusual art markets in the country. Meet a few of the makers behind it.
- by Kirsten Reneau
It's All Good for Hotel Al
After working 60 years at the French Quarter's famed Hotel Monteleone, Al Barras has become an institution - and the subject of an award-winning documentary.
- by Kirsten Reneau
- photos by Ellis Anderson and courtesy Full Armor Productions
Looking for Peace in New Orleans
One of the first Flea Market and Jazz Fest vendors, Cruz Sanchez still works in the Decatur Street store he founded fifty years ago - an island of calm in the midst of the French Quarter's whirl.
- story by Kirsten Reneau
-photos by Kirsten Reneau and Ellis Anderson and courtesy of Cruz Sanchez