Editing New Orleans (section)

==Culture and contemporary life==
{{Main|Culture of New Orleans}}

===Tourism===
{{see also|Culture of New Orleans#Museums and other attractions}}New Orleans has many visitor attractions, from the world-renowned French Quarter to [[St. Charles Avenue]], (home of Tulane and Loyola universities, the historic [[Pontchartrain Hotel]] and many 19th-century mansions) to [[Magazine Street]] with its boutique stores and antique shops.
[[File:French Quarter03 New Orleans.JPG|alt=|thumb|[[French Quarter]] in 2009]]
[[File:New-Orleans-Street-Artist-1988-205.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.05|[[Street artist]] in the French Quarter (1988)]]

According to current travel guides, New Orleans is one of the top ten most-visited cities in the United States; 10.1 million visitors came to New Orleans in 2004.<ref name="0607marketing">{{cite web |url=http://www.crt.state.la.us/downloads/Appendix_E.pdf |title=2006–07 Marketing Plan |publisher=Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism |access-date=March 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409095933/http://www.crt.state.la.us/downloads/Appendix_E.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=April 9, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2001-45-561/index.html? |title=Overseas visitors to select U.S. cities/Hawaiian Islands 2001–2000 |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries |access-date=November 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917122511/http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2001-45-561/index.html |archive-date=September 17, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Prior to Katrina, 265 hotels with 38,338 rooms operated in the Greater New Orleans Area. In May 2007, that had declined to some 140 hotels and motels with over 31,000 rooms.<ref name="New Orleans' Recovery as of May 2007">{{Cite web |url=https://www.neworleans.com/press-media/press-releases/ |title=New Orleans Media Information &#124; Press Releases |website=www.neworleans.com |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-date=September 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904104805/https://www.neworleans.com/press-media/press-releases/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A 2009 ''[[Travel + Leisure]]'' poll of "America's Favorite Cities" ranked New Orleans first in ten categories, the most first-place rankings of the 30 cities included. According to the poll, New Orleans was the best U.S. city as a spring break destination and for "wild weekends", stylish boutique hotels, cocktail hours, singles/bar scenes, live music/concerts and bands, antique and vintage shops, cafés/coffee bars, neighborhood restaurants, and [[people watching]]. The city ranked second for: friendliness (behind [[Charleston, South Carolina]]), [[gay]]-friendliness (behind San Francisco), [[bed and breakfast]] hotels/inns, and ethnic food. However, the city placed near the bottom in cleanliness, safety and as a family destination.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2009 |title=America's Favorite Cities |magazine=Travel + Leisure |date=June 10, 2010 |access-date=June 30, 2010 |archive-date=July 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701051016/http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.nola.com/tpmoney/2007/10/travel_leisure_says_new_orlean.html |title=Travel + Leisure says New Orleans is tops for live music, cocktails and cheap eats |access-date=October 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117211911/http://blog.nola.com/tpmoney/2007/10/travel_leisure_says_new_orlean.html |archive-date=January 17, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The French Quarter (known locally as "the Quarter" or ''Vieux Carré''), which was the colonial-era city and is bounded by the Mississippi River, Rampart Street, [[Canal Street, New Orleans|Canal Street]], and [[Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans|Esplanade Avenue]], contains popular hotels, bars and nightclubs. Notable tourist attractions in the Quarter include Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the [[French Market]] (including [[Café du Monde]], famous for [[café au lait]] and [[beignet]]s) and [[Preservation Hall]]. Also in the French Quarter is the old [[New Orleans Mint]], a former branch of the [[United States Mint]] which now operates as a museum, and [[The Historic New Orleans Collection]], a museum and research center housing art and artifacts relating to the [[history of New Orleans|history]] and the [[Gulf South]].

Close to the Quarter is the [[Tremé]] community, which contains the [[New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park]] and the [[New Orleans African American Museum]]—a site which is listed on the [[Louisiana African American Heritage Trail]].

The ''[[Natchez (boat)|Natchez]]'' is an authentic [[steamboat]] with a [[Calliope (music)|calliope]] that cruises the length of the city twice daily. Unlike most other places in the United States, New Orleans has become widely known for its [[elegant decay]]. The city's [[Historic Cemeteries of New Orleans|historic cemeteries]] and their distinct above-ground [[tomb]]s are attractions in themselves, the oldest and most famous of which, [[Saint Louis Cemetery]], greatly resembles [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]] in Paris.

[[File:NOMAReopeningDayDelgadoFascade.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|right|The [[New Orleans Museum of Art]] (NOMA) located in [[City Park, New Orleans|City Park]]]]
[[The National WWII Museum]] offers a multi-building odyssey through the history of the Pacific and European theaters. Nearby, [[Confederate Memorial Hall Museum]], the oldest continually operating museum in Louisiana (although under renovation since Hurricane Katrina), contains the second-largest collection of [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] memorabilia. Art museums include the [[Contemporary Arts Center (New Orleans)|Contemporary Arts Center]], the [[New Orleans Museum of Art]] (NOMA) in [[City Park (New Orleans)|City Park]], and the [[Ogden Museum of Southern Art]].

New Orleans is home to the [[Audubon Nature Institute]] (which consists of [[Audubon Park (New Orleans)|Audubon Park]], the [[Audubon Zoo]], the [[Aquarium of the Americas]] and the [[Audubon Insectarium]]), and home to gardens which include [[Longue Vue House and Gardens]] and the [[New Orleans Botanical Garden]]. City Park, one of the country's most expansive and visited [[urban park]]s, has one of the largest stands of [[Southern live oak|oak trees]] in the world.

Other points of interest can be found in the surrounding areas. Many wetlands are found nearby, including [[Honey Island Swamp]] and [[Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve#Barataria Preserve|Barataria Preserve]]. [[Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve#Chalmette unit|Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery]], located just south of the city, is the site of the 1815 [[Battle of New Orleans]].

===Entertainment and performing arts===
{{Main|Music of New Orleans}}
[[File:MardiGrasCanalStreet1890sChartresGazebo.jpg|thumb|left|[[New Orleans Mardi Gras]] in the early 1890s]]
[[File:ToHorses.jpg|thumb|left|Mounted [[krewe]] officers in the Thoth Parade during [[Mardi Gras]]]]

The New Orleans area is home to numerous annual celebrations. The most well known is [[Carnival]], or [[New Orleans Mardi Gras|Mardi Gras]]. Carnival officially begins on the [[Epiphany (holiday)|Feast of the Epiphany]], also known in some Christian traditions as the "[[Twelfth Night (holiday)|Twelfth Night]]" of Christmas. ''Mardi Gras'' (French for "Fat Tuesday"), the final and grandest day of traditional Catholic festivities, is the last Tuesday before the [[Christianity|Christian]] liturgical season of [[Lent]], which commences on [[Ash Wednesday]].

The largest of the city's many music festivals is the [[New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival]]. Commonly referred to simply as "Jazz Fest", it is one of the nation's largest music festivals. The festival features a variety of music, including both native Louisiana and international artists. Along with Jazz Fest, New Orleans' [[Voodoo Experience]] ("Voodoo Fest") and the [[Essence Music Festival]] also feature local and international artists.

Other major festivals include [[Southern Decadence]], the French Quarter Festival, and the [[Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival]]. The American playwright lived and wrote in New Orleans early in his career, and set his play, ''[[Streetcar Named Desire]],'' there.
[[File:Louis Prima crop.jpg|thumb|[[Louis Prima]]; a famous New Orleans [[jazz]], [[swing music]], and [[jump blues]], musician. ]]
In 2002, Louisiana began offering tax incentives for film and television production. This has resulted in a substantial increase in activity and brought the nickname of "Hollywood South" for New Orleans. Films produced in and around the city include ''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]'', ''[[Runaway Jury]]'', ''[[The Pelican Brief (film)|The Pelican Brief]]'', ''[[Glory Road (film)|Glory Road]]'', ''[[All the King's Men (2006 film)|All the King's Men]]'', ''[[Deja Vu (2006 film)|Déjà Vu]]'', ''[[Last Holiday (2006 film)|Last Holiday]]'', ''[[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)|The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]]'', ''[[12 Years a Slave (film)|12 Years a Slave]]'', and ''[[Project Power]]''. In 2006, work began on the Louisiana Film & Television studio complex, based in the [[Tremé]] neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lafilm.org/media/index.cfm?id=835 |title=Treme film studio work begins |access-date=October 31, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505082455/http://www.lafilm.org/media/index.cfm?id=835 |archive-date=May 5, 2008}}</ref> Louisiana began to offer similar tax incentives for music and theater productions in 2007, and some commentators began to refer to New Orleans as "Broadway South".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl072007.html |title=Blanco okays Broadway South tax credit program |access-date=March 23, 2007}}{{dead link |date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
[[File:Louis Armstrong in Color (restored).jpg|thumb|[[Louis Armstrong]], famous New Orleans [[jazz]] musician]]
The first theatre in New Orleans was the French-language [[Theatre de la Rue Saint Pierre]], which opened in 1792. The first opera in New Orleans was performed there in 1796. In the nineteenth century, the city was the home of two of America's most important venues for [[French opera]], the [[Théâtre d'Orléans]] and later the [[French Opera House]]. Today, opera is performed by the [[New Orleans Opera]]. The [[Marigny Opera House]] is home to the Marigny Opera Ballet and also hosts opera, jazz, and classical music performances.

[[File:Frank Ocean.jpg|thumb|[[Frank Ocean]] is a musician from New Orleans.]]

New Orleans has long been a significant center for music, showcasing its intertwined European, African and Latino American cultures. The city's unique musical heritage was born in its colonial and early American days from a unique blending of European musical instruments with African rhythms. As the only North American city to have allowed [[Slavery in the United States|slaves]] to gather in public and play their native music (largely in [[Congo Square]], now located within [[Louis Armstrong Park (New Orleans)|Louis Armstrong Park]]), New Orleans gave birth in the early 20th century to an epochal indigenous music: [[jazz]]. Soon, African American [[brass band]]s formed, beginning a century-long tradition. The Louis Armstrong Park area, near the French Quarter in Tremé, contains the [[New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park]]. The city's music was later also significantly influenced by [[Acadiana]], home of [[Cajun music|Cajun]] and [[Zydeco]] music, and by [[blues|Delta blues]].

New Orleans' unique musical culture is on display in its traditional funerals. A spin on military funerals, New Orleans' traditional funerals feature sad music (mostly [[dirge]]s and [[hymn]]s) in processions on the way to the cemetery and happier music (hot jazz) on the way back. Until the 1990s, most locals preferred to call these "funerals with music". Visitors to the city have long dubbed them "[[jazz funeral]]s".

Much later in its musical development, New Orleans was home to a distinctive brand of [[rhythm and blues]] that contributed greatly to the growth of [[rock and roll]]. An example of the New Orleans' sound in the 1960s is the No. 1 U.S. hit "[[Chapel of Love]]" by [[the Dixie Cups]], a song which knocked [[the Beatles]] out of the top spot on the [[Billboard Hot 100]]. New Orleans became a hotbed for [[funk]] music in the 1960s and 1970s, and by the late 1980s, it had developed its own localized variant of [[hip hop music|hip hop]], called [[bounce music]]. While not commercially successful outside of the [[Deep South]], bounce music was immensely popular in poorer neighborhoods throughout the 1990s.

A cousin of bounce, [[southern hip hop|New Orleans hip hop]] achieved commercial success locally and internationally, producing [[Lil Wayne]], [[Master P]], [[Birdman (rapper)|Birdman]], [[Juvenile (rapper)|Juvenile]], [[Suicideboys]], [[Cash Money Records]] and [[No Limit Records]]. Additionally, the popularity of [[cowpunk]], a fast form of [[southern rock]], originated with the help of several local bands, such as [[The Radiators (US)|The Radiators]], [[Better Than Ezra]], [[Cowboy Mouth]] and [[Dash Rip Rock]]. Throughout the 1990s, many [[sludge metal]] bands started. New Orleans' [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] bands such as [[Eyehategod]],<ref name="AMG-Eyehategod">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic |class=artist |id=p38682/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Eyehategod |author=Huey, Steve |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=June 22, 2008}}</ref> [[Soilent Green]],<ref name="AMG-SoilentGreen">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p206627/biography |title=Soilent Green |author=York, William |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=June 22, 2008 |archive-date=January 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110085307/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/soilent-green-mn0000754513#biography |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Crowbar (US band)|Crowbar]],<ref name="AMG-Crowbar">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p12635/biography |title=Crowbar |author=Huey, Steve |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=June 22, 2008 |archive-date=January 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110085413/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/crowbar-mn0000109421#biography |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Down (band)|Down]] incorporated styles such as [[hardcore punk]],<ref name="AMG-Down">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p168208/biography |title=Down |author=Prato, Greg |website=Allmusic |access-date=June 22, 2008 |archive-date=January 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110085414/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/down-mn0000169189#biography |url-status=live }}</ref> [[doom metal]], and southern rock to create an original and heady brew of swampy and aggravated metal that has largely avoided standardization.<ref name="AMG-Eyehategod"/><ref name="AMG-SoilentGreen"/><ref name="AMG-Crowbar"/><ref name="AMG-Down"/>

New Orleans is the southern terminus of the famed [[U.S. Route 61|Highway 61]], made musically famous by musician [[Bob Dylan]] in his song, "[[Highway 61 Revisited]]".

===Cuisine===
[[File:Steamship Bienville on-board restaurant menu (April 7, 1861).jpg|thumb|Steamship ''Bienville'' on-board restaurant menu (April 7, 1861)]]
{{Main|Cuisine of New Orleans|Louisiana Creole cuisine|Cajun cuisine}}
New Orleans is world-famous for its cuisine. The indigenous cuisine is distinctive and influential. New Orleans food combined local Creole, haute Creole and New Orleans French cuisines. Local ingredients, French, Spanish, Italian, African, Native American, Cajun, Chinese, and a hint of Cuban traditions combine to produce a truly unique and easily recognizable New Orleans flavor.

New Orleans is known for specialties including [[beignet]]s (locally pronounced like "ben-yays"), square-shaped fried dough that could be called "French doughnuts" (served with ''[[café au lait]]'' made with a blend of coffee and chicory rather than only coffee); and [[po' boy]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.neworleans.com/restaurants/traditional-new-orleans-foods/po-boys/ |title=New Orleans Po-Boy |website=www.neworleans.com |access-date=June 30, 2019 |archive-date=June 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630222519/https://www.neworleans.com/restaurants/traditional-new-orleans-foods/po-boys/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Italian [[muffuletta]] sandwiches; Gulf oysters on the half-shell, fried oysters, boiled [[crayfish|crawfish]] and other [[seafood]]; [[étouffée]], [[jambalaya]], [[gumbo]] and other Creole dishes; and the Monday favorite of [[red beans and rice]] ([[Louis Armstrong]] often signed his letters, "Red beans and ricely yours"). Another New Orleans specialty is the [[pralin]]e {{IPAc-en|local|ˈ|p|r|ɑː|l|iː|n}}, a candy made with brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream, butter, and pecans. The city offers notable street food<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nyfjournal.com/2012/03/new-orleans-street-foods-snacks-sandwiches-po-boys-oysters-muffulettas-beignets-pralines/ |title=New Orleans Street Foods, Snacks, & Sandwiches: Po' Boys, Oysters, Muffulettas, Beignets, Pralines |date=March 16, 2012 |website=New York Food Journal |access-date=June 30, 2019 |archive-date=June 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630222518/http://www.nyfjournal.com/2012/03/new-orleans-street-foods-snacks-sandwiches-po-boys-oysters-muffulettas-beignets-pralines/ |url-status=live }}</ref> including the Asian inspired beef [[Yaka mein]].

===Dialect===
{{main|New Orleans English}}
{{see also|Culture of New Orleans#Language}}[[File:Cafe du Monde New Orleans.jpg|thumb|[[Café du Monde]], a landmark New Orleans beignet cafe established in 1862]]New Orleans developed a distinctive local dialect that is neither [[Cajun English]] nor the stereotypical [[Southern American English|Southern accent]] that is often misportrayed by film and television actors. Like earlier Southern Englishes, it features frequent [[Rhotic and non-rhotic accents|deletion of the pre-consonantal "r"]], though the local white dialect also came to be quite similar to [[New York accent]]s.<ref>Liebling, A. J. (1970). ''The Earl of Louisiana''. Baton Rouge: LSU.</ref> No consensus describes how this happened, but it likely resulted from New Orleans' geographic isolation by water and the fact that the city was a major immigration port throughout the 19th century and early 20th century. Specifically, many members of European immigrant families originally raised in the cities of the Northeast, namely New York, moved to New Orleans during this time frame, bringing their Northeastern accents along with their [[Irish American|Irish]], [[Italian American|Italian]] (especially [[Sicilian American|Sicilian]]), [[German American|German]], and [[Jewish American|Jewish]] culture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishnola.com/page.html?ArticleID=165388 |title=Newcomers' Incentive Extension |publisher=Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans |access-date=March 22, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524200300/http://www.jewishnola.com/page.html?ArticleID=165388 |archive-date=May 24, 2008}}</ref>

One of the strongest varieties of the New Orleans accent is sometimes identified as the [[Yat dialect]], from the greeting "Where y'at?" This distinctive accent is dying out in the city, but remains strong in the surrounding parishes.

Less visibly, various ethnic groups throughout the area have retained distinct language traditions. The French-speaking community has had a cultural center, the [[Alliance Française of New Orleans]], since 1984.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Strachan |first=Sue |date=April 3, 2014 |title=L'Alliance Francaise de la Nouvelle-Orleans has Un Voyage Extraordinaire for its 30th anniversary gala |language=en |work=NOLA.com |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/society/lalliance-francaise-de-la-nouvelle-orleans-has-un-voyage-extraordinaire-for-its-30th-anniversary-gala/article_eb80338a-3950-5fde-b945-4966dd9ad39d.html}}</ref> The association is a chapter of the international [[Alliance Française]] organization and promotes French language and culture in New Orleans and the surrounding region. Since Louisiana became the first U.S. state to join the {{Lang|fr|[[Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie]]}} in 2018, New Orleans has reemerged as an important center for the state's francophone and creolophone cultures and languages, as seen in new organizations such as the Nous Foundation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hasselle |first=Della |date=October 13, 2018 |title=Louisiana Joins International Organization of French-speaking Governments |language=en |work=NOLA.com |url=https://www.nola.com/news/article_302082ef-9b0e-59de-8583-4e320c5c792a.html |access-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726110030/https://www.nola.com/news/article_302082ef-9b0e-59de-8583-4e320c5c792a.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although rare, [[Louisiana French]] and [[Louisiana Creole]] are still spoken in the city. There is also Louisiana-Canarian Spanish dialect, the [[Isleño Spanish]], spoken by the [[Isleño]] people and older members of the population.