Gay New Orleans Bounces Back
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The North
Shore of New Orleans, which consists largely of St. Tammany Parish, has
made a valiant comeback, although parts of the town of Slidell will have
to be entirely rebuilt. The artsy community of Covington, with its
downtown of galleries, cafes, and cool shops, looks better than ever. In
nearby Abita Springs, Longbranch had been slated to open the day after
Katrina hit and still managed a heroic September 16th opening. It's
quickly developed a reputation as one of the state's hottest culinary
venues, thanks to young star chefs Slade and Allison Vines-Rushing.
Most of the state's Plantation Country (along the Mississippi River) and
Cajun Country were spared severe storm damage and are going strong,
including the bustling city of Lafayette. Lake Charles, although it
sustained plenty of wind and water damage from Hurricane Rita, looks good.
The city did lose one of its top casinos, Harrah's, indefinitely. But the
L'Auberge du Lac casino resort, which opened to much fanfare in 2005, has
set a new standard for gaming properties in the Gulf. This Vegas-style
stunner overlooks Lake Charles, has several excellent restaurants, and
draws plenty of top-name entertainers.
And although Lake Charles doesn't have a tremendous reputation as a gay
destination, the city does have several "family"-owned businesses. You can
dance and mingle at the gay disco, Crystal's. And you can enjoy a great
dinner at gay-popular Pujo Street Cafe & Market, whose owners also operate
Aunt Ruby's B&B, a charming bed-and-breakfast. Lake Charles is very much a
city on the up, and as it sits right along I-10 between New Orleans and
Houston, it makes a great stopover on any road trip through southern
Louisiana.
What does the future hold for New Orleans and other storm-damaged parts of
the state? Right now, if you ask 100 locals, you'll probably get 100
different answers. Many speculate that New Orleans will never be quite the
convention destination and business powerhouse it was before the storm,
nor will the population return in full. But as a leisure destination, and
one of the nation's fabled gay getaways, the city's future looks good.
There will be obstacles to be sure, but New Orleans' inimitable spirit and
its tolerance of the unusual and the unexpected will surely make it a
wonderful vacation destination for decades to come.
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