Milieu Travel 2016

Photography by Peter Vitale
Written by Tara Shaw with Linda Sherbert

My New Orleans- Milliue Magazine / Tara Shaw

I think the first time anyone, from anywhere, sees New Orleans’s French Quarter, it steals their heart. Yes, the city is known for Mardi Gras, world-class chefs and restaurants, legendary jazz artists, and nearly four centuries of architecture, but there is something about the quarter that is like no other place. And if you have a creative spirit, the city will awaken it, nurture it.

Today, after living in New Orleans for more than twenty-five years, I believe this city is better than ever for both travelers and residents. With all of the start-ups and young people arriving, there’s a tremendously exciting new energy. In addition, the film industry is thriving. I stop in line behind Leonardo DiCaprio at the St. James Cheese Company, and now I understand he plans to move here, too. Beyonce and Jay Z bought a home in the Garden District.

New Orleans inspired me to being importing and selling antiques from Europe and it is where I launched my design firm. My first paying clients were Harry Connick Jr. and his wife, Jil. I designed multiple projects for chef Emeril Lagasse and his wife, Alden. But then, in 2005, life in the Big Easy became anything but easy. Hurricane Katrina hit while I was on a buying trip in Italy. I was riveted to CNN. My staff evacuated to Houston, and I shipped two forty-foot containers full of antiques to Texas. While my life in Texas was certainly rewarding and a place where I made friends, I was eager to return to the city that had become my home. I felt like the Billie Holiday song “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?”

What I enjoy most about New Orleans is the sense of community. IT’s a small city, a walkable city, with amazing neighborhood restaurants and chic shops. Sure, you can dine at Galatoire’s or Mr. B’s Bistro. But we often walk to Kenton’s Food & Bourbon, or Patois for French cooking with Southern flair, or Clancy’s for Creole classics, or Taquiera Corona for awesome Mexican food.

At Morning Call in City Park, you can sit outside on a little boa and enjoy a sweet, hot beignet with your café au lait, and then stroll over to the New Orleans Museum of Art and Sculpture Garden. Later, Sucré, in the Garden District and French Quarter, tempts with handcrafted macarons and pistachio gelato.

One of my favorite boutiques is Pied Nu, which sells highly edited women’s clothes an one-of-a-kind home accessories. Owner Azita Clark is an international shopper. Another destination for high-end clothes is Weinstein’s. It doesn’t matter where I travel, people always ask, “Where did you get that?” The shops owners go to runway shows in Paris. Their aesthetic is clean and timeless, sometimes edgy. I buy black, white, off-white, and gray. Nothing goes out of style.

For art, I often visit Søren Christensen Gallery and Callan Contemporary, both in the Warehouse District. I’m inspired by the artists hey represent. In the French Quarter, Royal Antiques is a great place to find silver serving pieces. I go to Keil’s Antiques and Moss Antiques, both owned by the same family, to look for Etruscan and Edwardian jewelry. Over on Magazine Street, Bremmerman Designs offers an impressive mix of antiques and contemporary furnishings. Nearby is Mitch’s flowers, which I rely on for beautiful floral arrangements.

I love the natural beauty here. Audubon Park has over two hundred species of birds and trees hundreds of years old. I also cherish the city’s warm Souther hospitality. I jump on the St. Charles streetcar, and the conductor says to me, “How you doing’, baby?” Where else can you get that?