It’s been a day since Fox News shockingly canned Tucker Carlson, and they still haven’t explained why. The conspiracy theory-loving host was their biggest star, so the reason must be a good one. Did it have something to do with the Dominion lawsuit? The Abby Grossberg lawsuits? His casual sexism? Who knows. But a new report suggests the reason may be far, far pettier than any of this.
A source tells Vanity Fair that the decision came right from the top, which is to say from Rupert Murdoch. On Friday night, Carlson delivered a speech at the Heritage Foundation, a speech that teemed with religious overtones. He painted a bleak portrait of America, which he said was locked in a battle between “good” and “evil” over issues like (of course) trans people. But he said mere debating won’t solve the problem. The answer, he said, was praying.
That didn’t sit right with Murdoch, the source said. “That stuff freaks Rupert out,” they claimed. “He doesn’t like all the spiritual talk.”
But it’s not just that Murdoch is skeeved out by religious talk. For him, it was personal:
Rupert Murdoch was perhaps unnerved by Carlson’s messianism because it echoed the end-times worldview of Murdoch’s ex-fiancée Ann Lesley Smith, the source said. In my May cover story, I reported that Murdoch and Smith called off their two-week engagement because Smith had told people Carlson was “a messenger from God.” Murdoch had seen Carlson and Smith discuss religion firsthand. In late March, Carlson had dinner at Murdoch’s Bel Air vineyard with Murdoch and Smith, according to the source. During dinner, Smith pulled out a bible and started reading passages from the Book of Exodus, the source said. “Rupert just sat there and stared,” the source said. A few days after the dinner, Murdoch and Smith called off the wedding. By taking Carlson off the air, Murdoch was also taking away his ex’s favorite show.
So did Tucker Carlson lose his third big-time media gig because Rupert Murdoch wanted to get revenge on his latest ex, a Tucker superfan? Crazier things have happened. Indeed, if true it’s so wild that even the Succession writers room couldn’t dream up a twist this outlandish.
There’s one other strange detail buried in the report: A source claims Tucker “wasn’t even fired and remains on the Fox News payroll.” If that’s legit, then perhaps Fox News is trying to avoid another lawsuit. Or maybe they just don’t want him appearing anywhere else just yet.
Really, the whole run demands your attention, And it concluded with a three-night Blue Note residency by Kweli — featuring a lineup of absolute luminaries. Rakim. Bob James. DMC. Smif-n-Wessun.
It was a run. And as if the listed cameos weren’t attention-grabbing enough, on night two of the residency Mr. “Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Rapper,” Black Thought walked in off the street and took the stage. Considering how often he’s asked to freestyle on his regular gig, as part of the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and that he’s a stone-cold rap GOAT, it was no surprise to see BT assassinate the mic. Still, every time you encounter his freewheeling vocal dexterity, it’s going to be a full-on, audience-galvanizing moment.
Especially when Kweli asked Bob James and his house band, “The Whiskey Boys,” to play a rendition of Mobb Deep’s “The Learning (Burn).” For those who don’t know, that’s the beat that Black Thought spat on when he performed his very veryviral cipher on Funk Flex right around the time The Roots were getting critiqued for not being political enough. Making this performance sort of a remix of that widely shared moment. Check the original performance below and the Blue Note performance above.
More content from the Blue Note run featuring Kweli, Black Thought, Rakim, Smif-n-Wessun, and more to come!
Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.
Since the last update of this weekly R&B and Afrobeats column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.
Frank Ocean had a catastrophic set as the headliner for Coachella weekend one due to an injury and he eventually dropped out for weekend two. The Weeknd delivered “Double Fantasy” with Future, the first piece of music from his upcoming HBO show The Idol while Janet Jackson launched her Together Again Tour. Elsewhere, Dinner Party performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, HER was announced as a producer on the upcoming Broadway show Here Lies Love, and Kali Uchis released her “Moonlight” video.
Roy Woods — “Young Boy Problems”
It’s been a long time coming, but Roy Woods is finally about to release his second album. The Brampton singer prepares for the Mixed Emotions album with “Young Boy Problems.” The alternative-leaning record is a free fall into relief and away from life’s stresses as Roy Woods sings about the day-to-day pains in his world.
Keke Palmer — “Waiting”
Last month, Keke Palmer announced a new album was on the way, and true to her world, she’s back with new music from it. “Waiting” is presumably the first offering from the album and it’s a bouncy record that’s equally light-hearted and focused toward a relationship that has the potential to become an equal exchange of pure love.
Jordan Hawkins — 4Play
North Carolina singer Jordan Hawkins is back with another stellar project to be blown away by. 4Play is a nine-track offering that’s bold, fierce, and as confident as we’ve ever heard him. 4Play lives in the early moments of love with Hawkins making big audacious moves in romance and music. It’s nine big swings backed by the acceptance that “no” is the worst thing he’ll hear.
Garren — “1 Of 1”
California-based singer Garren checks back in with his new single “1 Of 1.” The song touches down a little over a month after he shared his Spiritual Warfare album, and on it, Garren lays out his feelings about a woman and expresses his desire to have alone time with her.
Jon Vinyl — “No Feelings”
There could be something special on the way from Jon Vinyl after his 2022 EP Palisade. He’s back with “No Feelings” which arrives as a straightforward record about a no-good woman who refuses to take accountability, leaving Vinyl with no choice but to move on and declare his feelings as dead.
Olamide & CKay — “Trumpet”
This summer will mark two years since afrobeats singer Olamide’s last album UY Scuti. Hopefully, that trend will come to an end soon as he’s back with “Trumpet” featuring CKay. The sound of ocean waves and the singers’ soothing vocals take up most of the song’s real estate for a record that’s serene and peaceful as the impending summer weather can be.
Bad Boy Timz — “I Salute” Feat. Zlatan
Nigerian afrobeats singer Bad Boy Timz is just a few years removed from his two biggest hits — “Loading” with Olamide and “Move.” Despite the high moments he enjoyed through those records, Bad Boy Timz had yet to release an album. All of that will change at the end of next month with the release of No Bad Boy, No Party. The campaign for that project begins with “I Salute” alongside Zlatan which is the perfect party starter.
Zinoleesky — “Many Things”
Just four months after releasing his Grit & Lust EP, Nigerian afrobeats singer Zinoleesky is back in action with his new song “Many Things.” The somber record presents Zinoleesky in a timid mood as he reflects on the highs and lows he’s experienced with a balanced gratitude for both.
DaShean Porter — Love On Lacie Drive
Meet DaShean Porter, the Atlanta singer who just put his best foot forward with his debut EP Love On Lacie Drive. Through nine songs and two features from Moe Chaieb, Porter uses Love On Lacie Drive to capture the monumental force that is love and falling into it. The undeniable tensions between two people falling for each other and the craving for another second with them are the foundation of this sweet project.
Full Crate — “Show Her The Way” Feat. BJ The Chicago Kid
Almost three years removed from his last album In All Honesty, Armenian singer Full Crate is set to return with his second album A Kid From Yerevan at the beginning of June. While the wait continues for the project’s full 12 songs, Full Crate did share his “Show Her The Way” single with BJ The Chicago Kid which is a great example of what’s to come on A Kid From Yerevan.
Pxrry — “Didn’t You Say”
For his first release of the year, Connecticut singer Pxrry drops off “Didn’t You Say.” He checks in as a frustrated man venting about his inability to move on from a past relationship because his past partner refuses to let him go. Despite her claims of moving on and finding a new man, she’s back in Pxrry’s world to shake things and disrupt his progress.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The thrilling series between the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors was delivered a devastating blown when Sacramento announced that De’Aaron Fox fractured his finger late in Game 4 and his status would be in doubt for Game 5. Fox has been the driving force behind Sacramento’s success in the series thus far, averaging just over 31 points per game, and the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year nearly pulled off another comeback in Game 4 with that fractured finger before Harrison Barnes missed a go-ahead jumper at the buzzer.
The Kings initially listed Fox as doubtful, but at a practice before Game 5, Fox said he intends to play in Game 5 while managing the pain.
“There’s no if, ands or buts … I’m playing.” — De’Aaron Fox
Domatas Sabonis suffered a similar injury to his thumb earlier this season and elected to play through it instead of immediately going on the shelf with surgery. Fox’s injury occurred on his shooting hand, so the Kings point guard will have to navigate playing with a splint on his dominant hand, something that he showed off during practice.
De’Aaron Fox, in real time, figuring out how to shoot with the splint he’s now wearing on his injured left index finger…
It’s encouraging to see Fox find a way to play in Game 5 after the playoffs have seen so many injuries to star players in such a short time frame. Kings-Warriors has the makings of an all-time classic, and now, Fox will do what he can to extend his team’s season.
Getting kids up and out the door in the mornings can be a struggle whether your children have ADHD or not. A lot of mornings, it feels like anything goes, from your kid waking up looking like they just fought a flock of wild geese in their sleep to them forgetting their left shoe in the refrigerator.
Why was their shoe in there to begin with? No one knows.
Having kids is committing to organized chaos at any given moment, while also accepting that sometimes the chaos isn’t organized at all. It’s just a free-for-all, and all the tiny humans look like different versions of you. But Tarah Carr, who created the TikTok page @thatadhdlife, has come up with a solution to morning chaos that helps get her kids out of the house on time and ready for the day.
Carr is neurodivergent and so are her three children. All four of them have ADHD, but it was Carr’s personal experience with ADHD as a child that helped inform the routine she created for her children.
The mom of three explained to Upworthy that she struggled as a child, and with her parents being divorced, she didn’t always have the support she needed. Up until recently, her hacks for before-school chaos were just kept between her and her family.
“I was on a live video—I try to do them every Monday—I was explaining this story about how I saw a little boy who was late and running to school all out of breath,” Carr said. “The look on his face reminded me of little me. When I was a kid, I was always stressed and always late.”
Im truly sharing this out of love because school mornings don’t have to be stressful. I’m not saying that you won’t occasionally have a couple flustered mornings once or twice a year but for the most part, it’s life changing. I had to do a part 2 because I talk too much when I’m passionate about something 🫠🤣 #thatadhdlife #justcallmeT #adhdkidsbelike #adhdkidsareamazing #adhdschoolmornings #adhdschool #adhdroutines #adhdsystems
Instead of just watching the boy run as she rode her bike home, she tried to encourage him by shouting, “Take a deep breath, you’re going to be just fine. You’re going to make it.” It was the boy’s response of “I’m always late,” that Carr said broke her heart and prompted her to tell her followers the story. This then led to people expressing their own frustration with trying to get kids out of the house on time in the mornings, so Carr decided to upload a video explaining her routine.
In the TikTok video, Carr tells her followers that they need to first “reverse engineer” their morning by observing their child’s day to see what’s going wrong. She explains that this could be anything from them not being able to find their shoes to them not remembering to brush their teeth.
After providing examples and a few side quest stories that tie back into the point, Carr explains her system, which surprisingly starts the day before. They check the weather in order to pick out clothes, then they pack their lunches and clean out their backpacks, all before bed. Carr says she’s been doing this routine since her oldest son, who is 15, was in kindergarten. But it wasn’t always like that.
When her oldest child was in kindergarten he was struggling until the mom of three changed things up.
“I really realized with him that he loved when he learned things that became muscle memory, so I made things really hands-on and interactive. I knew I needed to thrive and not just survive,” Carr told Upworthy.
In the video, she explains how this routine she implemented years ago has helped her children be much less stressed in the mornings. Each child has their own version of the same routine based on their age. Parents in the comments were impressed with Carr’s system. Some even said they were taking notes for themselves even though they didn’t have children.
Replying to @thatadhdlife im just a neurodivergent momma who knew I wanted a different life for our neurodivergent kids. I promise it’s possible but this takes planning, persistence and patience. It’s never too late to start but just know that the older they are, the longer it’s going to take to become an intrinsic habit. Hold their hand through it until then and take a lot of deep breathes. You got this ❤️ ##thatadhdlife##justcallmeT##adhdschool##adhdschoollife##adhdschoolmornings##adhdsystems##nervoussystemregulation##nervoussystemhealing
There was an emotional exchange on TikTok between two people who lost their fathers to cancer. One was actor Mandy Patinkin, the other was TikTok user Amanda Webb.
Patinkin currently stars on “The Good Fight” but one of his most famous roles is Inigo Montoya in the 1987 classic “The Princess Bride.” In the film, Montoya is a swordsman who is obsessed with confronting a six-fingered man who killed his father.
Webb recently lost her father Dan to mantle cell lymphoma. She had heard a rumor that Patinkin used his father’s death from cancer as motivation in a pivotal scene where he confronts the six-fingered Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) in a duel.
Rugen tells Montoya he will give him anything he wants after being bested by Montoya who passionately replies, “I want my father back, you son of a bitch.”
Webb’s father was a big fan of Montoya’s performance in the film so she reached out to TikTok to learn if the rumor was true.
“I saw on the internet the rumor that when Mandy Patinkin said that line, he was thinking of his own father who had passed away from cancer,” Webb said while crying. “And it was a very raw emotion. Ever since then, it’s kind of really stuck with me.”
“First of all, your dad is taking care of you,” he said. “Secondly, it is true, 100% true. I went outside in this castle and walked around and I kept talking to my dad.”
“The minute I read the script, I knew, I said to [his wife], I said, ‘I’m going to do this part because in my mind, if I get the six-fingered guy, that means I killed the cancer that killed my dad and I’ll get to visit my dad,” he said.
“That moment was coming, and I went and I played that scene with Chris [Guest], and then I went back out there and talked to my dad,” Patinkin said.
He then told Webb that she has the power to talk to her father, too.
“And so, you can talk to your dad anytime you want, anywhere you want,” he said. “If you could somehow let me know your dad’s name because I say prayers for anyone I’ve ever known. Now I feel like I know you, and therefore I know your dad, and I will list his name in my prayers every day, and they make me feel like they’re with me, wherever I go, and I’d like your dad to hang out with me.”
It might have been his parents’ vow renewal ceremony, but 12-year-old Aiden completely stole the show—along with a few million hearts—the instant he began singing.
In a clip shared by videographer Danielle Tufano, the young boy only got out a few notes of Calum Scott’s “You Are The Reason” (a song he chose specifically to express his love to Mom and Dad on their big day) before he was moved to tears. His intense emotion paired with a truly lovely singing voice made the ballad all that more powerful as he gained composure and finished his solo.
Apparently, Aiden wasn’t the only one moved by the song.
“When he started, I was very emotional,” Kemorene Mills-Armstrong, the boy’s mom, told “Good Morning America.” “Then you heard all the guests in the background. They were crying so I got even more teary-eyed so I had to be looking up, because all of the tears would be flooding down,” she recalled.
Not to mention the millions of online viewers who were touched by the special moment.
“What an amazing core memory!! To have your child sing at your vow renewal!!” someone wrote in the comments.
Another added, “Why is it a Wednesday at 7:41 pm and I’m full on crying?!? This little man is a whole vibe!”
Grab some tissues, watch below and let your heart melt into this moment of pure love.
Christopher Landis, a choir director at Hingham Middle School in Massachusetts, didn’t tell his students he was engaged to Joe Michienzie three years ago. According to Inside Edition, whenever they asked who Michienzie was, Christopher would say, “That’s Joe. He’s my friend.”
Landis kept his relationship a secret in front of his students because he wasn’t sure how their parents would react. Sadly, even today, LGBTQ people still have to be discreet about their personal lives in some professions.
This is sad for the teachers who have to stay closeted and also for the LGBTQ students who miss out on having a positive role model.
However, somehow the secret got out and two mothers of Landis’ students, Margit Foley and Joy Foraste, approached Michienzie to see how they could get the students involved in their wedding.
“At the end of the summer, Margit and I heard he was getting married. He’s the best teacher, and he’s got this great energy, and he makes every school function fun. We thought, wouldn’t it be awesome to do something for his wedding?” Foraste said according to The New York Times.
The women emailed the other choir parents to see if their children could perform at their teacher’s wedding rehearsal dinner.
“We hoped we’d get at least 15 kids to do it,” Foraste said. But 50 of the 70 kids in the chorus said they’d be there to support their teacher’s wedding. They secretly rehearsed for four Sundays in a row at a local library so Landis wouldn’t catch a whiff of the plan they hatched.
The kids and their parents kept the secret for four months before the big day and had to get off school and travel 30 miles to the event. Landis had no idea what was about to happen but he felt something was up when people at the dinner started picking up their phones.
Out of nowhere, 50 kids filed into the room, songbooks in hand. After Dona Maher, a colleague of Landis’, banged out the first few notes of the French National Anthem on her keyboard, the kids began to sing the word, “Love.” It was the perfect song for the occasion, “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles.
Video taken by the bartender at the event shows Landis unable to hold back the tears as his kids sang their hearts out. It was a beautiful moment of acceptance for a teacher who wasn’t sure if his kids and their parents would understand his love for his husband-to-be.
After the performance, Landis turned to the crowd with a huge smile and said, “These are my kids.”
“It was so wonderful for the kids to see him with his family and his close friends, and they saw him as a person, not just their teacher,” Foraste told The Patriot Ledger. “They saw how much it meant to him. He immediately started crying and the kids started crying. It’s something they’ll never forget.”
A quick-thinking 10-year-old boy escaped a woman trying to lure him by pretending that a local store clerk was his mother. ABC 6 reports that Sammy Green was walking home from school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, November 11, when a strange woman started following him.
The woman “started walking with him and asking him where his family was, asking where his dad was,” Sam Green, the boy’s father, told ABC6. The boy didn’t know the woman but she insisted that she knew his family.
She tried to lure him into going with her by promising she’d buy him “anything he wanted” at Wawa, a local convenience store that sells shakes, sandwiches and other treats.
“She was like, ‘I’m going to Wawa, are you going there? What are you getting from Wawa? Where’s your family at?'” Sammy told CBS.
“She said she probably knew me and was going to Wawa and that he was supposed to go with her and he could get anything he wanted,” Sam Green said.
In an attempt to flee the suspicious woman, Sammy walked into Dani Bee Funky, an unconventional gift shop, where he went straight to 17-year-old Hannah who was working the register. “He was like, ‘Pretend like you’re my mom,'” Hannah told CBS, “and I was just like, ‘all right go to the back.’ He didn’t want to leave my side.”
Security footage shows that Hannah then calmly walked up to the store’s front door and locked it, preventing the woman from coming inside. After she was locked out, the woman walked away. “I was still shaking when I was in here,” Sammy said.
The security camera footage is hard for Sammy’s dad to watch. “When we were watching that video, I cried every time I saw it,” said Green.
u201cthat are so scary i glad he was able to get help nnA 10-year-old boy in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, escaped a woman who was following him.nnThe boy asked a cashier to pretend to be his mother nhttps://t.co/2WYLX9nQvNu201d
The shop’s owner has nothing but praise for Hannah’s calm way of handling the dangerous situation. “I am very proud of her. Hannah is a 17-year-old young lady. She did everything correctly,” Small said.
This story is a great reminder for parents to talk to their kids about what to do if they are approached by a suspicious person. The first thing they should know is that it’s OK to say “No!” as loudly as possible to a suspicious person. They should then scream, “Help! This is not my mom or my dad!” to alert the adults around them and then run. If they are grabbed by the person they should bite, punch and kick as hard as they can until they can get free.
Sammy’s dad is proud that his son remembered what he told him to do when confronted by a suspicious stranger. “Think of every scenario and make sure that children know and also practice it,” he reminded parents. “Practice your situations and scenarios just like fire drills.”
For the time being, Sammy is going to have a family friend walk him to and from school. The Pottstown Police have spoken with the woman and she is now getting help for mental health issues.
“America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.”
That was (reportedly) written by Tennessee Williams – the prolific writer and famed former New Orleans resident. And I’d have to agree. I’ve visited the city over a dozen times in the last 17 years, usually completely solo. And after visiting all 50 states and every major US city, I can confidently say that not only is there not another place in the country with the soul of New Orleans, but nowhere even comes close.
The southern Louisiana air envelops you the minute you land in the city and even the typical traveler routines of eat, drink, experience, and repeat somehow hit different. Trust me on that. But with a city known for its food, drinks, and festivals, it can be overwhelming to navigate as a first-time or first-time-in-awhile visitor. With so much to see, eat, drink, and explore it helps to have a guide, so here’s mine that I put together after a recent trip to the Crescent City.
Emily Hart
WHERE TO EAT:
My main focus on each trip to the South (and most other visitors I’m sure) is to eat. And then eat a little more and a little more all day long until I either run out of money or all the kitchens close. There is nothing like a Southern meal where you can taste the love and history in each dish. I try to experiment with new restaurants each time I visit New Orleans, while also keeping mainstays on the agenda – they’re popular for a reason, y’all.
Here are the standouts from my latest trip:
COCHON RESTAURANT
Emily Hart
My first meal on my latest trip to the city was also one of the most highly recommended and memorable — Cochon Restaurant. Located just a short walk from my hotel in the Central Business District and near the French Quarter, the bustling corner space is stylish and fun. With many traditional Southern dishes on the menu, Cochon prides itself on locally sourced proteins cooked in traditional methods.
I enjoyed a refreshing glass of rosé with a starter of delectable crawfish bisque that had just the right ratio of crawfish to bisque (I lived in Louisiana for five years and am very serious about this). I followed it up with a Catfish Courtboullion that quite literally melted in my mouth.
COUVANT
Emily Hart
Couvant is a stylish French-inspired Louisiana Brasserie that brings together beautifully plated and inventive dishes, interesting cocktails, and great wine. Located within The Eliza Jane Hotel in a great location on Magazine St. in the CBD, this is a not-so-hidden gem that I cannot rave enough about. During my dinner I started with a Tête de Cochon topped with dijon mustard deviled eggs, followed by a dry-aged duck breast served with a duck leg mushroom crepe, Fresno peppers, and acorn squash.
I ended my dreamy meal with a puff pastry and strawberry dessert that was highly recommended by my waiter – and now by me. Pro-tip: if the weather is mild, sit outside in the gorgeous terrace space.
BACCHANAL WINE
Emily Hart
Bacchanal Wine describes itself as “an experience laboratory where food, music & culture collude with Holy Vino to create the most unique evenings you will ever experience in New Orleans Ninth Ward.”
And, well, the description is spot on. Walk into the wine shop and head to the back patio to grab a table – it’s first-come first-serve and mostly serve yourself. Enjoy some wine from the bar upstairs and order off the QR code menus for some incredible food. I started with warm bread with black garlic butter and followed with a confit chicken leg, then stuck around to listen to the music.
RUBY SLIPPER
Emily Hart
The Ruby Slipper Cafe has locations throughout New Orleans and beyond, and I always make time to find one on a visit. At the intersection of brunch and New Orleans flavors is Ruby Slipper Cafe, with homemade buttermilk biscuits baked daily and inventive seasonal brunch cocktails. I opted for the buttermilk biscuit slider duo – one pork cochon and one fried chicken and gravy – and was very satisfied.
CAFÉ DU MONDE
Emily Hart
If you’ve ever visited New Orleans, undoubtedly you have visited the famous French coffee stand Café Du Monde – with several locations around the area serving the classic beignets and chicory coffee au lait, it’s touristy and delicious. The classic French Market location on Decatur Street is the perfect spot to spend a morning people-watching with live music nearly always happening nearby and artists and buskers lining the streets.
This location has first-come first-serve seating along with to-go options and is strictly cash only, so come prepared.
WHERE TO DRINK:
EVERYWHERE:
Emily Hart
So whether you’ve visited the city or not, undoubtedly you’ve heard that New Orleans has no open container laws, meaning – you can drink pretty much anywhere (as long as your beverage of choice isn’t in a glass bottle). Because of this, it’s completely common to see people strolling the streets at nearly any time of day with a drink in hand. Many bars and restaurants offer to-go cups and drinks to meander with, and this time of year there’s no doubt a festival happening somewhere with vendors selling all the Abita beer and hurricanes you can swallow.
THE SAZERAC HOUSE:
Emily Hart
As the official cocktail of the city, you can’t leave town without trying a Sazerac. And there is no better place to start than Sazerac House, an interactive museum with three floors of history and exhibits on the role New Orleans has played in the Sazerac cocktail and Peychaud’s Bitters. The self-guided tour tickets are free and include several stops within the museum where bartenders are mixing up samples of cocktails and explaining their process.
It’s a nice stop before heading into the quarter for your next drink.
WHERE TO SLEEP:
THE ELIZA JANE HOTEL
Emily Hart
I stayed at The Eliza Jane Hotel this visit, conveniently located on Magazine just up from Canal St. and the French Quarter. Bearing the name of Eliza Jane Nicholson, the first woman in the United States to own a major newspaper – the Daily Picayune in New Orleans – the space is stylish and unique with nods to its history.
Emily Hart
The bar, aptly named “The Press Room” serves a lively crowd in a dark and moody environment that opens up to a light and bright terrace space perfect for gathering. The rooms feel fresh while still maintaining the overall restored 19th-century, jewel-toned vibe. I loved the tall ceilings and windows in my room that looked out onto Magazine St.
Emily Hart
The bed was comfortable and the staff went above and beyond to accommodate anything I might need. I was able to walk easily from the front door to nearly anywhere I wanted to be while still feeling slightly off the beaten-party path.
WHERE TO EXPLORE:
THE FRENCH QUARTER
Emily Hart
Also known as the Vieux Carré, the French Quarter was founded in 1718 and is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans – as well as where most visitors will spend their time. And while I understand the calls to “go beyond the French Quarter” from locals (see below) I also can’t let a trip go by without spending time meandering the area – the entirety a National Historic Landmark – and feeling like I’ve stepped into another place.
Emily Hart
Known for Bourbon Street, of course, there is so much more to this incredible, vibrant, historic neighborhood. I love to spend time walking on the streets and browsing the shops – to-go drink in hand – watching the talented buskers entertain, artists display their works, and musicians play their tunes. It’s stimulus from all angles and for all the senses.
While you stroll don’t miss a show at Preservation Hall – the historic music venue in the Quarter that has been playing intimate jazz shows since 1961. And this wouldn’t be a proper New Orleans city guide if I didn’t also recommend veering further from Bourbon for your nightlife fix and heading to the eclectic and more laid-back Frenchman St.
CITY PARK
Emily Hart
It’s incredibly easy to take a famed New Orleans streetcar from Canal St. to Mid-City and City Park – one of the largest urban parks in the country. Over twice as large as New York’s Central Park, you can spend an entire day from sun up to sundown in this sprawling oasis within the city. I spent time walking through the sculpture gardens, then picked up a strawberry margarita to wander the lush botanical gardens. The 1,300-acre green space is home to the world’s largest grove of mature oak trees and it feels just as fantastical as you’d imagine walking beneath them.
You can also visit the New Orleans Museum of Art, an amusement park, an outpost of Cafe Du Monde, rent a boat or bike to explore, or visit a festival on the park’s festival grounds.
BYWATER
Emily Hart
Once you’ve had your fill of the Quarter grab a quick Uber to the Bywater neighborhood. Eclectic and unique, this area is much more laid back, and filled with great food, art, and greenspaces. I loved my visit to the experiential art pop-up JamNola – where visitors can meander through themed rooms with art and photo ops, history, and music of the city. Also, be sure to visit Crescent Park on the Mississippi River and The Country Club for drag brunch or to take a dip in their pool.
BAYOU ST. JOHN
Emily Hart
Bayou St. John is a calm waterway that snakes through the city and is accessible from Mid-City near City Park. I woke up early one morning to head to the Bayou to rent a kayak with Bayou Paddlesports. It was a seamless process to quickly Uber – although the street car is also nearby – to the bayou and set off for a truly peaceful morning amid a bustling city.
I spent two hours marveling at the sights and wondering how in the world one could feel so close to a city and far away at the same time. It is a great opportunity to relax and get in some exercise before heading back to the shore for more sazeracs and gumbo.
THE SWAMP
Emily Hart
While not technically in New Orleans, swamp tours are a perennial favorite activity for visitors to the city. For this trip, I booked a tour with Cajun Encounters, a well-established tour company that picks up visitors from several locations in the city before busing out to the swamp. We had a hilarious tour guide for our trip on the flat-bottomed boat through Honey Island Swamp, where we saw several huge gators, beautiful birds, and – the stars of the day – a nursery of baby raccoons.
It is a trip completely out of the ordinary and a great respite from the bustle of the city.
FESTIVALS
Emily Hart
There seems to always be a festival of some kind going on in the big easy – and I recommend planning your visit around one if you can. From Mardi Gras to Jazz Fest, Bayou Bugaloo, to Essence Fest or Bayou Bacchanal – the city loves a festival. I visited during French Quarter Fest which brought music and food to stages all over the quarter from Jackson Square to the banks of the Mississippi. The free festival is a perennial favorite with locals and is now one of mine as well.
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