New Orleans East
by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
It’s definitely easier to define New Orleans East by what it isn’t than what it is. The East, as locals call it, isn’t architecturally important (the French Quarter). It’s not the home base of condo-dwelling nouveau-yuppies (the Central Business District). And it’s not funky, artistic, or likely to be the seat of an anarchist uprising (the Bywater). There are no museums, sport arenas, or 100-year-old restaurants. Even the name is generic; it’s named after a cardinal direction, not the kind of badge likely to spur legions of hip kids to drive down just so they could say, “I’ve been there. It was okay.†(Marfa, TX anyone?). However, if you think the East is a cypher, you’re wrong.
Mostly.
next