Sweet Olive Bed and Breakfast’s Journal - New Orleans

Brisk. It’s not a term we use to describe our weather much in New Orleans. But this morning was truly brisk, and energizing. Not that our Faubourg Marigny neighborhood much needed a weather change to be energized. We can hardly keep up with all that’s new and notable happening around us. Across the street the New Orleans Healing Center blossoms with a yoga studio, Voudou shop, fitness center, credit union, arts market, and a branch of the beloved local Maple Street Book Shop now open. Fatoush, the new Mediterranean restaurant around the corner offers a terrific menu of light Mediterranean fare…and even better, makes it’s own baklava everyday. We had an amazing vegetarian Korean meal the other night at the Wander Buddha a couple blocks away behind the HiHo Lounge. The young chef uses her mother’s recipes. The huge international art biennial Prospect.2 returns this month with cutting edge installations all over the neighborhood. And not only is our neighborhood now home to New Orleans’ emerging arts district, but its emerging performance district as well. Suddenly our historic hipster neighborhood isn’t a secret anymore. When Tripadvisor ranked New Orleans #7 among top US destinations, they actually mentioned Faubourg Marigny before the French Quarter. It’s a groovy time to be in the Marigny. sweetolive.com.

HGTV’s Bang for your Buck series just profiled three kitchen renovations in New Orleans, and as it happens two of the three where the kitchens of friends and neighbors: Kevin and Matt live just a few blocks away in the Marigny, and Doug and Mike in in the neighboring Bywater. Find out when the episode airs next here.

Here’s a nice piece in the New York Times about our downriver neighbors in the adjoining Bywater neighborhood.