Pardon our Progress...

Saenger under construction

Last week, Forbes Magazine named New Orleans the fastest growing city in America. That's pretty cool news for us. One thing that is even cooler is, according to the Forbes article, one in nine residents of NOLA moved here post Hurricane Katrina. Many of them are recent Tulane graduates who have fallen in love with this town and have taken great jobs locally as we continue this trend of growth and upward mobility. I was thinking about how much is going on in NOLA these days- it seems like everywhere you look, there is a brand new hospital being built, new restaurants, shops, and an all around feel of burgeoning growth. I've posted a lot before on the entrepreneurial sector that has really taken off the last year. This sense of growth and entrepreneurship are pretty cool opportunities for any new Tulane student, and all newcomers to this town in general.

New Orleans truly is roaring back and, in this blog, I'll tell you a little bit about some of the projects (both big and small) that show that this city is not just emerging from recovery mode, but is a bigger and better city than it has ever been. Admittedly, some of the construction (see: new streetcar line) can be frustrating, but it's all in the name of progress.I took the day off work on Monday just to drive around town and take in all of this progress that America's fastest growing city is making.

My first stop was the site of the brand new Veterans Affairs teaching hospital, currently under construction just a few blocks form the Tulane School of Public Health downtown. When completed, it will be the largest VA hospital in America, and will provide great resources for both patients and teaching. Among others, the hospital will serve 40,000 of our veterans. It will also serve as a teaching hospital for Tulane's medical school and other med schools in the area. Oh and the coolest thing about this construction project? Well, to make way for this 29-acre facility, we had to take down an old hotel last weekend. And we did. In a big way:

Ha. We liked blowing it up.

After checking out the new site of the hospital (one of three major new hospital projects going on in town right now) I headed  down to check out the progress on the new Loyola Avenue Streetcar Line. Loyola Ave is a big area of redevelopment downtown right now, and a new streetcar line is currently being constructed to connect our Amtrak station with the main Uptown-Downtown and Canal Streetcar lines. It will be great when it's done- it will also pass by the brand new Hyatt hotel, which just opened this year and is now the flagship hotel of the chain. (PS- you can get a great Tulane rate if you stay here for your visit!) Just don't try to book in February 2013- its 100% booked for the Super Bowl that will be held here next year (trust me- much more on that later!).  The Loyola Streetcar line is not the only streetscape gearing up for the Super Bowl- nearly every single street in the French Quarter is currently being repaved in what the city is calling a Repaving Blitzkrieg, a $90 million project that will repave streets all over the downtown area.

The New Orleans Bioinnovation Center

The business industry has gained an incredible amount of momentum the past few years. Thanks to a low cost of living, a high quality of life, and most importantly, some very generous state tax incentives, industries are pouring into New Orleans in droves. I've told you all about Hollywood South in one of my favorite previous blog posts- and the film industry is just one of the industries making huge inroads in town. Tech industries, start ups and the biosciences keep getting bigger and bigger. After passing by the Hyatt, I swung by the brand new New Orleans Bioinnovation Center, located across from the Tulane School of Public Health. Not only is this a great spot for Tulane students to participate in research, but the center also provides a "technology business incubator that aims to stimulate bioscience entrepreneurship."  

Here's the Joy Theater with the
streetcar construction out front

Next stop- time to get a little culture in me. New Orleans, arguably the most cultural city in America, has plenty to simulate your brain, eyes, ears, taste buds and heart, but that doesn't mean we aren't growing on the culture end too. A few blocks down from the VA Hospital and the Bioinnovation center is what is soon-to-be-known as the New Orleans Theater District. The Joy Theater, one of a number of beautiful theaters from NOLA yestertear, just re-opened up this year. Directly across the street, construction is humming at the old Saenger Theater. The Saenger Theater was one of NOLAs most iconic venues until Katrina shuttered it. I saw Guster and John Mayer back sophomore year at Tulane at the Saenger. And I also used to go to these huge raves circa 2002 at the Joy that were really cool back then and... well, never mind. It was fun. Raves were cool back then, I swear. Anyways, the Saenger will open after a $50 million renovation in June, 2013. 


Still on my culture-kick, I headed into the Warehouse District (home of Jeff Schiffman, FYI) to check on the progress of the expansion of the National World War II Museum. First off, if you haven't been to the WWII museum before, stop reading this blog and go there. Now. It's an incredible museum filled with amazing history and the one of largest collections of WWII memorabilia anywhere in the world. And- its expanding! Two new massive structures are currently underway set to triple the size of the museum. You can read all about the new $300 million expansion here. Trust me, this one's gonna be cool. 

WWII Museum Expansion 

I had gotten hungry after driving around downtown all morning, so I headed Uptown near Tulane to check out the brand new Fresh Market which opened around a mile from Tulane last week. Of course, I had to be there on opening day, but man was this one incredible supermarket! While we are a city somewhat adverse to chains (read- we don't have many here in town) it was great to see this brand new market open right near campus, and on the streetcar line as well. There are all kinds of places like Fresh Market opening up all over town these days, and it's been fun to check out all these cool new spots, shops and restaurants. Our student population was ecstatic to hear that New Orleans will soon be home to the first ever high-end outlet mall to be located inside a major city. 

Mmmm Fresh Market

I could have spent the whole afternoon checking out more of NOLA's progress, but I was tired from boppin' all over town, and after lunch I went home and watched 12 hours straight of Olympic coverage. But you get the idea- there is a lot going on around town these days.


So... in conclusion, it's no wonder New Orleans was just named the fastest growing city in America. Forbes also named us the #2 best big city for jobs and the #1 city for brain magnets, the #3 state for film production, the #1 state for economic growth potential... etc etc. I could go on. Point is, this town is on a roll. I'm going to quote my girl Adriana Lopez who wrote that great piece on us in Forbes in saying that "After Katrina, much like the oak trees, came new industries, new business, new people and new propose into New Orleans, creating a rebirth that has made a significant economic impact. The story that followed the events of Katrina was not just one of resilience, but one of opportunity, renewal and influence."


Opportunity, renewal and influence indeed.

Loyola Streetcar Line construction

Here is the "after" shot of the Palace Hotel implosion. All the debris was so compact!
These people really know how to implode. 

Here is the VA Hospital construction site. I have never seen so many cranes in one spot in mt life. 

Here's what it should look like when it's done!

Here's what the Riverwalk Upscale Outlet Mall will look like when it's done!

One more shot of Fresh Market