A new look into New Orleans

The rapid development that has been happening all throughout New Orleans since Katrina has encouraged several businesses to move into the area. Stirling Properties aspires to be a part of the on-going successes with the ground breaking of the properties located on 301 N Carrollton Ave and 401 N Carrollton Ave. The recent redevelopment and beautification along the street has made this area a much more eco-friendly place. In the hopes of continuing the trend in this area, the government anticipates on adding a bikeway allowing traffic from a third mode of transportation (bike, street-car, and car). Renderings of the shopping center has already been in place to incorporate Win-Dixie, Office Depot, Petco, Verizon, Felipe’s Burrito, Five Guys Burgers and fries, and Pei Wei Asian Diner.

The design and layout of the retail development in the area is a fascinating insight of the direction that New Orleans is moving towards. Gearing the project towards an open concept of a “greener” space allows the general population to experience the natural environment which has long been awaited. The few green space and hangout areas have set a trend for current residents to travel to other areas where these types of amenities are offered such as Texas, Baton Rouge, Carrollton and other newly developed areas. This project is truly remarkable in the fact that it raises the bar for the rest of New Orleans.

Gentilly Woods revamped by big chain retailer

The Gentilly Woods Shopping Center lies in one of the busiest locations in New Orleans East. It has once been occupied by several national chain retailers such as Foot Locker, Anna Linens, RadioShack and Rainbow just to name a few. With the shopping center positioned in such a prime location there has been several investors who have tried to bid on the property but lost to NORA’s bid of $4.2 million. Since NORA bought the property, the government officials have been in the talks of a condominium, national retail chains and a grocer. The decision became final on July 20, 2011 when Wal-Mart was approved for the bid. Wal-Mart’s move into the location is considered detrimental to many residents residing in the city as such a move will put other local chains out of business. There are however, positive aspects to the move since the government restrictions on it will make the area look more environmentally friendly and the sales tax will allow for redevelopments in other parts of the area. It is still a controversial debate for many in the area but the move will allow citizens’ access to a Wal-Mart which isn’t 30 minutes away. Disagreements are bound to arise over this decision, but a developed area is better than an empty building which is prone to fires as it has occurred months ago.

Hollywood New Orleans

Our initial perception to Hollywood is a designated area for filming quality production movies. A majority of these movies take its root in densely populated areas similar to Chicago and Hollywood. The current producers of these movies, however, have shifted their interest to other areas in order to cut production costs. With the economy at an all time low, producers have chosen areas such as New Orleans, where they’re going through an ongoing process of reshaping its businesses.

During this day and age filmmakers are capable of capturing the essence of New Orleans while portraying it as a different city with the support of technology. In our latest movie The Mechanic, Jason Stratham stars as Arthur a sharp cunning man who is notable for carefully planning his assassinations to appear as an accident. Arthur’s assignment for assassinating his mentor brings forth his character as a man who carries out his duties under any circumstances. His remorse for the death of his mentor soon catches him in a trap as he attempts to make up for his wrongdoings by helping out his mentor’s son Steve. Steve soon learns about the person behind the death of his father and plans an attack on Arthur by lighting up his car. Arthur manages to escape the event while also revealing to the audience as an assassin no one can be trusted.

The remake of Charles Bronson’s 1972 film of the Mechanic captures the story line while depicting a different city in its modern day form. While moviegoers watch the Mechanic , several notable areas of New Orleans are revealed throughout the movie to appear as Chicago. The directors of the movie did a remarkable job of transitioning from a big city such as Chicago to a smaller city such as New Orleans. Don’t forget to look out for several of the areas featured in the movie such as the World Trade Center, French Quarter, and the New Orleans Athletic Club. In an attempt to spice things up the director also included a scene where Arthur is seen reading the Times Picayune, a local New Orleans newspaper.

The rise of a city under water

Over six years ago, Hurricane Katrina resulted in one of history’s most expensive disasters. Hurricane Katrina displaced several leaving the few that stayed behind stranded in an area filled with stench, corpses, and rubble. Of all the destructions Katrina left in its path, Chalmette and the Ninth Ward experienced the most chaotic nightmare. The high waters engulfed both of these parishes, which were incapable of sustaining its waters because of the levee breach.

After the hurricane, businesses seemed reluctant to return to Chalmette leaving it seemingly deserted for a few years. Business operators set their decision for returning based on Wal-Mart’s return but Wal-Mart refused to return unless the government rewarded a substantial amount for its damages. About five years later a few daredevils spiked interest in the Judge Perez area, one of Chalmette’s most prominent location before the hurricane. The investors Joe Licciardi, colonel of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office and Ray Peacock, a Metairie developer demolished the old shopping center and replaced it with a new upgraded exterior. The Chalmette shopping center more commonly known by its name as the Mall is rumored to have been an investment of about $20 million.

The Mall encompasses several large franchises such as Big Lots, Aarons, I-hop, Cato and a six-screen movie theatre. The investors of the Mall have also spurred the appetite of other investors, which have long waited for such vital signs of improvement.

When East meets West

Over the years several Chinese restaurants have evolved from the way they present their restaurants. Nowadays the Chinese are targeting higher
end customers with their fancier outlook. One of the direct representations of these strategic segmentations is Café East. Café East, located right off I-10 service road is hidden within a neighborhood setting. With its vibrant lights and exuberant two story
building Café East definitely wow’s its customers with its magnificent presentation. As human beings our general conception is don’t judge a book by its cover, but everyone does indirectly, one way or the other. Judging by the outlook of the building, both
the interior and exterior of Café East triggers its customers to immediately relate presentation to food quality. Overall the atmosphere of Café East deserves its accreditation for being one of the few Chinese restaurants to have such an improvement of providing
a romantic setting. Nonetheless, Café East hides its flaws of cooking within the intricate entrees. Having gone to Café East several times, I have noticed that the taste of their food has become bland and lost some of its authenticity. The reasoning behind
the different taste may have something to do with a change in management. Although I have stated mostly the negatives there are some positive aspects of the restaurant. One of these is that the restaurant is highly suitable for business meetings and dating.
It also provides complimentary chips along with four different sauces of which have different degrees of spiciness. Café East is also slightly more Americanized compared to other Chinese restaurants in that their food has lost some of its cultural background.
Even though Café East isn’t my preferred restaurant, I suggest that you visit it if you favor some of the positives aspects.

Jamba Juice enters the New Orleans market

New Orleans distinguishes itself from several places in the United States due to its tight knit community, food, customs, people, and architecture. Its unique differentiation marks it as the place to visit if you’re looking to stray away from the uniform franchises which can be found in every new development. As our community is seeing several franchises force their way into our city, it may or may not be a good sign. Their high interest in New Orleans does, however, signify that we’re fairing better than other states. Instead of having businesses close in our city, we have seen several open during this tough economic downturn.

Jamba Juice will make its first entrance into the New Orleans market this January with its first store opening in 930 Poydras Condominiums. The Jamba Juice brand based in California strives to provide healthy, fresh smoothies. Competition between Jamba Juice and Smoothie King, our local provider, will be tough as both offer equally remarkable smoothies. Will this new addition to our community be a threat like the giant retailer Wal-Mart, or will it encourage Smoothie King to strengthen its title as the real smoothie king? There is no evidence which franchise will fair better at this point in time, so only time can tell.

A Piece of New Orleans History

In light of the catastrophic devastation that took place in New Orleans on Aug 29, 2005, Canal Street has once again made a comeback. With its major construction project having taken place on Canal Street, Gibbs Construction Company took the honor of doing a remarkable job at revitalizing the Krauss Dept Store into a Grade-A Apartment. Krauss was renowned as a department store that catered to the low-income minorities during a time when many other department stores only catered to the upper class in New Orleans. Krauss was also reputable for having the first air conditioning and escalator in 1925.

The deteriorated Krauss building, abandoned for over 11 years, is now recognized as 1201 Canal Street Apartments. Thankfully, much of the architectural design have been revitalized to its previous state serving, as a reminder of Krauss’s loyal service to New Orleanians for over 90 years. With its historically modified state-of-the-art building, the 1201 Canal St apartment has redefined higher living standards. Featuring an assorted set of amenities ranging from a 24-hour valet parking service to a dog-friendly rooftop, the Apartments give you your bang for the buck. Check into the 1201 Canal St Apartments today to relive the history of New Orleans in a completely different way. While living there, be sure to check out their rooftop view, as their close proximity to the nearby businesses give you a magnificent view of the New Orleans skyline.