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.

Reconstructing the Upper Carrollton Shopping Center

Growing up in New Orleans, I frequently passed by the Upper Carrollton shopping center located along Tulane Ave. It is a focal point of the city, but the surroundings reflect poorly on the metropolitan area. As you drive across the overpass, you will eventually see an Advanced Auto Parts located to the right of the Carrollton shopping center. The old, shabby discoloration of the shopping center resembled a 1960s warehouse, which was a nerve-wrecking site to see.

Returning a year after the hurricane, I noticed a majority of the tenants had already relocated. The only tenant who stood adamant in their decision to stay was Rock n Bowl, which was open for business even though the hurricane severely damaged its ground floor. Fortunately, there was not much damage to the second floor, so the business was able to stay in operation while management continued renovations on the ground floor. Rock n Bowl served as an incentive for investors to return to the area, as their booming business proved there was still an opportunity for businesses to thrive.

Approximately three years after the hurricane, the shopping center received its much-needed face-lift based on an Ohio/Chicago styled façade. This site served as a motivation for investors to come into the area, as this was one of the first signs of improvement on Tulane Ave. I have obtained pictures from various sources reflecting the three developmental stages as the shopping center came to be what it is now. Compared to the previous design of the shopping center, additional parking has replaced the once-standing Hong Kong City Restaurant. Much of the current retailers have replaced the previous ones with newer ones, such as the Nike Factory, Rio, and Rainbow, just to name a few.

Overall, the shopping center has outgrown its old, traditional look, which was once a filthy, trashed parking lot to the futuristic look of a modern-day Dallas shopping center. Daily bus routes packed with civilians will once again complete the surrounding grounds of this newly redesigned shopping center. Rock n Bowl, a loyal tenant to the owner of this shopping center relocated to 3000 S Carrollton Ave New Orleans, LA 70118. If you or any other friends have stopped by the New Orleans area, don’t forget to revisit this site, as it proved to be a promising transformation.

* Note: Pictures were taken post-Katrina

Rebuilding New Orleans one brick at a time...

For almost five years since Katrina, people from all over the world still look at New Orleans as a place of rundown buildings and murderers who run rampant throughout the city. Although I admit New Orleans still has some places that aren’t as developed as other cities, New Orleans in general has come a long way. In an attempt to reveal to the naked eye these drastic transformations, I intend on gathering pictures from several sources and information obtained from others and myself. If you or any others have any pictures from before or after Katrina, I would greatly appreciate if you would send it to me. I'm currently on a search for pictures, which include some of the shopping centers and places all around the city such as Tulane Ave, Canal St, the mall which used to exist over by the superdome with Macy’s in it, Carrollton shopping center (both the Rock n’ Bowl one and the one closer to Xavier), Metairie, and Kenner. Let our voices echo throughout the city with pride and dignity knowing that we, as New Orleanians, actually have made it through the flood, recession, and drought. No matter what happens, we as New Orleanians stand strong, and the Saints winning the Superbowl only proves our success. Our city is coming back on its feet day by day and each change will only make it even better.