I was in New Orleans this week to address the folks at the ISOTech Conference. I’ve been visiting New Orleans about twice a year and always come back with food from the place including a large jar of Zatarains mustard and other spices as well as various Savoie and other brands of local sausages. This is the first time I stayed at the Marriott at the edge of the French Quarter. It gave me an opportunity to take some photos around Canal and St. Charles where the shuttered Kolbs restaurant is located. Here are a few I liked.

1
Nothing as interesting as desolation

2
This had to tbe the “in” hotel in 1900

3
Gorgeous facade on the Acme Oyster House

4
and still in business!

5
Out of business for years and shuttered Kolbs as the St. Charles trolley rolls by



  1. kideternal says:

    these are great! thanks for sharing!

  2. Anonymously says:

    It’s a shame you can’t take a “picture” of the smell of puke that permeates the French Quarter.

    That was my lasting impression of the place when I was there Summer of 2002.

    Well, that and the desolation, which you did capture.

    It’s a shame that a place with such history has been turned into a 24 hour frat house basement.

  3. Ed Campbell says:

    I don’t miss the humidity, the biggest cockroaches in America, a very special critter called the black winter mosquito [their bite could wake you out of a sound sleep!].

    On the other hand, bagnes at the Morning Call, getting a dozen boiled crabs at a bar in the Irish Channel, driving down to Barataria Bay and buying shrimp fresh off the boat — all unique food memories hard to match.

    Some wonderful, brave, bighearted folks, especially in the Black community down there, as well. From New Orleans to Morgan City, Baton Rouge to Monroe, courageous folk have been fighting a long, long time against institutionalized racism.

    I wonder if anyone’s brewing any decent beer down there, yet?

  4. Mike Voice says:

    John,

    What camera were you using, the Minolta X50 you mention in your PC Mag article?

  5. John C. Dvorak says:

    Funny you should ask. Normally I’d drag around a more pro-like camera such as the Olympus 8080 on these trips. But I kind of gave up on New Orleans as a site for great pics. It’s hard to capture since there are so many SUV’s ruining the shots. So indeed this was done with the X50 pocket camera as you suggest. I probably use this camera the most since it’s so casual and unobtrusive. And the pics are excellent except for the modicum of barrel distorsion that I will correct with software if I get in the mood. It’s most glaring in the first pic at the top.

  6. Mike Voice says:

    I was curious, since I am on the edge of making the jump from barely-tolerable camcorder as digital camera, to a real digital camera.

    Your pictures are nice, and I hadn’t noticed the distortion till you mentioned it.

    I like how pocket-friendly the cameras like the X50 are – but I’m leaning toward the Nikon 8400, to get the 24mm-equivalent at the wide end.

  7. ray says:

    So sad to see that Kolbs restaurant has been shuttered- didn’t know. I lived in N.O. for nearly 10 years and had much memorable German fare at Kolbs. Amazing location and faded beauty; yet, still so beautiful. Truly a significant ruin. The interior was great also, and it had an original, priceless ceiling fan system from a bygone era. There must have been 8 or 10 fans driven by wide leather belts from a single point- it was truly art in motion. The slow pace of motion helped you wind down at lunch from a hectic morning. I hope they are still there ready for the next iteration of this classic building or otherwise available for posterity in a museum or public place.


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