Ambush recently had the opportunity to sit down and chat with local tourism expert Frank Perez about the current state of tourism in New Orleans, the quality of tour guides, and the Professional Tour Guiding courses he teaches at Loyola University. Q: How did you get involved in the tourism industry? FP: Years ago I was a concierge at a hotel in the CBD. A … [Read more...] about Loyola University and the Need for Higher Quality Tour Guides: An Interview with Tourism Expert Frank Perez
Murder Believed to be Motivated by Racism and Homophobia
Ja’Quarius Taylor, 17, was recently found tied to a tree and shot in a swamp near Angie, Louisiana, in Washington Parish. Authorities believe Taylor was murdered on January 12. On January 16, a dive team from the Washington Parish Sheriff’s office “made a significant discovery” at the bottom of a lake near where the body was found. Authorities would not describe … [Read more...] about Murder Believed to be Motivated by Racism and Homophobia
Spotlight on Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival Speakers
The annual Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival will take place in New Orleans March 27-29. In this series, we introduce you to some of the writers in the all-star lineup for #SAS20 this March in the heart of the French Quarter. Elliott Foster is the author of two novels, Panic River (Calumet Editions, 2019) and Whispering Pines (Wise Ink, 2015) which was an Indie Book … [Read more...] about Spotlight on Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival Speakers
It’s a Wonderful Life, Historically Speaking
The enduring appeal of Frank Capra’s classic holiday film It’s a Wonderful Life is its premise—that the quality of a person’s life is measured by how it affects others. George Bailey’s guardian angel, Clarence, tells him, ““Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends.” By that measure, Charlene Schneider, legendary lesbian bar owner, was amazingly … [Read more...] about It’s a Wonderful Life, Historically Speaking
American Italian Cultural Center
Did you know that according to the 1910 census, 80% of the residents of what we now call the French Quarter were Sicilian immigrants? Or that the lower Quarter was once commonly referred to as Little Palermo? Or that New Orleans has had two Italian-American mayors? Ever wonder why St. Joseph’s Day altars are so popular in New Orleans? The American Italian … [Read more...] about American Italian Cultural Center
Buying Gay: How Physique Entrepreneurs Sparked a Movement
Buying Gay: How Physique Entrepreneurs Sparked a Movement. David K. Johnson. Columbia University Press, 2019. 320 pages. $32.00. Before Grindr and Growler and the internet, before X-Tube and a thousand other porn sites, before Blue Rays and DVDs and VHS tapes, before roadside adult “bookstores” and before magazines like Obsession and Blueboy, there were the … [Read more...] about Buying Gay: How Physique Entrepreneurs Sparked a Movement
LGBT+ Archives Project Announces Open House
The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana is pleased to announce it will host an Open House on Wednesday, January 22, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at 636 St. Ann Street. In addition to complimentary wine and hors d’ouvres, the Open House will feature a Timeline of New Orleans LGBT+ History as well as vintage photographs of Gay Carnival, Southern Decadence memorabilia, old … [Read more...] about LGBT+ Archives Project Announces Open House
The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana Year in Review
As 2019 draws to a close, the New Orleans-based LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana can look back on a year of solid accomplishments. In addition to facilitating the donation of material to area libraries and museums across the state, the Archives Project also launched an Oral History Initiative and opened a new exhibit space. As a statewide collective, the Archives … [Read more...] about The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana Year in Review
Irish Cultural Museum
The old Hibernia Bank tower no longer looms over the CBD skyline, but it does provide revelers on Bourbon Street a familiar landmark. From St. Patrick’s Church to the stately Gallier Hall to Tracey’s and the old Parasol’s Bar in the Irish Channel to Fahy’s Irish Pub and Erin Rose in the French Quarter, the influence of the Irish in New Orleans is everywhere. … [Read more...] about Irish Cultural Museum
World Citizen: Allen Ginsberg as Traveller
World Citizen: Allen Ginsberg as Traveller. David S. Wills. Beatdom Books, 2019. 169 pages. “Om Shri Maitreya.” “Om Shri Maitreya.” “Om Shri Maitreya.” So chanted Allen Ginsberg at a demonstration to legalize marijuana in New York City in 1965. It wasn’t just weed that expanded Ginsberg’s worldview. In World Citizen: Allen Ginsberg as … [Read more...] about World Citizen: Allen Ginsberg as Traveller
