French Quarter sans tourists: 'An old neighborhood again'

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French Quarter sans tourists: 'An old neighborhood again'
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Some residents of New Orleans' French Quarter see at least one benefit to the business shutdowns forced by the spread of the coronavirus: no more overwhelming crowds of tourists.

In this Wednesday, May 20, 2020, a bar is boarded-up at a Bourbon Street intersection in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Bars have been closed in New Orleans since early March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some residents of the historic French Quarter, while acknowledging the economic pain and suffering, say the lack of tourists has been a relief.

The absence of tourists — and the impending reopening of many of the attractions that draw them — have also led French Quarter inhabitants to reflect on the neighborhood's sometimes precarious balance between the interests of businesses and residents. Some feel that prior to the pandemic, that balance had tilted too far in favor of commerce, putting the quarter's unique character at risk.

Chad Pellerin, a retired attorney and a resident of the quarter for 50 years, sometimes delights in tourists. She said she has invited out-of-town visitors to get a look inside the late 19th century Victorian “double” she inherited from her aunt. “People are genuinely suffering and scared,” Chapman said. “There's a lot of small businesses that are closed.”

Others want the tourists back. Kari Mote, who lives in the nearby Bywater neighborhood, is a waitress who lost her job at a French Quarter restaurant when the state shut down on-site dining. She acknowledges the mess left behind by drunks in the historic neighborhood but says, “Everybody knows it's the deal if they live in the quarter.”

“It was quiet. And there was a beauty in that way,” Chapman said. “But it was also haunting because just so many places were boarded up.”

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