New Orleans is a place to experience before noon

Words by Stephanie Burnette

Waking up in the country’s oldest neighborhood is special. The French Quarter has been peopled for centuries, and its antique townhouses feel both otherworldly and uniquely Colonial. Boutique hotels offer luxe stays with exteriors that present a slice of 18th century life. The Celestine is new and notable. Designer Sara Ruffin Costello upfit 10 rooms in homage to the building’s French, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean heritage. And though private balconies are idle worthy, New Orleans awaits.

The French Quarter is a different place in the morning—something not everyone who travels to The Big Easy experiences. It's quieter and cleaner and offers the chance to connect with local creatives. It’s a city chock full of makers, and the number of handmade things offered in New Orleans is dazzling. Maybe it’s surprising that the French Quarter is up early despite its nightlife, but after 300 years of hospitality, it's a town that embraces imagination, no matter the hour.  

Claire Elizabeth Thriffiley opened her gallery in the French Quarter nearly nine years ago. She walks from her home each morning across the Quarter and says it’s a unique time. “There is this magical moment in the morning—you get a coffee and look at the architecture. The city emerges to you: the ironwork, the hanging flowers, the colors—all of that is art to me,” she says. “The French Quarter is really a bohemian paradise. And that time is in the morning.” 

Thriffiley’s gallery represents art as it relates to nature and Southern environmentalism, such as painter Diane Kilgore Condon and the paragliding Ben Depp, who captures images deep inside the Louisiana wetlands with a camera strapped to his chest. Thriffiley likes to get coffee in the morning at French Truck Coffee, a roaster with a cherry shop on Chartres St. known for its bright yellow labeling. Café Du Monde opens early too, with live music under the green and white awning. There’s also breakfast with a celebrated view: Stanley in Jackson Square unfolds its aqua café tables facing St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. 

It’s a revelation to watch the historic square, where the Louisiana Purchase occurred, come to life with 60-plus working artists unpacking their wares. Two hundred are permitted to sell along the fence line of the courtyard, a tradition that began in the 1920s. Look for artist Tracy Popken; the accomplished painter depicts the detailed ironwork of the Quarter and the flora that winds around it, often backed by gilded hues.

She says interacting with visitors who connect with her work is exciting. “I spend all day in a gorgeous place meeting a spectrum of people from all over the world who are enjoying the day, savoring the visual feast of New Orleans like me, and want to talk about it,” she says. “We have the best conversations.” 

Pirates Alley is a shortcut to Royal St., one of New Orleans’ oldest merchant streets. Known for its antique stores, estate jewelry, and galleries, it’s a stretch worth window-shopping, or as the French say, “to lick the windows.” Sustainable jeweler Ashley Porter Lyons calls Royal St. home, as well as Drew Bevolo’s Gas & Electric Lights studio.. 

If it seems like a bucket list item to engage a fortune teller while in the French Quarter, consider a reading with a top-reviewed psychic over a sidewalk stand. Elie Barnes takes appointments at Hex New Orleans and is sought after for a reason. Her bright outlook on life makes time spent with her, well, magical. “I believe the right people seek me out for the right reasons,” she says. “New Orleans is one of the great cities to really listen to what your soul is telling you to accomplish in this life.” 

French Quarter Creatives

People who work in the French Quarter value visitors and spend time engaging them. It’s a place where all walks of life come together, and local creatives want to know who you are and what brought you to their business. 

Claire Elizabeth Thriffiley: Find her at Claire Elizabeth Gallery on Decatur St.

The gallerist left a successful career in the art world in New York to open a gallery in the French Quarter. She says her hometown is colorful with sunshine year-round and that visitors walk into her gallery daily from across the globe. Her represented artists explore themes of natural beauty in the Southern environment, as well as coastal erosion and climate change. 

Tracy Popken: Find her and her pup, Ava, daily at Jackson Square or Pirate’s Alley

During the pandemic, the artist lived in a tiny apartment carved out of a massive decrepit mansion with a huge front balcony covered in ironwork, nestled in the oak trees. Sitting there day after day watching the light and shadows pass through the ironwork became a love story that she’s yet to tire of replicating on canvas. 

Elie Barnes: Find her at Hex New Orleans on Decatur St. 

If she looks familiar, it might be from her many accurate guest appearances on shows such as The Real World Reunion and HGTV’s Bargain Block. The psychic has a cadre of locals who fill up her schedule (and possibly a few NOPD detectives), so book ahead to reserve a private tarot reading during a visit.  

An Adult Drink for Adult Drinkers

An N/A cocktail for the season by Jordan Bearss of Peychaud’s at The Celestine

Award-winning barman Jordan Bearss says this no-spirits cocktail is a cross between a smoked  Negroni and an old fashioned. Strong tea contributes notes of leather and “a bit of majesty.” El Guapo Bitters are produced in New Orleans, made from farm-driven, non-GMO ingredients, and no alcohol. Bearss points out that bitters can have a decent alcohol content, something that consumers may not realize. 

Pathfinder sips like an amaro; it’s a deep, complex elixir that leans into the old-timey idea of the pharmaceutical cocktail. It’s something better bar programs reach for to replace spirits.

Bearss says people don’t want a big ole glass of juice for a non-alcoholic drink. “This is an adult drink for adult drinkers. If you’ve never had a good cocktail in New Orleans, then your life isn’t complete. I can say that.” 

The Safe Harbor

1 oz. pathfinder, a non-alcoholic aperitivo

1 oz. Chinese black tea, over-steeped

1 oz. Q tonic

1 tsp. raw sugar syrup, a 2:1 ratio

4 dashes El Guapo Cucumber Lavender Bitters

Garnished with grapefruit peel 

Rock ice

Add first five ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, and stir lightly before straining into a rocks glass over a large single cube. Express the grapefruit peel over the drink before placing it in the glass.