Downtown Development District : Newsletter

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What's Up Downtown August 8, 2008

		DDD Supports VA Hospital Downtown; Public Meeting Monday Despite the recent decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to review a site at the old Mercy Hospital campus in Mid-City, the DDD supports moving forward with the VA hospital on the downtown site. The DDD recently submitted letters to local publications highlighting the following points: In the interest of best serving our veterans who have served us so well, it is time to proceed immediately with construction of a new Veterans Affairs Medical Center on the proposed downtown site adjacent to the Tulane and LSU medical schools. A VA medical center adjacent to the medical schools will offer vets access to the top physicians and leading edge medical treatment that flows naturally from research labs such as those at Tulane, LSU and Xavier into adjacent academic hospitals... read more.

		Ogden Museum Celebrates 5th Anniversary The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is celebrating its 5th anniversary and admission is reduced to $5 during the entire summer, including Ogden After Hours events, which are every Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and feature local musicians and artists. The Ogden 5th Anniversary Family Fair will be held on August 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be music, arts and crafts, and feats of skill and strength to keep visitors of all ages entertained at the Ogden's version of a Southern Summer County Fair. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.ogdenmuseum.org.

		Join the Downtown Retail Renaissance Remember taking the streetcar to D.H. Holmes to shop with your parents or grandparents? How about Woolworths? Krauss? Downtown New Orleans and historic Canal Street are experiencing an urban renaissance. With a host of top hotels, museums, art galleries, and well established retailers all calling the area home, now is the time to get your foot in the door while there is still fabulous historic space available. With the exciting additions of the Audubon Insectarium, 1201 Canal Condos, the New Orleans BioInnovation Center and the nostalgic Canal Streetcar, now is the time to join the Canal streetscape. The DDD's Retail Attraction Specialist Ryan Bordenave can give you the details on all available space Downtown and along Canal Street. For more information about retail space Downtown, contact Ryan at (504) 561-8927.

		Last Week to Participate in Mobility and Parking Study Online Survey will end Friday, August 15. Click here to participate in the study. Residents, business owners, locals, visitors, and workers are all asked to participate in an online survey to gather information on the mobility and parking needs in and around Downtown New Orleans. The Downtown Development District survey seeks input on parking, modes of transportation, walking and bicycling conditions, and related mobility issues. It is an important component of the DDD's Mobility and Parking Study and will supplement information gained through a series of focus groups held in June. The study area includes all of Downtown, including the Warehouse Arts District, Lafayette Square, the Central Business District, and the Medical District. The study area also includes the French Quarter and the Marigny Triangle... read more.

		Saints Dominate First Pre-Season Game; CP3 in Beijing to Represent Team USA New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees led the boys to a 24-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals Thursday night. The team will return to New Orleans this week to prepare for their first pre-season home game next weekend in the New Orleans Superdome. The DDD is proud to welcome back the Black and Gold and thousands of fans to Downtown for what is sure to be an exciting season. New Orleans Hornets point guard and MVP candidate Chris Paul is in Beijing, China to represent the United States on the Olympic mens basketball team. The USA will play their first Olympic game against the host team, China, on Sunday, August 10.

		Buses Running While Streetcars are Offline The St. Charles and Carondelet streetcars will remain offline through the weekend as construction continues in the CBD. Buses will replace the streetcars, following the same route except that between Poydras and Canal streets, inbound buses -- those traveling toward Canal -- will operate on O'Keefe Avenue and University Place rather than on Carondelet. Outbound buses will operate on St. Charles from Canal to Lee Circle, where passengers will transfer to streetcars. The Canal and Riverfront streetcar lines will operate normally.

		Downtown Calendar July-August 2008 JULY 8-AUG 31: SCHINDLER EXHIBIT at National WWII Museum AUGUST 14: OGDEN AFTER HOURS featuring Mark Adam Miller and Jim McCormick AUGUST 23: YLC ROLE MODEL AWARDS GALA 6 p.m. at Sheraton Hotel CRESCENT CITY FARMER'S MARKET every Saturday at corner of Girod and Magazine streets. 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For more information on any of the articles featured in What's Up Downtown, or to submit an item for consideration, contact Lauren Hotard at lhotard@neworleansdowntown.com.