From wailing tones of Janelle Monae to the beautiful/ugly realities of Make it Right: New Orleans offers surprises at every turn

AIA is never just about architecture but is always about experiencing place. And one could spend days walking around this place uncovering mysteries and photographing exquisitely designed shuttered and balconied buildings. There is just so much character here, it continuously surprises. My colleague Jenna McKnight and I wondered together why such balconies don’t exist in places up north, and realized it must be due to the weight of snow coming down in winter. What follows is a collection of amateur photos of May 12-13 experiences.

Known for its restaurants, which serve up rich compositions of gumbos, spicy Creole dishes, and Bananas Foster, dinner at New Orlean’s classic Broussards Thursday night after an exhausting day of AIA activities did not disappoint.

On route to the House of Blues, an astonishingly talented group of street musicians were standing on the street playing dixie land new Orleans style, jamming and drawing a large crowd. This is the kind of serendipity that seems to happen here constantly.

From there our party proceeded to The House of Blues, where Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope put on a party of ambitious dimensions. Singer/songwriter Janelle Monae and her ensemble of musicians and performers/dancers keep the audience captivated and moving to the beat of her rhythmic, R&B performance.

Next morning at the annual McGraw-Hill Ad Awards Breakfast, colleagues Jenna McKnight on the left and Pat France on the right pose cheerfully.

Later at the McGraw-Hill booth on the Expo floor crowds came to hear Frank Harmon speak.

Also at the booth, Sherlyn Yoak and Laura Viscusi pose with Prudential Lighting's sleek fixture (an Ad Award Winner) at" Say It In a Snap," later that morning.

On route to rent bicycles in the French Quarter, I came upon a tiny wedding chapel where a ceremony was underway.

At Conti and Burgundy streets, web editor Bill Hanley and I rented bikes to travel to the Lower Ninth Ward to see the Make It Right Houses.

In the flat expanses of the Ninth Ward the newly built houses juxtapose with uninhabited ramshackle ones boarded up against the world, a continuation of a New Orleans theme of immense promise combined with gritty decrepitude.

Many are shotgun style homes

I believe this is a KieranTimberlake designed house.

Children play in the streets

A pocket park

Uninhabited neighboring houses.

Many houses have visible PVs on the roofs.

Many are raised on stilts.

Back from the Ninth Ward to the world of architects, friends pose at BNIM's party at Republic.

Make it Right Director Tom Darden on the left with Larry Scarpa

Staff of BNIM, this year's Firm of the Year, pose at the conclusion of the party.

At the host party at the World War II museum, friends Stephen Sharp, editor of Texas Architect on the left, with AR news editor Jenna McKnight and Scott Frank, who handles communications for AIA.