Popular images of New Orleans

Since I began living here, the images that come to mind when I think of the City of New Orleans have radically changed. I'd seen this city in movies and photographs, and heard word of mouth stories about it my whole life, but I had never walked down the narrow French Quarter streets or witness its legendary Mardi Gras celebration for myself until just this school year. Now that I have navigated the city somewhat and experienced the day-to-day life for a while, I realize that most of what outsiders see in popular culture and mass media doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what New Orleans has to offer. I will clarify my point with these images:

Here is a great view of the city. This picture is used on an airline's website in an advertisement for flights to New Orleans. In the very center of the photo, it shows the Louisiana Superdome, a well-known feature of the city because it is the home of the Saints, the site of several Superbowls, and the subject of much discussion around the time of hurricane Katrina due to the damage it sustained and its use as an emergency shelter. It makes perfect sense why an airline would choose this very recognizable monument to be at the center of their image of the city, but it doesn't really tell a prospective tourist anything. It's only purpose is to present something recognizable to everyone so that they can maximize the amount of people who go "Ohhhh the Superdome. I've heard of that. I've heard a lot about that in fact. I should go see it for myself, I think I'll buy a plane ticket and go to New Orleans." Without that white circle in the middle, this image could be confused for any number of different cities, and it would have very little advertising value. With this picture, prospective visitors see only a winding, gray interstate and none of the beautiful boulevards with the green medians and the colorful signs. It is interesting to note, however, how the Mississippi River appears in the background of the photo. It is really the only other feature that an outsider might recognize that distinguishes the city as New Orleans rather than any other urban center, which shows how New Orleans is known partly for its geography as a river city.

Unlike the previous photo which is all-encompassing and rather void of detail. This picture zooms in on a particular spot in the city, and one of the most well-known. If you've heard of New Orleans, chances are you've heard of Bourbon Street. It's pretty much known as the street with the largest and longest ongoing party in the world. All of the travel guides I've encountered about New Orleans have some kind of picture depicting this place either on the cover, or if not, in the first few pages. It is New Orleans' number one 'must-see', and yet its largely commercial and scarcely a fulfilling 'cultural' experience.

The architecture of the French Quarter is highly recognizable and often depicted in popular images of the city. The multi-story buildings with the ornate balconies, archways, hanging plants, and suspended shop signs are almost as recognizable as the Bourbon Street sign. Most recently in pop culture, the Xbox 360 game Left 4 Dead: 2 included a level known as 'The Parish' which was modeled after the City of New Orleans and particularly French Quarter architecture.

Here is a collage of images that is very telling in terms of how New Orleans is viewed in mass media. The left image depicts a masked figure with an elaborate purple costume, which represents the many festivals and parades, including Mardi Gras, that the city is famous for. Center-left we see one of the aforementioned balconies on an elegant building. The center image is suggestive of New Orleans' rich musical heritage as the birthplace of Jazz. Center-right depicts a brightly lit downtown area right on the river, the glow of the lights is reminiscent of the many neon signs that can be seen in the CBD on Canal and in the French Quarter on Bourbon. The image on the far-right seems to be showing a close-up of a statue and a colorful plant mounted on the crafted bars of railing or balcony. The statue has on Mardi Gras beads. It's a pleasant, dense image that is mildly representative of the uniqueness and detail of the city's layout.