Explore the real-world places that appear in City of Refuge by Tom Piazza. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Lower Ninth Ward, French Quarter, Superdome, Treme Neighborhood, New Orleans City Hall and 5 more.
Holy Cross Neighborhood — Craig's devastated home
Craig Donaldson returns to find his family home in the Lower Ninth Ward completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters. He searches through the debris of his childhood memories, encountering the profound loss that defines his post-storm journey. The neighborhood's devastation becomes a central metaphor for the broader destruction of New Orleans communities and the challenge of rebuilding both physical structures and social bonds.
The Lower Ninth Ward was a historically African American neighborhood that suffered some of the most severe flooding during Hurricane Katrina when the Industrial Canal levee failed. The area was home to many working-class families who had lived there for generations.
The Lower Ninth Ward remains sparsely populated compared to pre-Katrina levels. Organizations like Make It Right Foundation have built new homes, but much of the area still shows vacant lots where houses once stood.
Visit: Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum (museum)
Royal Street & surrounding blocks — Malcolm's music scene
Malcolm, the white musician from Chicago, navigates the French Quarter's complex post-Katrina music scene. He encounters both opportunity and exploitation as venues try to capitalize on 'authentic' New Orleans music while many local musicians struggle to return home. His experiences in the Quarter reveal the tensions between tourism, gentrification, and genuine cultural preservation in the city's recovery.
The French Quarter is New Orleans' oldest neighborhood, dating to 1718. Its architecture survived most natural disasters due to higher elevation, and it remained relatively dry during Katrina, making it a center for post-storm activity.
The French Quarter continues as New Orleans' tourism heart, with live music venues, restaurants, and historic attractions. Royal Street remains a center for antique shops and street musicians.
Visit: French Quarter (historic site)
Sugar Bowl Drive — Shelter of last resort
The Superdome looms large in the characters' memories as the notorious 'shelter of last resort' during Hurricane Katrina. Craig recalls the horrific conditions and chaos that unfolded there, while other characters reference the dome as a symbol of governmental failure and human resilience. The building represents both the city's abandonment and its eventual determination to rebuild.
The Louisiana Superdome opened in 1975 as a sports and entertainment venue. During Hurricane Katrina, it housed approximately 30,000 evacuees in deplorable conditions, becoming a symbol of the disaster response failures.
Now called the Caesars Superdome, it has been renovated and continues to serve as home to the New Orleans Saints NFL team and host major events. It stands as both a functional venue and a memorial to Katrina's impact.
Visit: Caesars Superdome (landmark)
Esplanade Avenue area — Cultural preservation struggles
Characters in Treme grapple with preserving the neighborhood's deep musical and cultural traditions while facing displacement and economic pressures after the storm. The area becomes a focal point for discussions about authentic New Orleans culture versus commercialization, as residents fight to maintain their community's character against forces of change and development.
Treme is one of the oldest African American neighborhoods in the United States, dating to the early 1800s. It has been the heart of New Orleans' African American culture, particularly jazz music, and was the birthplace of many musical traditions.
Treme has experienced significant gentrification since Katrina, with rising property values and demographic changes. The neighborhood balances preservation efforts with development pressures.
Visit: Backstreet Cultural Museum (museum)
1300 Perdido Street — Political machinations
City Hall serves as the backdrop for various political maneuvering and bureaucratic struggles that characters encounter while trying to rebuild their lives. The building represents the complex web of municipal politics, federal aid distribution, and local power structures that shape the city's recovery efforts, often frustrating residents seeking help.
New Orleans City Hall was built in 1957 and serves as the seat of municipal government. During and after Katrina, it became a central point for coordination of recovery efforts and distribution of federal aid.
The building continues to house New Orleans city government offices and serves as the administrative center for ongoing urban development and recovery programs.
900 Convention Center Blvd — Evacuation chaos
Like the Superdome, the Convention Center becomes a symbol of governmental failure and human suffering during Katrina. Characters reference the chaos, violence, and abandonment that occurred there as thousands of evacuees waited for help that was slow to arrive. The center represents the breakdown of social order and the resilience of those who survived.
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center opened in 1985 as a major conference and exhibition facility. During Hurricane Katrina, it became an unofficial evacuation site where thousands gathered in increasingly desperate conditions.
The Convention Center has been renovated and continues operating as a major venue for conferences, trade shows, and events. It plays an important role in the city's tourism and convention industry.
Visit: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (landmark)
Garden District shopping corridor — Economic recovery
Magazine Street represents the uneven nature of New Orleans' recovery, where some areas bounce back quickly while others struggle. Characters observe how certain neighborhoods and businesses recover faster, often correlating with race and class divisions. The street becomes a symbol of the city's economic inequality in the rebuilding process.
Magazine Street has been a major commercial corridor since the 19th century, stretching from the French Quarter through the Garden District. It traditionally served diverse neighborhoods with local businesses and services.
Magazine Street is now one of New Orleans' premier shopping and dining destinations, featuring boutiques, antique shops, restaurants, and galleries across its six-mile length.
Visit: Magazine Street (landmark)
French Quarter heart — Tourist vs. local tensions
Jackson Square embodies the tension between New Orleans as a tourist destination and as a home for residents trying to rebuild their lives. Characters observe how the square continues to attract visitors while the surrounding city struggles with recovery, highlighting the complex relationship between tourism revenue and authentic community rebuilding.
Jackson Square, originally called Place d'Armes, has been the center of New Orleans since the city's founding in 1718. The current configuration with St. Louis Cathedral dates to the 1850s, and it has long been a gathering place for residents and tourists.
Jackson Square remains one of New Orleans' most visited attractions, featuring street performers, artists, and fortune tellers around the perimeter of the historic park facing St. Louis Cathedral.
Visit: Jackson Square (historic site)
1532 Tulane Avenue — Healthcare system collapse
The abandoned Charity Hospital stands as a powerful symbol of institutional failure and the collapse of social services after Katrina. Characters reference the hospital's closure and the impact on healthcare access for the city's most vulnerable residents, representing broader themes about who gets help and who gets left behind in disaster recovery.
Charity Hospital served New Orleans' indigent population for over 275 years, from 1736 to 2005. It was one of the oldest continuously operating hospitals in the United States until Hurricane Katrina forced its closure.
The Art Deco building remains abandoned and has become a symbol of post-Katrina neglect. There have been various proposals for redevelopment, but the building sits empty while new healthcare facilities have been built elsewhere.
Basin Street — Death and memory
The historic cemetery serves as a meditation on death, memory, and continuity in a city that has faced massive loss. Characters visit or reference the cemetery while grappling with their own losses from the storm, drawing connections between the city's long history of death and resilience and their current struggles to honor the dead while rebuilding for the living.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, established in 1789, is New Orleans' oldest existing cemetery. Its above-ground tombs became necessary due to the city's high water table, and it's the final resting place for many notable New Orleanians including Marie Laveau.
The cemetery is now a major tourist attraction requiring guided tours for entry. It remains an active burial ground while serving as a historic site that draws visitors interested in New Orleans' unique burial traditions.
Visit: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 (historic site)
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