HBO Treme...thoughts (New Orleans, Metairie, Claiborne: neighborhood, living, restaurant)

[gate55]

Hello to all!

I have been watching Treme. Absolutely love it. Of course, I do not know New Orleans or have not been there before... But I have always dreamed of visiting, if not living there.

Can someone tell me a bit more about this area? And of course, to those of you whom are native to this beautiful and wonderous city, does the show depict a realistic look at New Orleans in regards to nighttlife, people?



God willing, I am going down there to eat and gain a couple of pounds! Man does the food seem crazy good!

[aab7855]

Yeah the show is fairly accurate.. the neighborhood of Treme itself is dicey though, the Uptown area is just as adundant in architecture, music, food and culture but is much safer (especially for a newcomer). But all of inner city New Orleans is block by block anyway. Come on down, we need you! Especially since these idiots think the oil spill has affected us.

[stillkit]

The show is basically a soap opera set in New Orleans, though I like it.

Strangely, though, I've watched just about every episode and I haven't heard them mention Congo Square at all, which is like the heart of the Treme,' and they seem to spend a lot of time in front of the Cathedral, which isn't in the Treme' district.

[Pook77]

The Treme as a neighborhood is not one of the better places to be hanging out in New Orleans, unfortunately. Maybe the popularity of the show will change that. The show is accurate to a point. Unless you know New Orleans well don't just show up in the Treme, it's probably a bad idea. It says a ton (to me anyway) that the production crew is lodged in Metairie and hangs out in my favorite bar there.

Originally Posted by aab7855

Especially since these idiots think the oil spill has affected us.

AH HAHAHAHAHA!! Thank you.

[Prytania]

Well a lot of the show is filmed Uptown. The failed restaurant is actually Patois (the old Norby's)...and Davis ate at Silm Goody's and Domilise's. (The show isn't about Treme per se...its just the name of a neighborhood they decided to use for the show)

Treme isn't that good of a place..but its not that bad either. I wouldn't live there...yet. However I am hoping the show helps the neighborhood out a bit.

[BradfromNO]

If you want to know about Treme' read about the building of the Interstate over the Claiborne
Avenue area, Listen to WWOZ on the internet, and research the Mardi Gras Indians. Or read
about the Faubourgs, and what they are. After you get totally confused, watch the show,
I guess. I saw the show for the first time when I went to see my Mother and Sister while they
stayed at a cabin in the Smokies. I am too cheap for cable at home. But one thing struck me
immediately, and that was the disjointed, lightning fast cuts between stories and scenes.
Hard to watch in that regard, and I think the production staff thinks it makes them edgy and
cool. I think they curse sometimes for effect which seems a sickness in media today. Not that
people in NO don't curse, we curse like sailors. But we are a maritime city, lol. I like the show,
I like our non-native invasive species John Goodman. I like the guy that was in that movie
Strange Wilderness, and I like the woman who played the hooker from Deadwood. If I had cable
I would watch it dutifully, but that's because I love NO. But I don't think the show itself is
good just because of that. I think it is weak in a lot of ways. But as for the music, it is very
representative of NO in that regard. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a musician or
a venue for hearing music, and if you like music, you can live just like some of the charactters
do. I also like the authenticity of many of the accents. Some are bad, some do better by not
trying. I grade it at a C+ and an A for effort.

[oimate84]

David Simon did an excellent job on Treme. Though not entirely accurate, it is leaps and bounds better then any show that has tried to portray Nola and the Treme. The music and cast of musicians is my favorite part because they are some of the best this city has to offer. Like somebody said, dont just roll up to the Treme and expect to be greeted...most of the bars are locals only and someone from out will stick out like a sore thumb. But on the goodnote, the musicians who are in the show all have great gigs Uptown and in the Marigny, so check them out if your ever in town. Its my favorite show on TV right now, they cover so many injustices that happened after Katrina and with the NOPD, even though the show is fiction the issues were real.

[BradfromNO]

I liked the story line with the MG Indian and the cop, talking about how they both had to
do what they had to do. It was interesting. And again, I have seen TWO episodes.
I agree that it is by FAR the best EVER portrayal of the city of NO on film or TV.
As a former resident for a lifetime it was unbearably painful to feel stab after stab
as one film after another just obliterated the image of the state and city.
A laundry list, far from complete. "Southern Comfort" Some LA national guard GIs on
maneuvers run afoul of some backwards cajuns. The Big Easy, proving that
DQuaid's love for NO doesn't guarantee you won't look like a total dork trying to
make the accent come out right. JFK, not bad actually, but no TREME'. Frank's Place,
the former leader of the pack.
Can I get a little help here, lol.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by BradfromNO

I liked the story line with the MG Indian and the cop, talking about how they both had to
do what they had to do. It was interesting. And again, I have seen TWO episodes.
I agree that it is by FAR the best EVER portrayal of the city of NO on film or TV.
As a former resident for a lifetime it was unbearably painful to feel stab after stab
as one film after another just obliterated the image of the state and city.
A laundry list, far from complete. "Southern Comfort" Some LA national guard GIs on
maneuvers run afoul of some backwards cajuns. The Big Easy, proving that
DQuaid's love for NO doesn't guarantee you won't look like a total dork trying to
make the accent come out right. JFK, not bad actually, but no TREME'. Frank's Place,
the former leader of the pack.
Can I get a little help here, lol.

How about "A Love Song for Buddy Long?"

True, it wasn't about NO, per se, and a good bit of it was filmed in Algiers, but overall I think it painted a pretty good picture of the people in the Crescent City.

[jacq63]

^That'd be " A Love Song for Bobby Long"?

Thanks, I'll look for it on DVD. It's hard to find 'accurate' represenatations, but some of us stuck in the nether regions of the planet just wanna see the place again.