by Brad Rhines

Between Whole Foods, Pinkberry, Slice, and St. Joe’s Bar, poor little Joseph Street can’t get no relief. The narrow block between Magazine and Camp Streets has become a crowded corridor for Uptown shoppers coming from, going to, and parking along this busy stretch of Magazine. Well, no more - the City hopes. Starting Friday morning this block of Joseph Street will be converted from a two-way street to a one-way street, with traffic heading lakebound (from Magazine Street toward Camp Street).

Last year, Ryan Sparks chronicled a series of colorful Magazine Street benches providing respite to those waiting for the bus, and nods to New Orleans culture. After scouring Uptown, he caught up with the creator of these Mystery Benches.

by Ryan Sparks

Work is underway at the corner of Milan and Magazine at the former location of Ignatius (which displaced the Garden District Rue de la Course earlier this spring) to transform the small space into a BBQ restaurant.  Ever since the Joint’s location at Mag and Marengo was closed after a fire several years ago, Uptown citizens have been deprived of a dedicated, locally-owned BBQ presence.

by Brad Rhines

A series of one-night stands on Magazine Street this month gives Uptown residents something to talk about, as the new Salon Gallery brings a bohemian touch to the bars-and-boutiques corridor. The One Series, a contemporary art exhibition that showcases “one work from one artist for one day is the kind of innovative, intriguing premise that seems more at home on St. Claude than on Magazine, but curators Kathy Rodriguez, Emily Farranto, and Natalie Sciortino-Rinehart hope to move the contemporary art conversation Uptown, at least for a few weeks.

by Mary-Devon Dupuy

For Uptowners that love to go out for margs and queso, as well as those of us who love a good pun, we’re sorry to be the bearers of bad news. After nine years of serving the shoppers and diners of the Garden District some of their favorite Mexican fare, Nacho Mama’s shut down its location at 3242 Magazine St. earlier this week.

by Shay Sokol

A woman that one victim said was wearing a tight black dress and a fedora robbed three United Cab drivers at gunpoint in the Irish Channel early this morning, police said. In the first incident, a cab driver arrived in the 2400 block of Chippewa to pick up a fare called in via dispatch at 3:13am. A black female entered the cab and pulled out a pistol.

The coffee at Rue de la Course is strong, but not as strong as the lure of a liquor license.

UPTOWN - New Orleans' Dive of Dives lost its grande dame this week. Florence Brigham, owner of The Club Ms. Mae’s until she sold in 2010, died Sunday at 83. One regular, calling herself Sally Trapezoid, talked of Ms. Mae as a stool queen surrounded by riff-raff and her club as a “shitshow surrounded by a woman who should be serving tea.”

by Ryan Sparks

Though a few months overdue, Magasin opened its doors at the corner of Magazine and Milan Sts. for a launch party Friday night that was attended by eager invitees and post-parade curiousity seekers. The contemporary Vietenamese café had a fairly soft opening earlier in the day, but a good crowd showed up to mingle and taste sample-sized offerings from the menu.

Sadly, Abita's Carnival-ready canned beer won't be released widely in time for Saturday's profane procession through the Marigny and French Quarter. However, the north shore brewery is giving New Orleanians a taste of the canned version of its iconic brew this week. Abita is planning a pub crawl Friday that starts at the Magazine Street Bulldog for canned Amber, moves to Balcony Bar for Jockamo IPA and finally to the rendevous for Purple Haze.