Since there wasn’t a legitimate parking lot, we were forced to park behind the building … under a flickering streetlight … next to a Dumpster. And when we got out, we were accosted for change. All good signs for the night’s adventure.

It’s a shame,” Sam Jupiter said with a heavy sigh. The 92-year-old barber took a step back from behind the customer sitting in the barber chair and set the clippers down on the counter. He pulled a small white towel from his side pocket and wiped sweat from his weathered cheeks and neck.

A nonprofit called the Mothership Foundation helps Louisiana and New Orleans residents achieve a higher quality of life.

On nights when Chris Hannah works the bar, his choreographed ballet behind the counter creates drinks where every sip could be likened to a waltz through the French Quarter, leaving each patron with a little more bounce in their step.

“Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” said Earl Bernhardt three days after a fire closed the doors of his Tropical Isle Original, the iconic Bourbon Street establishment that is a symbol of much that is New Orleans.