Charles streetcar, visit the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas or Audubon Zoo and take a brief interlude at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

BBC: Daily deal: The charming heart of New Orleans

Long before the storm, Ripple and his partners had established their firm as a highly respected regional player in architecture and design -- jointly renovating and expanding the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Fair Grounds Race Course and the Aquarium of the Americas.

CNN: Businessman bets $150k to help high school

The philanthropic banker had met the couple after founding the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas, and soon invited them to join the International Council of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

WSJ: A Noble Cause | The Art of Giving