While the street has not entirely lost its grit, there is more to munch on than fast food and greasy burgers. Of course, eating along Canal is also getting better. New hotels and restaurants, as well as branded retail, are transforming the street for the good. Save for the opening of the Shops at Canal Place in 1983, Canal Street lost its luster. Like so many downtown shopping streets, Canal Street floundered as shoppers hit the suburbs and the urban economy downturned. Holmes, places where ladies lunched and shopped for daywear and Mardi Gras gowns. The wide avenue, with its pronounced neutral ground, was home to fancy department stores like Maison Blanche and D. A century ago, Canal Street was a swank retail hub for New Orleanians.
