The New New Orleans
So we've spent 2 nights, about 1.5 days, in New Orleans. I had visited twice before, for the annual neuroscience conference, both times pre-Katrina. Suffice it to say that nothing noticeable has changed, at least to my memory and in the downtown areas that we walked through (Garden District, Warehouse District, French Quater, and Faubourg Marigny). It's a pretty city in parts, but often right next door to a pretty part is a crappy looking part. I don't think that was Katrina's hand as much as it is piling poverty upon richness - a common theme in the south.
New Orleans definitely isn't a place I could live. It's missing something for me. But we enjoyed the cajun food (Mother's), the jazz and blues (Snug Harbor), the coffee and beignets (Cafe du Monde). I'm looking forward pushing off, deeper into cajun country. It's hard to get to know locals in a place where everyone's a tourist; I'd rather stick to the smaller cities and towns.
posted by Michael A. Repucci @ 9:51 AM
3 Comments:
I'm waiting to hear about frog legs and gator tail - come on Mike, don't disappoint me!
Just caught up on your blog last night. I had technical difficulties (with my brain, that is) locating the blog. Duh.
THANKS FOR BLOGGING!!!
The first week in March, four colleagues and I attended a conference at the N.O. Convention Center. We toured the city by foot for the first few days and found as you did that the French Quarter seemed relatively unscathed. But then we got in the car. We circumnavigated the city; following the river along Tchopatoulas, up Carrolton to Lakeview and then following the canal from Ponchatrain down into the 9th Ward. Even the Garden District still had some "marked" houses but the most shocking part of the tour was the Lower 9th Ward. Although a few folks had brought their homes back to life, many of their neighbors homes were hollow shells marked with the city's "red X" for demolition. Even some restored homes were marked for demolition. We saw "TFW" on so many homes that we googled its meaning on a blackberry - Toxic Flood Waters. The area around Desire St. north of Florida Ave looked like it had been bombed out. Two years later the flooded areas of New Orleans were a very sorry sight to see. Check out your google map and you can still get a birds-eye view. One passenger in my car, a Brit from Haverhill UK, was so shocked by the continued devastation, he donated to local Katrina relief before leaving town.
the trip sounds great so far but i am a little dismayed that the highlight for my daughter seems to be the discovery BOURBON !
and high end bourbon!
The freedom of he trip sounds fantastic. What's the next stop?
Love
DaDDDdddddddd
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