New Orleans
I spent a few days in New Orleans for a friend's wedding. The wedding was a lot of fun. Seeing New Orleans was kind of bittersweet. Even if you don't go on a "disaster tour" through the worst hit neighborhoods (I didn't), signs of the pain the city is going through are everywhere. Lots of boarded up shops, streetlamps still lying on the ground, signs for closed businesses waving in the wind. I walked into what was advertised as a cute cafe, but inside it had been turned into a homeless shelter. But that could easily have happened back in the old days too -- in fact, In places it was kind of hard to tell what was Katrina related and what was simply long-term decay.
On the other hand there is a strong sense of determination to build back, as well as pride and anger. Bourbon Street still rocks every night, even though during the day sometimes it feels like an off-season beach town. (Some would say it felt that way before the hurricane too as its regulars slept off their daily hangover.)
The town still has its air of mystery and willingness to embrace everything. Strangers still come up and talk to you. We popped into a bar where a band was playing "Living in the Limelight," by Rush (where else except perhaps a Canadian redneck bar?) and someone asked me if my blazer was too hot (we'd just come from the wedding) and someone else was happy that we knew the words to that song, and said she'd rather hang out with us than her friends. Only in New Orleans. Of course, the guy walking down the street saying loudly to himself and the world, "I just got into and out of jail on the same day!" was exactly what you'd expect too.
The symbol pictured was painted on the side of houses as they were searched in the weeks following Katrina. The figures in the X represent the date of the search, the National Guard unit or other entity that conducted the search; the other number represents the number of dead bodies found in the house. You see these signs everywhere too.
I took a bunch of pictures, mostly with my cameraphone. They are all here.
To conclude, there is a lot of talk of rebuilding New Orleans now, but people also seem to feel like they've been forgotten. But perhaps the biggest threat to the city isn't future hurricanes, but reconstruction gone wrong -- if they decide to turn it into Times Square, a Disney version of its former rough-edged self.
On the other hand there is a strong sense of determination to build back, as well as pride and anger. Bourbon Street still rocks every night, even though during the day sometimes it feels like an off-season beach town. (Some would say it felt that way before the hurricane too as its regulars slept off their daily hangover.)
The town still has its air of mystery and willingness to embrace everything. Strangers still come up and talk to you. We popped into a bar where a band was playing "Living in the Limelight," by Rush (where else except perhaps a Canadian redneck bar?) and someone asked me if my blazer was too hot (we'd just come from the wedding) and someone else was happy that we knew the words to that song, and said she'd rather hang out with us than her friends. Only in New Orleans. Of course, the guy walking down the street saying loudly to himself and the world, "I just got into and out of jail on the same day!" was exactly what you'd expect too.
The symbol pictured was painted on the side of houses as they were searched in the weeks following Katrina. The figures in the X represent the date of the search, the National Guard unit or other entity that conducted the search; the other number represents the number of dead bodies found in the house. You see these signs everywhere too.
I took a bunch of pictures, mostly with my cameraphone. They are all here.
To conclude, there is a lot of talk of rebuilding New Orleans now, but people also seem to feel like they've been forgotten. But perhaps the biggest threat to the city isn't future hurricanes, but reconstruction gone wrong -- if they decide to turn it into Times Square, a Disney version of its former rough-edged self.
