Returning to New Orleans

This will be my third New Orleans blog post. It has now been nearly seven years since Katrina hit New Orleans and changed things forever. I make a point of coming back to New Orleans every few years because there is something about this city that is like none other.

The French Quarter today is as vibrant as ever. The rhythm of jazz fills Jackson Square. The steam calliope from the Natchez drowns out all the surrounding sounds. The booze still flow in the dive bars, sports bars and elegant hotel lounges. Policemen sit astride very tall horses while drunks sit on the curbside a few feet away. People sit in Café DuMonde sipping coffee and eating powdered sugar coated beignets. This is New Orleans, the way it is supposed to be and hopefully will remain. There may still be tension and pain remaining as Katrina’s legacy, but they are not visible to me as a tourist.

But once you leave the French Quarter, you see signs that this is a city still marred by a horrific tragedy. The Lower 9th Ward still show signs of obliteration, mixed with homes that have been reborn. Some are architecturally intriguing modern home with oblique angles and solar panels – a stark contrast to the early 20th century shot-gun houses that Katrina destroyed. Others appear to be replicas of what was there before, but only nicer. Along I-10, the signs of destruction still remain – office buildings, homes, shopping centers and big box stores – only shells of themselves.

We brought two other couples with us this trip, my fourth since Katrina and we are being “good tourists” and pumping some dollars into the local economy. Nice dinners, jazz clubs, sightseeing tours, museums – a great way to spend a weekend!