So, it looks like ol' New Orleans is going to get douched again.  Shit.  Not that we live there anymore, but the city still holds a special place in my heart.  It's where the Mrs. and I got married.  It's basically where we started our lives together.  So, it's always disheartening to see Mother Nature fuck the "City that care forgot" over and over again.

Say what you will about NOLA but the culture and vibe of the city sinks into your being after you've lived there a while.  When I first moved to the bayou I friggin' hated it.  It was dirty, stinky, crowded, and full of free-loading criminal-types.  However, over time I began to see the true city.  There are caring, wonderful people all over the place down there that would take you in in a heartbeat and treat you as family.  There are wonderful places to eat, see live music and wander around aimlessly.  I love that city...the city that I once hated.

I could never live there again.  Only because of Mama Nature.  Not because of the city itself.  I miss it often and get back to visit friends when I can.  Hopefully, next year there will still be someplace to visit and at least one chef able to put bbq shrimp on my plate.

Good luck, New Orleans.  You're gonna need it.

So, Saturday was pretty much like we never left.  It's strange to visit a place where you have lived and then, seemingly, just drop right back into your former life.  But, that's pretty much what happened.

Parking at the casino, for safety and parking difficulty reasons, we bypassed the gaming floor and set right out for the French Quarter.  The sights, the smells, and the sounds of the quarter were pretty much as we left them.  At least one part of the city hadn't really changed.  We walked, seemingly forever, after having a light breakfast at our favorite coffee place.  Blasphemers that we are, Jenn and I both prefer CC's coffee on Royal Street for java.  Most people would pick the venerable Cafe Du Monde every time.  Not us.  However, the two might both carry coffee but they truly are a different animal.

I was happy to see some quality fine art.  Royal St is the best in NOLA for seeing good art (you locals down there don't give me crap about Magazine St.) and I was inspired to get back to work on some of my own.  It's been too long since I've opened a tube of paint or even picked up an art pencil.  I am way out of practice...

The Quarter was definitely the same and I liked that.  Panhandlers bugged us (tell them you are local, they'll leave you alone) and I could smell vomit/shit on every block.  Still the same.

Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Sat except we ate at different places.  Visiting N'Awlins was like taking a culinary trip back to a former life.  Crawfish, good seafood (the shrimps on the Cape are nothing compared to this), beignets, etc....  I think we both gained a pound a day down there, even with all that walking.

More later...

Much love

JR

Now that I am back in East Tenn and have had a chance to digest my trip down to the big Easy I shall recount (to my best ability).

Little Mona (who grows by the day) is a spectacular traveling dog.  She was a little restless as we left Tennessee but calmed down and chilled out until we got to LA.  The trip, in itself, is relatively easy. It's not like a marathon drive that I make every now and then to Massachusetts but it's not a shorty either.

We rolled into Slidell around sunset and watched the sky glow a pinkish orange as we crossed over the twin spans into Orleans parish.  It was pretty and you really couldn't see much in the way of destruction, yet.  The bridges did have stretches of metal grating that reminded you that this bridge might not yet be quite as stable as I would like.  Anyway, going into the city I was fully expecting the worst and my stomach sat heavy as we entered New Orleans East. 

East New Orleans was fucked up by the flooding.  How else can that be stated? What was once a bustling suburb of the city is now a ghost town.  East NOLA was once full of middle class homes and people working hard to make a living.  Now, it is skeletons of homes and nary a soul in sight.  New Orleans East, once vibrant, is now fucking creepy.  Kind of like those "end of the world"-type movies (whose names escape me right now).

One thing about expecting the worst is that I am often disappointed (in a good way).  I never get the worst and that is always good.  The only truly freaky thing I saw on the way into Chalmette was the old Six Flags park.  It looked like a scene straight out of I am Legend and gave me the heebiejeebies.  Other than that, the drive through the Michoud area was much like when I left. 

We arrived at Rita's house and surveyed the neighborhood.  Before the storm, her 'hood was pretty much a lower (lower) middle class neighborhood.  Now, many of the homes (up to 90% of the them) are gutted or renovated and you can tell that this neighborhood is on it's way to being solidly middle class.  It's pretty fucking nice when compared to NOLA standards.  There are scattered houses scheduled for complete demo but this isn't a bad thing.  The owners have had two and a half years to do something (anything) to their homes and have failed to do so.  The parish is now taking those fucked up houses down and letting the neighborhoods grow.  Good.

That's it for now.  My fingers are tired and I'm sure you are sick of my rambling.  Until part II, see ya!

JR 

The streetcars in New Orleans are apparently back running.  I believe that the importance of this fact cannot be understated.  The people of New Orleans love their streetcars and the clattering of those ancient carriages is one of the eccentricities of the city.  Now, over two years after the storm, the cars are back in a limited capacity.  Not running nearly their full length, service to the fine folks of New Orleans is back running.  Good for them.

I spent a little less than two years in the Crescent City (or Chocolate City, if you will) and absolutely hated it at first.  But, as with any other virus, the pulse of the city sucks you in and infects you, effectively making it difficult to leave.  My wife and I left a year before the storm and, at the time, were very upset about having to go.  It turned out to be a blessing, obviously.  We did, however, have many friends that weren't so lucky and are, thankfully, now back on their feet.  We had great times in the city and can't wait to get back for a visit.  I am extremely pleased to see something as seemingly simple as a street car operating.  This is big for the city, good for you N'Awlins.  I miss ya!