Pictures from New Orleans

It occurred to me that I visited New Orleans over six weeks ago but never wrote anything about it. Better late than never, I suppose.

Anyway, last month's visit was my fourth trip to the Crescent City since it was flooded by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Every time I go back I see that the city is indeed recovering, however slowly: more businesses are open, more tourists are exploring the French Quarter, more houses are occupied and fewer FEMA trailers are seen in front yards or in parking lots. This isn't to say that the city has completely recovered, of course; as of a year ago it was still slightly less than half of its 2000 size in terms of population and evidence of the hurricane's devastation is still not very difficult to find.


But I wasn't there to painstakingly evaluate the city's on-going recovery; I was there to have a good time with my family. Given the trauma and stress of the previous weeks, a few days of taking it easy in the Big Easy was a good idea for everyone. So after attending a conference in Chicago, I flew down to join my mom, dad, wife, son, brother and brother-in-law for a short vacation.

My brother-in-law Danny had never been to New Orleans before, and my brother David hadn't been there since he was a small child. It didn't take them very long to get acquianted with the French Quarter and its many bars and restaurants. Because my parents' timeshare is close to the French Quarter, in fact, we spent most of our time there. Due to its architecture, its ecclectic mix of uses and its history, the Vieux Carre really is one of the nicest neighborhoods in the United States. Even in the pouring rain.Vacationing in New Orleans with small children presents some dilemmas, since there are some parts of the city that are decidedly not kid-friendly. Bourbon Street is an obvious example. One evening all of us went to a restaurant on said street for dinner; I guess we were too hungry to give much thought as to whether it would be appropriate for Kirby. The restaurant turned out to be fine, but as we finished our meal, took Kirby outside through the raucous and drunken Bourbon Street hordes, and returned to our timeshare, Lori couldn't help but comment that she felt like a bad parent for exposing her innocent toddler to the depravity and debauchery that is Bourbon Street. The following evening, however, I found myself back on Bourbon Street with David and Danny, and as we walked down the street I overheard another woman, her small child in hand, say exactly the same thing. So I've come to the conclusion that a lot of small children have been exposed to Bourbon Street at night, and that it probably isn't a big deal as long as it is limited.

To be honest, David, Danny and I liked the bars right off Bourbon Street better than the ones on the street itself. They were smaller, quieter, more friendly and the drinks were maybe a little cheaper, too. They were neighborhood-type bars, as opposed to the tourist-oriented bars on Bourbon Street itself. Pat O'Briens is overrated.

Like any good visitor to New Orleans, we spent as much time eating as we did drinking. I finally got to eat at Tujague's on Decatur Street, which was so good I'm already looking forward to eating there again the next time I visit the city. Mothers, at the corner of Poydras and Tchapitoulas, used to be one of our favorite restaurants, but they've jacked their prices up so much since Katrina that we don't eat there that often anymore. Cafe Maspero on Decatur is just as good and less expensive, but I could do without their "we have to keep it real so we don't take credit cards" policy. Cafe du Monde is overrated.

Service on the historic St. Charles streetcar line had been restored as far as Carrollton when we visited. Shortly after we left the remaining portion of the streetcar's route was put back into service. The St. Charles streetcar now fully operational, almost three years after Katrina. Until the red replica streetcars that were used on the Riverfront and Canal lines and which were flooded by Katrina are completely repaired, the olive green Perleys are operating along the entire rail network. Pretty good for vehicles manufactured back in 1923. Kirby called the streetcars "trains." At his age, everything that rides on rails is a "train." He enjoyed riding them, while I enjoyed looking at the stately homes lining St. Charles Avenue. A couple of men sat on the front porch of this house, watching the cars, joggers, bicyclists and streetcars ply up and down the boulevard: Lori wanted to take a "real" swamp tour, so I went along with her. We drove several miles south of New Orleans to the Intracoastal Waterway and got in an airboat with several other people and a local guide with a rather thick local accent. Lori and I struggled to understand him, so we have no idea if the two people from England who were part of our tour understood anything he said at all. Not that it mattered; the beauty of the Louisiana swamp spoke for itself:
Our guide took us to a lake where some "friends" of his lived. One them climbed up the side of the boat to say hello, causing many people on the boat to scream.Alligators like marshmallows, by the way. They are white, which makes them easy for the noctournally-sighted reptile to see, and they float on top of the water, which makes them easy to approach and eat. Whether marshmallows are actually good for alligators is, of course, a different story.

Aside from the re-opening of the last portion of the St. Charles streetcar line, we also missed the grand opening of the Audubon Insectarium by one week. Since it was on the French Quarter side of Canal Street in the old US Customs House, we passed by it everyday. It looked interesting through the windows and we thought that it might have been something Kirby would enjoy. Maybe next year.

The last day we were there we took a paddlewheel cruise down the Mississippi River. Traveling down the Mississippi, and seeing all the wharves, ships, industries and in action, reinforces the concept that New Orleans, as the port at the mouth of the Mississippi River, is absolutely crucial to the economy of the United States of America. Hurricanes or no, the existence of New Orleans is not negotiable. Yet, even as it struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina, it continues to face threats: wetlands erosion, old and unsafe levees, and indifferent or even hostile national attitudes towards its recovery and well-being. That is indeed unfortunate, because for all its problems, it really is one of the most vital and unique cities in the country, if not the world.

Yes, New Orleans, you are beautiful.