New Orleans, or N’awlins as its pronounced locally, is a strangely
beautiful and elegantly decaying city.
Visiting immediately after Hurricane Isaac may bias my view, but while
there is no doubt an obvious recent injury and weariness to the city, its
possible to see that N’awlins is a tough, gutsy, spirited and sexy ‘in your
face’ old lady. I gained access to the
city’s gateway two days after Isaac swung by, and was consequently confronted
by breathtaking water levels, flood damage, uprooted trees and devastated
washed away railway lines. The locals I
spoke with in the wonderful array of bars, commented that Isaac was worse than
Katrina only in as much as Katrina blew through with horrific and devastating
speed; whereas Isaac came in, lingered over the city for almost 24 hours,
dumping 20 plus inches and throwing his wind at the locals. As a result, the damage has been less
‘dramatic and interesting from a media perspective’ but more overwhelming and
soul destroying from a local’s perspective.
Power was out in many areas for over a week and the majority of locals I
met were escaping to the air-conditioned bars of Bourbon Street and the
Quarter, just for a breather from their chaos.
But despite that, N’awlins is beautiful and interesting and worth every
effect you make to visit. Its unique –
being a wonderful combination of gutsy French, spirited American and sexy
Creole/Cajun influences. It is full of
amazing and tragic but determined history that is evident in so many aspects of
the city from its architecture to its people.
For example there is one story of a fabulous old French Creole bird
named Micaela Almonester Pontalba who survived three balls in her chest, shot
by her father-in-law, but went on to build some of the most amazing and
beautiful buildings that still exist today.
Or Marie Laveau, the most famous of all New Orleans voodooiennes (mind
reader, witch or witch-doctor, or voodoo queen) who now has a museum
established entirely around her voodoo and history. The cemeteries are fascinating and one of the
most visited grave sites is old Marie’s.
This old world mystique flavors the new, and the locals I shared a
wine with are equally tough, spirited and determined. New Orleans is their home and hurricanes make
little difference to that. A bit like
N’Qlders really. They love their city,
its history and its value to what makes the South, the South. They aren’t going anywhere and thank you for
that.
I am a lover of New Orleans Jazz and its was like a dream come true
to visit Frenchman's Street and the Preservation Hall, and to see the streets
on which some of the greats started their journeys. The jazz I heard not only on street corners
from buskers but also in some of the great little bars was beautiful and heart
warming.
The Treme, French Quarter and Garden District all have scars and
recent injury, and there is crime, but this city deserves continued support and
visits. She is beautiful and yes, she is
tragic and damaged. But who isn’t
damaged right?
Glamorous no, but gilded and strangely stirring, you bet!!
