New Orleans Books

I would like to recommend two amazing books that I read about New Orleans that I think that you will enjoy, "Street Stories, by Jim Flynn" and "TIME Life Books, Katrina, The Aftermath" Street stories talks about the artists that live, breathe and make up the culture and city that is New Orleans. I was blessed enough to take a few photographs with, and of some of the artists in the book. Jim Flynn is also a Facebook friend of mine. You can view his information by logging into my friends and accepting him as a friend. He is about to write a second book continuing his focus on the street culture of new Orleans. (See the photos of New Orleans on my facebook page)

Final Notes

I must apologize for the delay in posting this blog for the New Orleans trip. Between work, teaching, photography, traveling, "honey do" lists and life, it was pretty difficult trying to post this blog. I told you about Denise who stated that it would probably take about ten years for the city to recover. Another person that I interviewed named "Bilal" shared his sentiments as well. "New Orleans is a great city filled with wonderful peopleand an exciting culture." No truer words have been spoken. You can see some of New Orleans finest paintings at the "Galerie d' Art Francais" located at 541 Rue Royale, New Orleans LA 70130.

New Orleans is a wonderful city filled with many different cultures that blend together perfectly. The people in New Orleans were very friendly and eager to answer almost all of my questions. I wanted to be sensitive to the fact that there are a lot of people that live here that lost friends and loved ones to Katrina. The signs are still evident as you view the photos that I took. When we toured the areas of devastation such as the 9th Ward, and the London District, you can still see the number of victims that perished. The markings are still present on the front doors, walls and other areas of each home.

As sad as this all is, it is comforting to know that the people in New Orleans are determined to fight for the revival of their city. We were present for the "Running of the Bulls." (See the photos "Running with the Bulls", and "The Matadors") This annual tradition features roller bladers chasing the would be bull fighters around the streets outside of Cafe Du Monde. It is a wonderful time shared by both participants and spectators. One must be careful as the bulls are wielding plastic baseball bats trying to protect themselves from the bull fighters. The bull fighters are not too upset as they prepare themselves for battle by drinking liquid beverages aimed at listing the spirits of all who participate. (ALCOHOL)

We experienced some of the best food that New Orleans had to offer. "Deanies" has great seafood. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere very lively. The fried seafood platter is something not to be missed. Bring your appetites as this restaurant serves plenty of food. Cafe Du Monde serves some of the best sweet treats. (Fried dough with confectionary sugar) The "Pralines Connection" located in the French Quarter serves some of the best soul food in New Orleans. The staff dresses in black and white slacks and shirts with very stylish hats adding to the ambiance of the restaurant. (See the photo entitled "Pralines") This is a favorite local hangout. Another great restaurant that had one of the best breakfast entree's in the Quarter was the "Royal House". (You can see the photo entitled "The Royal House with Scott")

With that being said there is a discrepancy about the number of levees that actually broke, the response of emergency personnel that did and did not arrive, and the number of people that passed away during this period. While riding around on the tour, I was able to obtain some fascinating data about the Katrina disaster. According to our driver:

• There were 33 breaches, not 3 (The Time Life book Which I read, and strongly recommend reading stated that there were far less breaches)



• Because of the crisis in the Gulf, reservists could not respond immediately to assist with the evacuation, rescue and recovery efforts of New Orleans



• There was looting on both sides of the bridge and as a result had to be barricaded by police (According to the Time Life book, it could not easily be determined whether or not looting was committed as a result of survival, or as of a result of some sort of criminal nature)



• Students that attended local schools and universities could not obtain their school records for over a year



• Businesses that tried to return to the region couldn't because there were no workers to perform the tasks



• 80% of the people would eventually return to their homes



• Camp Gray and Lake Vista did not flood



• The French Quarter received flooding and some damaged windows, but no significant structural damage to report



• Over 100, 000 vehicles and 100, 000 pets were lost



• Louisiana is the #2 exporter of natural gas.



• 80% of grains are produced in Louisiana



• There used to be 122 schools in Louisiana, now there are only 61 schools



• When the levees broke, the water was 10-12 feet high

One person that I interviewed believed that over 30,000 people perished as a result of the storm. As that number sounds very high, and a direct contradiction of the reported number of people that were estimated killed, there is still no way to accurately document the names and identities of everyone that was reported missing or found dead. As I visited the 9th Ward, which unfortunately is also known as the "Poverty Stricken" area of new Orleans, you can clearly see the destruction and devastation that took place. Homes that are marked with the letter "X", and have notes written on the outside of them have the information of the victims, if any, written on the outside for information purposes. (See the photo "An Abandoned Home Visited")

In fairness, even before the storms and flood waters came through, the 9th Ward area has been neglected for many years now. In some cases it was difficult to tell what structures were hit by the storms and what areas were simply abandoned. (See the photos entitled "A Condemned Home, and An Abandoned Storefront")

With all of this being said, my wife and I really enjoyed our visit to New Orleans. We hope to visit the city again in a couple of years. Some of the businesses have closed down, but for the ones that remain open, the owners are as resiliant and determined as ever to survive. As the recession has also hit this city like many other cities across the country, New Orleans is struggling a little bit, but like other parts of the country, I look forward to seeing New Orleans making a great comeback. This area is too important to just simply forget about. The rich culture, great food and amazing people make New Orleans a great weekend getaway.

There are other great things taking place in New Orleans just as you are reading this blog. I had the pleasure of taking some quick shots of a wedding that was taking place in the french Quarter. Take a look at the limo that brought most of the guests to the event. Look at the faces of the people that were in attendance. If this doesnt explain the true essence of New Orleans, nothing will. (Look at the photos marked "Wedding") There are also several street artists that make these streets their home. They perform everyday for the love of the music, and for a couple of dollars to help them survive in the city.

Introduction

First I want to say thank you for taking the time out to read my blog. I want to reiterate that I want you to get a better understanding of what is going on in New Orleans so that you may consider it once again as a viable place to take a vacation. We went on a tour of the city. We visited areas that were directly hit by Hurricane Katrina. During the tour we only stopped once for a bathroom/food break. When we were passing by the locations we could not get off of the bus to take pictures. The pictures that you are about to view on my facebook page in regards to the devastation show only some of the devastation that took place. I did not feel that it was necessary to bog down the reader with devastating images that we have seen unfortunately too many times. If you really want to see more images like that, I have recommended some literature for you to read. I hope that this blog provides enough curiosity to make you want to visit New Orleans for yourelf.

New Orleans 2009

We decided to go to New Orleans this year for several reasons. First, it is one of our favorite cities to visit. Second, the food is second to none. Third, ever since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the amount of people visiting New Orleans has diminished. We got a great rate for air and hotel. If you use Jet Blue, you can get a great price on a combination trip. (Airfare and Hotel) Don't bother renting a car if you are staying in the French Quarter. It is too expensive. Between the new surcharges allocated to rental cars, increases in gas prices, insurance liability, expensive parking garage fees at hotels and the overall inability to park on the street, you are better off walking, riding the trolley, or taking a cab.



Besides enjoying the city, we wanted to find out what really happened after Katrina. I spoke with a woman named "Denise" as we arrived at the airport in New Orleans. She stated that the city is still a wonderful city to visit, and an even better place to live. We asked her about Katrina because we wanted to know what was going on in the city. She informed us that the city received money to rebuild, but now the recession is hitting them. She believes that it will take ten years for the city to come back. (By 2015)