Or as the locals speak it, N’Awlins! Through a fortuitous series of events, both my wife and I had conferences in N’Awlins this week. Mine Mon-Wed, her’s Wed-Fri. So here we are in the city we got engaged and married in on a fully paid business trip. Mmmm, free travel, room and board, mmmm.
This is the first chance we’ve had to come down since Katrina. While in some ways things seem fairly normal. I haven’t seen any dead bodies or flooded streets. Still, the town also affectionately known as Ghost Town USA is eerily changed. The energy is radically different. There’s an almost palpable empty feeling hanging in certain areas. Many stores in the French Quarter are now vacant, something unheard of before Katrina. We spoke with several shop owners, (fortunately some of our favorites are still here), and they had plenty to say about the situation. Some benefitted from the tragedy in that businesses which paked up and left created vacancies to fill on major thoroughfares like Decatur and Royal.
One example is Road Kill, a clothing shop specializing in Goth & Biker Trash style clothing, (Dragonfly, Lucky 13, Demonia, etc). They were able to punch a hole through the back of their original store through to a vacancy on Decatur. Ordinarily this would’ve been very expensive, but the depressed economy has made it a lessee’s market. Still, the owner admitted that they were all hanging on by their fingernails, but hopeful that things would work out. He’s forced to live in one of his warehouses as his home was under 6 feet of water and is basically ruined.
Another thing of note is how some shops have remained open and in theme, but with new names/owners. Wicked Orleans, formerly Gargoyles, is pretty much the same shop as before, (another Goth/Rockabilly clothing shop). The owners spoke of their experiences during the storm, such as being unable to return until late October and still having no electricity until mid November. Even they said that despite being die hard New Orleanians, thet if such a storm were to occur again that they might pack it in and leave the city for good.
Kistchy tourist shops are loaded to the gills with T-Shirts proclaiming everything from FEMA: Find Every Mexican Available and Make Levees, Not War to U.S Out of Louisiana: If at first you don’t secede, try try again. I understand that there were a number of very anti-Bush and anti-Nagin shirts as well, but they were removed after gov’t pressure was applied, indicating that such sentiments posed an risk of inciting civil disobedience. Well Mr. Bush and Mr. Nagin, if the shirt fucking fits…
Many of the common side streets in and out of the quarter, such a Iberville where it crosses Dectur toward the riverfront and aquarium, are seemingly dicey once the populace starts moving about and outright frightening at night. I’m not a timid nor small man. At 6 foot + and well into the 200 pound range, I rarely feel intimidated. I’ve never felt intimidated or fearful here in my home away from home until now. The people with jobs are all as cordial and friendly as they’ve ever been. The panhandlers of pre-Katrina are much fewer in number while the desperately haunted look on the increased number of remaining street wanderers is enough to make one look for another avenue to stroll about. It is the first time I have ever felt fear, disdain and sympathy at war in the same emotional space.
We really haven’t ventured outside the quarter. In fact, we’ve taken a number of evening cab rides back to our hotel where in days past we would walk everywhere, from Snug Harbor on Frenchman to The Funky Butt on Rampart to The House of Blues on Decatur. Never a care for time of day or amount of traffic. I can say with certainty that those days are no longer this day. Maybe again, but not now.
On a lighter note my Etufee-a-day meal program is still in full swing, (sadly, Pere Antoine which was always my first etufee on every trip is nowhere near par from before and that tradition may be coming to an end). Lunch at Napolean House was still fabulous as was dinner at Dickie Brennan’s. Most of my meals have been via the conference and I’m happy to say that the same reason we chose to cater our wedding in N’Awlins holds true for conference food. There are no bad meals in this town. Etufee and Tiramisu in a buffet style lunch? Hot damn, y’all!
While I may have ranted about some bad things, the city is STILL the best eating and best music on the planet. This town needs everyone’s help to get back on it’s feet. Come down, spend some money and help this historical icon come back to life. Just don’t walk the streets alone.
Laissez les bon temps roulent ENCORE!
