Return To New Orleans 4: Instead of expanding on the blow-by-blow begun yesterday, I will boil my trip down to the observations that stand out the most. Other than that, I was in my home and at Fahy’s (home #2) and you probably don’t want a treatise on the right combination of ambient temperature and background noise that helps me enjoy my recliner best, as well as who’s getting married, having a baby and whatnot. This is, of course, very telling information in itself – couples are uniting in matrimony, little humans are popping out (at Touro and Ochsner), the grass is growing and recliners are being … reclined on. Rebound, bounce back, life goes on, the healing is on.
But, there are miles more to go, as you will soon see. Pictures taken during the visit are in this Flickr photoset and HERE [placeholder].
Uptown Indian restaurant, Nirvana, was packed! Be it due to the somewhat large volume of people moving back to the dry areas or others’ lack of appliances and amenities, this restaurant was packed as were others Uptown and in the French Quarter, Garden District and the Marigny. Almost all of the businesses on Magazine St. are open, including really esoteric and expensive boutiques and even a chandelier store. Except for the streetcars, St. Charles Avenue looks relatively normal, almost like the first weekend of Mardi Gras just went through it.
This was taken in Mid-City. In fact, the picture was taken at the intersection of Carrollton Ave. and Orleans Ave. just west of City Park. If you look closely, some of the houses are occupied and being worked on while others have no owners. The previously-brown grass is starting to get green now – all isn’t caked with mud (and dismal) any more.
This house lives in the Lower Ninth Ward just west of the St. Bernard parish line. Or should I say died there. As J and I drove over the Industrial Canal just south of the levee break, all we could think in unison was, “Oh lord, what planet are we on?” Blue tarps, FEMA trailers and rotten destruction as far as the tear-filled eye can see. Through all of this, the juxtaposition of destruction and recovery was simply mind-boggling: all of the main throughfares have been cleared of debris (the better for big trucks to speed on and not observe traffic signs – jerks) while many homes that were destroyed simply sit there. But, St. Bernard Parish is coming back, the banner says. Never say never.
With a mold-related hack the new disease of the Lower Ninth and St. Bernard Parish, Julie and I travelled up and down the streets with the jeep’s windows rolled up and the air off. Sweltering in the vehicle’s lack of ventilation, I was about to complain when a woman walked out of a tiny FEMA trailer to walk her dog on the greenest patch of grass available nearby. If that woman can live in that air and care for herself and her wee pet with a destroyed home nearby, I could take a few more minutes of sitting in a greenhouse. Ruination and recovery everywhere.
This is southeastern Louisiana as I see it today. The sliver of Orleans Parish on the river, many towns across Lake Pontchartrain and parishes west of us are steadily coming back to life. The grass is getting greener in Mid-City and Gentilly, even though many homes sit vacant wondering if their owners will ever come back to claim them. Do you want to be the only one on your block to rebuild? Lakeview, New Orleans East, Gentilly, the Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish have mountains to climb and their fate is still up in the air. Money doesn’t grow on trees, especially ones that cannot even support leaves now, idea implementation doesn’t happen overnight and the Rebuild vs. Green Area debate rages.
New Orleans is the safest it has ever been, while crime is on a protracted rise as old residents and new enter the city. Funny (now) but scary (then) story: Although I had told her that I was coming home this weekend, C suspected intruders when she heard the heat on and noises at my place, unlocked the door between our homes, and set off the alarm causing my heart to claim territory next to my tonsils. “Hi, Maitri. I didn’t know you were home.” J and I almost killed poor C for checking on suspicious activity on her own.
Moral of the safety tale: Everyone’s on edge. As in any big city, don’t walk by yourself and use your common sense when journeying by car or bicycle or on foot. Tell your friends where you are going to be and when so they expect you. A little awareness and advance preparation go a long way. Don’t, for heaven’s sake, purchase a firearm if you are untrained: it’s overkill, it will more than likely be used on you, and everyone’s touchy as it is. Operator-error gun deaths are not necessary, especially not now.
New Orleanians will trickle back in during the months ahead. While it’s easy to label the current goings-on as the future face of New Orleans (understandably, what the brain desires at this point is pause), all we will see is change, change and more change. Be prepared for it.
