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New Orleans almost 3 years later…
By admin | April 1, 2008
As I write this I am sitting in lobby of the Crowne Astor Hotel in New Orleans, LA. It’s an old building which has weathered quite a lot, and survived. Katrina tried awfully hard to bring her down, but her she stands, fresh paint in the lobby, lovely chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and people of several different nationalities and cultures wandering about in the lobby.
Out the front door is Canal Street. The usual hustle and bustle of a big city downtown main street, but with that special laid back New Orleans attitude that makes you realize why they call it the “Big Easy.” People take their time down here. It is frustrating I am sure for those who come from other big cities, but down here you might as well get used to slowing down and going with the flow.
The rear entrance to the hotel leads directly to Bourbon Street. It’s about 8:30 PM, and there’s a Dixieland band playing outside the door. I’m talking full brass section, drums, sax, and the mood is festive. Bourbon Street is closed off to vehicles, and people are walking through the middle of the street laughing and enjoying what you can only get one place in the world: a stroll down Bourbon Street after dark.
I remember not too long after Katrina reading an article about New Orleans being “gone forever.” A young attorney had moved his practice out of New Orleans and proclaimed it a “total loss, never to return.” The reasoning being that the people who could afford to leave would, and the city would lose its economic base leaving behind a bunch of poor folks. Dead city…
And then there were the politics. I don’t know if I have ever seen a natural disaster so politicized. I’m not a fan of Bush, and some of the things that happened seemed like a huge screw up, but I don’t know if things would have been any better with someone else in office. Katrina was not your ordinary disaster…
New Orleans is not going anywhere. No, New Orleans is more than that. Even Katrina could not kill the spirit of this city. The history of the city predates America as a nation, and the city has cultural influences that go back to the European Colonial period. It has also played a key role in American History as well. The famous Johnny Horton song “The Battle of New Orleans” muses about the decisive war of 1812 where the young American State defeated the British, and carved out it’s place as a new, powerful nation:
In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.
We looked down the river and we see’d the British come.
And there must have been a hundred of’em beatin’ on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring.
We stood by our cotton bales and didn’t say a thing.
Old Hickory said we could take ‘em by surprise
If we didn’t fire our muskets ’til we looked ‘em in the eye
We held our fire ’til we see’d their faces well.
Then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave ‘em … well
We fired our guns and the British kept a’comin.
There wasn’t nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin’ on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn’t go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn’t catch ‘em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
–Battle of New Orleans, Johhny Horton
I love New Orleans for what it is culturally. It is Creole, it is multiculturalism. It is about different people from different places forming a distinct attitude. Jazz originated here, and New Orleans jazz is in a class by itself. New Orleans has always been progressive being one of the first cities to allow slaves to obtain freedom. Before America’s bloody civil war, there were a number of free people of color in New Orleans. Progressive, yet true to its historical culture. Many of the streets are named for the royal houses of France and Catholic saints. Contrary to popular belief, Bourbon Street is named not after the alcoholic beverage, but rather after the Royal House of Bourbon, the family then occupying the throne in France.
The city has also given us a lot from an economic standpoint, too. it has one of the world’s busiest ports, and has played an important role in the petroleum industry, and NASA’s space exploration.
Things are not completely back to normal. The electric busses that used to go up and down Canal Street were no where to be seen. I asked the young bell hop that helped me get parked what happened, and he said, in an almost embarrassed tone “they’re still being repaired…”But he also added,” when we finally get through building this place, it’s going to be the best New Orleans ever!”
Considering the rich history this city has had, that’s saying a lot…but something tells me it’s true!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:05 pm
I spent plenty of time around New Orleans while earning two degrees from New Orleans Baptist Seminary. New Orleans is truly unique in music, food, accent, style of houses, and other distinctives.
The adage about visiting a place but not living there certainly sums up my feelings on New Orleans. Your article is well written.
April 5th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
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