Worth Saving: New Orleans

I remember about a year after hurricane Katrina, some random talking head on CNN stated that it was his impression that New Orleans was a trashball of a city to begin with, so any attempts at rebuilding it should be met with a scoff, as it was better to wipe it off the map and start anew.  After spending the better part of a week meandering through the streets of that same city, I'd have to say that my opinion is of a greatly different variety.  

Which isn't to say New Orleans isn't a city with issues, because there are plenty of controllable and uncontrollable factors that dampen the mood when you're there.  What it does have is it's frothy mix of French, Creole, Spanish, Caribbean, and American culture, a charming personality that juxtaposes piety and decadence, unique architecture that feels mildly foreign and familiar all at the same time, and a citizenry that takes great pride in their city and what it stands for.

  That's a winning combination in my book, and one that is well worth the attention and focus needed to rebuild and renew.  

Bourbon Street is essentially the Mecca of touristy activity in New Orleans, and consequently me and my cadre spent every night marching up and down the street enjoying the delicious food and priced to go alcohol.  Being the non-drinker that I am, most of my personal enjoyment came from watching my co-workers get shit-faced and then spend the rest of the evening pretending that they weren't.  It's a business trip, and business trips shouldn't involve getting completely hammered.  At least according to them.  I guess when you hold a massive conference a few blocks off of Bourbon Street, the occurance of over indulgence is almost obligatory.  Night after night I watched them suck back on bottles and straws while weaving in and out of seedy bar after bar, filling to the brim with strippers, jazz musicians, and cross dressers.

  On Wednesday night we had the good (mis?)forture of watching the Swingers Parade proceed down the street, as shirtless men and women painted in green and purple demanded to see a variety of our body parts in exchange for cheap plastic beads.  Being the good boy that I am, I didn't really have an urge to flash anything, but ended up with quite a few beads regardless because they thought I was cute.  How sweet.

While stumbling to keep up with my co-workers one night, I happened to glance down a side street from Rue Bourbon.  One block over from the debauchery of the famed street was the building I have pictured just above.  When the sun sets, the church is layered in darkness save for a single light positoned right behind the statue of Jesus.  The projected light illuminates the statue with just the right strength and level of angelic glow to project a massive shadow of Jesus with outstretched, welcoming arms into the sky.

  As you stand at the intersection and look down the side street, you're swarming in the sinful delights of worldly pleasure all while the towering shadow of Jesus watches and judges silently one block away.  It's both eerie and pleasant all at the same time.  I'm not a religious person, but it's a bit awe inspiring to see the dual sights of Bourbon Street and the church all in a single glance.  That image encapsulates my feelings about New Orleans in a sole memory, the duality of indulgence and piety wrapped up in a single entity.  Just like all of us I guess.

When I wasn't following my co-workers around like some type of mother hen, providing water when needed and pointing out potential drunken stumbling areas, I tried to enjoy my time by walking around Jackson Square.  The square is part of a larger national park, and serves as a tribute to President Andrew Jackson, who led US forces against the British during the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.

  The battle was decisive in control of the Mississipi River, and was a turning point in the struggle.  The British casualties and wounded totaled over 2000, while the Americans suffered only 71.  For his role in the matter, Mr. Jackson has this lovely statue erected in the middle of the square between Bourbon Street, the Mississippi, and the French Market, and later went on to win the Presidency (for better or worse?) and the jewel of the Mississippi that is New Orleans remained in the possession of the United States.  Palm trees border the plaza proper and it provides a level of shade and comfort in the sweltering swamp heat, and was probably one of the most peaceful places I've been to sit and think.  

The French Market was a cute little diversion from all the revelry on Bourbon Street, too.  When someone mentioned it to me, I was expecting more of a farmer's market atmosphere, and instead what I found was a bit of a tourist trap, but an interesting trap none the less.  The highlight of the French Market is of course the original location of Cafe du Monde, the prime locale for these delightfully delicious pastries called beignets.  It's essentially a puffy doughnut that's been doused with way too much powdered sugar, and tastes almost identical to a funnel cake.  Which is a good thing, because honestly who doesn't love funnel cake?  I always got my order to go, because they throw the beignets into a paper bag and fill about 1/4 of it with powdered sugar, which allowed me to take a messy bite, throw the remainder of the doughnut back into the bag, shake with fervor, and take another equally messy bite.  The outlandish scene of row after row of adults covered from nose tip to chin in powdered sugar was worth the $2 for the beignets alone.  The lay out of the market in general is quaint, with a distinctly European flavor to the arrangement of the shops and the structure of the fountains and artwork.  I have really liked to have seen a few more unique stores thrown in among the more mundane offerings, but the stroll and shopping is pleasant regardless.

If you want unique local flavor for stores, I think the best place I found was a few block over from Bourbon street on Royal and Chartes.  The entire strip is littered with art galleries, pawn shops, and unique offerings you wouldn't find on any old street.  My favorite store that I stopped into was the Antique Gun & Rare Coin store, which sold ..... antique guns and rare coins.  Go figure.  I'm not really a rare coin collector, but old money has always fascinated me.  I saw a few pieces I would have loved to have purchased, but it was the kind of store that didn't display prices on their wares, and if you have to ask you can't afford it I figured.  They even had a few Roman and Judean coins that had been fashioned into necklaces, and I thought that was a fun and unique way to own something of that nature.  I'm sure it devalued the item tremendously, but the look of the coins made it seem like this had been done to them quite a long time ago and not by the dealer, and thus were doomed to their fate as jewelry for all times to come.

There wasn't much that bothered me about New Orleans.  The absolutely hateful humidity was probably the top complaint on my list.  The vaguely annoying habit of the inhabitants overly stressing the French background of their city did start to grate on my nerves a bit.  Dude, I get it, it's a cafe au lait, not a latte in your neck of the woods.  I'm only here visiting though, so get off your "haut cheval " and let me drink my LATTE in peace.  Kthanks.  I think the antiquated sewage system that had a tendency to spew completely unpleasant odors into your face at the most random of moments rounded out the top 3 negatives in my book.  Other then that though, I'd have to say I'd be very happy to return to New Orleans in the future, which makes it the third city this year I've seen that I enjoyed and would return to.  I'm not 100% sure I'd want to return during Mardi Gras or Southern Decadence though.  My Clark Kent, mild mannered self might have a seizure if I was faced with gratuitous penis and boobage for days on end.

More photos of New Orleans (and my trip to Denver) are available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leorawrs81/