If you drive into New Orleans from the east, you see remaining evidence of Katrina’s devastation (see my previous post). But if you enter from the west, you get a completely different impression.
Metairie and Kenner, two of the major communities west of New Orleans, had much less damage and flooding than the Crescent City. That damage is mostly repaired now and the drive along I-10 looks much like it did before Katrina. That is the view seen by tourists who arrive by plane (the airport is in Kenner). It is possible to land there, take a hotel shuttle or rental car to a downtown hotel, see dozens of tourist attractions, drive past universities, sample great food and drink and never see a flood-damages house or business.
Combine that view with the rosy news stories about JazzFest, Mardi Gras and the Saints and it’s easy to see why many people think the Big Easy is OK now.
It isn’t. It will be, but it isn’t yet.
Try driving in from the east for a more balanced perspective. Or walk 12 blocks downriver from Bourbon Street. Or drive up Canal St. away from the river to it’s end, take a hard right then a quick hard left and proceed north on Canal Blvd.
There is a lot left to be done.
A Little Ditty
2 weeks ago
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