New Orleans. The Big Easy. NOLA.
Laissez les bon temps rouler – “let the good times roll”. Lots of attention this week. Over the course of the last ten years I've visited several times on business. It is a great three day town. On the one hand it is filled with culture, texture, fun times, and unique atmosphere. You would be hard pressed to find better music, finer food, or more places to have outlandish fun. I mean...two words...Mardi Gras!! And has been seen this week, they definitely know how to party!!! On the other there is desperate poverty, crime, and a weird resignation by the populace to their plight. Since Katrina there has been a consistent wailing about how bad the response was and how much they deserve more from the federal government. That is sort of annoying. But... I think the city is a true American treasure in that it is so unique. I don't think there is another place quite like it in the country...maybe Miami...maybe San Francisco. I'm glad to see N'awlins getting some visibility, some publicity, some promotion. I would recommend a visit to anyone. Just don't venture off the beaten path and don't stay for more than three days...
New Orleans holds such a special place in my heart. Jack and I had our first date there. I will never forget when I departed the plane (coming from SMU) to find him waiting for me…to take me to his car…the black Camaro with the ginormous N Star sticker on the back window. As we crossed the river, we talked about the temperature of the water – primarily because we didn’t know each other much and that was appropriate.
ReplyDeleteFrom there, we had beignets at Café Du Monde, spent hours at Pat O’Brien’s, had a memorable kiss in front of The Old Absinthe House and spent countless hours just taking in the scene of the city. This is the city where we knew we were “WE.” It was our first date, but we knew. It was fate. Silly, but I really do believe in it. Fate. You hear about it every now and then. I believe you and mom had that. Just something about meeting that person. It’s just REAL. I’m thankful I met that person.