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View Full Version : New Orleans and Bourbon St Sooner report



TUSooner
1/12/2006, 10:28 AM
First, I have been in touch with Bourbon St Sooner and am sorry to say that his house went for a little swim. Keep him and Mrs BSS in your prayers and thoughts as they deal with contrators etc. and try to get back into their home ASAP.

I had started getting used to my own little post-K world: the moderate damage in Algiers, heavy West Bank traffic - especially rush hours to and from downtown, and the moderately diminished activity downtown and in the French Quarter (where I made only a brief visit at lunch time this week). Then today, I took the old familiar "back way" to my kids’ school uptown, and, man, it was sad.

In case you are familiar with the city, I got off the bridge onto Earhart and turned uptown on Broad and Fontainebleau to Nashville St, and then over to Claiborne Ave. Every New Orleans neighborhood has a name, but I can't remember this one's. It’s not a really nice area, most of it. But today it was block after block after block of emptiness. There weren’t even many tell-tale signs that buildings had been gutted and were under repair. Even down the side streets I saw nothing - no cars and no people, except for one lady standing beside her car and just looking around. At a corner where I was used to seeing busy crowds waiting for buses, crossing the streets (in disregard of the lights, of course), or going in and out of the corner stores, there was not a single person. Not even one, and I was looking. The usually packed mini-mart gas station didn't look open, because nobody was around it. Heck, there weren't even traffic lights, just the stop signs on short tripods that are all over the East Bank these days. The emptiness dropped my jaw. I think this area is one of the “on the bubble” sections of town where there may not be a decision for 4 months on how or if to rebuild and repopulate. Anyway, this morning was a stunning reminder that this city is a long, long, long way from being OK.

mrowl
1/12/2006, 10:47 AM
I haven't read much on whats going on lately... Are they actually considering "re-building" parts of the city that will flood when another storm comes in?

handcrafted
1/12/2006, 10:56 AM
First, I have been in touch with Bourbon St Sooner and am sorry to say that his house went for a little swim. Keep him and Mrs BSS in your prayers and thoughts as they deal with contrators etc. and try to get back into their home ASAP.

I had started getting used to my own little post-K world: the moderate damage in Algiers, heavy West Bank traffic - especially rush hours to and from downtown, and the moderately diminished activity downtown and in the French Quarter (where I made only a brief visit at lunch time this week). Then today, I took the old familiar "back way" to my kids’ school uptown, and, man, it was sad.

In case you are familiar with the city, I got off the bridge onto Earhart and turned uptown on Broad and Fontainebleau to Nashville St, and then over to Claiborne Ave. Every New Orleans neighborhood has a name, but I can't remember this one's. It’s not a really nice area, most of it. But today it was block after block after block of emptiness. There weren’t even many tell-tale signs that buildings had been gutted and were under repair. Even down the side streets I saw nothing - no cars and no people, except for one lady standing beside her car and just looking around. At a corner where I was used to seeing busy crowds waiting for buses, crossing the streets (in disregard of the lights, of course), or going in and out of the corner stores, there was not a single person. Not even one, and I was looking. The usually packed mini-mart gas station didn't look open, because nobody was around it. Heck, there weren't even traffic lights, just the stop signs on short tripods that are all over the East Bank these days. The emptiness dropped my jaw. I think this area is one of the “on the bubble” sections of town where there may not be a decision for 4 months on how or if to rebuild and repopulate. Anyway, this morning was a stunning reminder that this city is a long, long, long way from being OK.

And yet, the Saints and the Hornets keep talking about repairs on their respective arenas, and going back to play there. My question is, who's going to go watch them? Is the infrastructure in the kind of shape necessary to allow all that downtown traffic? Can anybody afford tickets anymore? Are there even enough people left who are fans and can get to the games to make them financially viable?

TUSooner
1/12/2006, 02:43 PM
pardon the bump...
When I passed by the same area at noon, I was happy at least to see some guys out working.
Some parts of the city - the worst flooded - appear to be in a sort of limbo regarding rebuilding. I don;t quite understand it, but some places will not be rebuilt.

Whether the people have the time and money to support the Saints & Hornets is a good question. I'd guess the Saints have a bettr shot than the Hornets. but that's just my assessment of NO as more of a football town, and the Saints playing only 8 games, much less than the Hornets. Don't tell, but I hope OKC keeps the Hornets.