The Big Easy

I'm at the age when heavy duty drinking and street revelry aren't as easily overcome by sleep and a cup of coffee, so after Katrina hit New Orleans, I considered the possibility that just after Christmas 2005 might be a good time to visit the French Quarter and the city in general. I wanted to size up the mood of the city in the wake of the disaster. Fortunately, Virtualtourist.com and hotel contacts in the city confirmed my hunch, and so we drove through the southwest accompanied by our miniature schnauzer puppy, Dali. We stopped in Tucson and San Antonio, among other places, on our way to the Big Easy. We saw San Antonio's Riverwalk decorated with holiday lights, but we continued in a hurried pace to appreciate one of the most unique cities in North America. While the French Quarter didn't flood, some looted boutique shops had closed their doors for lack of inventory. In the morning we at breakfast po'boys and walked the dog along the river and through Jackson Square. During the second morning, we toured the devastation of the Lower Ninth Ward, Lakeview and Gentilly Districts. What we saw became a source of photo frenzy for me and a source of despair for Belinda over the thought of the loss the residents of this city must face. She gave me a hard time, but I had to continue capturing images to document this great city's catastrophe. Future generations must remember the consequences of neglected levees. In the afternoon, we walked the dog in the Garden District, an affluent part of town hardly touched by the storm. In the evening, we ate at the famous Red Fish Grill, and enjoyed Zydeco music along Bourbon Street. This blog can hardly cover the details of all we saw, but considerable more detail can be found at my pages at Virtualtourist.com. The photos are: 1) Bourbon Sex Show Heckler, 2) Jackson Square and Cathedral, 3) San Antonio's Riverwalk just after Christmas, 4) Barge breaks through levee in Lower Ninth Ward, 5) French Quartere Carriage Ride 6) Zydeco Band Thrills a Club Patron