Bless her heart, but a photographer my K is not. In Jackson Square, this is the 4th shot and after I cropped out some random guy's arm. I love her anyway.New Orleans is an amazing place and I can't wait to return. If you have thought about going and you haven't--GO! The city has returned for tourists and what a gorgeous city it is.
We were able to make it to Tipitina's uptown for a benefit concert and danced for hours to the 101 Runners, Rebirth Brass Band and so many others I can't even name. The New Orleans music scene is amazing and like nothing I've never heard anywhere else. I love that you can find live music any night of the week and a welcoming crowd that just wants to get their groove on!
Having been here twice since Katrina and seeing nothing of the damage, K and I both wanted to see the 'other side of New Orleans'. My friend, a 5th generation New Orleanian, took us on a 4-hour tour of all of New Orleans--the good, the bad and the ugly.
While most people visiting NoLa only see the French Quarter and maybe St. Charles Avenue, there is so much more to this city.
He showed us poverty that I've never seen in a US city. It reminded of third world countries in Central and South America. It was mind-numbing and made me so angry that we are the leader of the free world and such a wealthy country yet people--children--live in such abject poverty.
If you look closely at the photo on the left, you will see a marker of how high the water was and then the church board says--totally unrelated but perfect--"he has risen"
What really blew me away was the drive through the neighborhoods of the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard's Parish. Watching the coverage on TV and reading the stories just doesn't prepare you to understand the extent the floods destroyed. There are neighborhoods full of empty houses where people never returned home.
It's all so sad....yet this city is so alive and hopeful.
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