It isn't fully there yet, but is well on the way. There are still empty lots, homes with windows replaced with plywood, homes for sale that have been empty since 2005, and empty warehouses with missing walls. But there are also many, many homes with new windows and new siding, and the downtown area and French Quarter are booming.
We stayed in a new campground on a waterway about a half mile from Lake Pontchartrain. We were told that at the time of the flooding caused by Katrina, this area was under 12 feet of water. Across the waterway were vacant buildings left untouched, with missing wall sections and roof materials peeled back by hurricane force winds:
Down the river from our motorhome, between the waterway and Lake Pontchartrain, the Army Corps of Engineers is still working on a flood gate that was supposed to be completed a year ago.
I didn't take any photos of residential neighborhoods, but they look far better than they did the first few months after Katrina. Most of the piles of debris have been removed.
Our first foray was to the French Quarter, which Lee had seen before. It was Easter Sunday, and there was a parade earlier in the day. Many people had Mardi Gras beads, and there was festivity in the air. We stopped and listened to a really good street band:
There were interesting people on the streets. This man and woman were definitely dressed for Easter, or at least for Spring, all decked out for the Easter parade:
Another very cute couple asked me to take a photo of them, which I was happy to do:
The first night we had dinner at Brennan's. Brennan's is better known for breakfast, but the dinner was very good.
Bananas Foster was Lee's choice for desert:
And then we took a walk down Boubon Street. Interesting place. Lots of tourists, but also lots of booze, lights, scantily-clad women, transvestites, gay bars, etc. Not my cup a' tea, but one has to have a picture of Bourbon Street, right? It's a very colorful place.
We visited the French Quarter again during daylight. It's a charming area, with balconies and narrow streets, and lots of shops and restaurants of every ilk and character.
There is definitely money here. Some of the shops have high-end antiques and huge crystal chandeliers.
Lee has been to New Orleans a few times for work-related purposes, and he saw only the French Quarter each time. So I decided it was time to spread his New Orleans horizons. We took a walk, with a smartphone application as our guide, of the Garden District of New Orleans. We started with a home now owned by the New Orleans Women's Opera Guild. Tours are given on Monday afternoons only, which we happily stumbled into. (I love serendipity!)
Most of the homes on the two streets we walked were built in the 1850's, during the years leading up to the Civil War. This particular home is the only one in the neighborhood that people are allowed to tour on a regular schedule. The home exemplifies Southern hospitality at its best.
The Garden District was not flooded during Hurricane Katrine. But the wind and rain where destructive. This home was closed for three and a half years after Katrina. It took that long to mend the damage, although some areas still require work, see below.
As one might expect, there are some beautiful homes in this neighborhood, and lovely gardens. Here are a few:
This house below belongs to Sandra Bullock! Anne Rice lives nearby.
Look at the ironwork on the porch of this house:
Southern hospitality extends to the squirrels and chickens:
A secret garden nymph was draped with Mardi Gras beads, below:
You all probably know this but I didn't. Because New Orleans is below sea level, no one can be buried underground - the water table is too high. The cemeteries are filled with mausoleums, as in the Garden District, below:
On our final day, I wanted to see the city park. It is rectangular, like Golden Gate Park. It was partially flooded during the hurricane, but fortunately the art museum is on a hill and only the basement was damaged. I hadn't planned to visit the art museum, but we discovered it has a pre-Mayan collection, a special interest of Lee's. So we stopped. Lee spent his time in the Central and South American collections, while I looked through my favorites, the Japanese, glass, and Impressionist exhibits. It is a much smaller museum than Philadelphia's, but has some nice pieces.
Samurai!
Not too far from the museum was a tranquil sculpture garden:
And what is this doing in New Orleans?? I thought it was unique to Philly!
I found this weird looking lizard on a shrub. I think it might be a Black Lizard (Cnemidophorus nigricolor), originally from Venezuela and some of the Caribbean Islands. It's unlike any lizard I have ever seen. Weird, huh? And sorta cute. I like lizards.
Before arriving in New Orleans, we drove on I-10 through the Atchafalaya Swamp, the largest such ecosystem in the United States. It is forded by the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, 18 miles long.
What a magnificent introduction to New Orleans!
