Louisiana's made plenty of headlines since Katrina stormed through, and it seems almost daily that attention is being paid to the state. Unfortunately, the kind of attention they desperately need, tourist attention, has trailed off substantially at a time when the state needs it more than ever.
This year more than ever is the perfect time to get down there and party it up at Jazz Fest. New Orleans and Louisiana in general are well on their way back to recovery from the hurricane season last year, but the slow trickle of tourism dollars is hampering economic recovery. The more people can get down there this year, the quicker my homeland (if you hadn't guessed by the name) can bounce back.
More than anything, what Louisiana needs now is the momentum to get things back to the way they were, and the best and fastest way for that to happen is for people like you and me to get down there and enjoy what the state has to offer. This is one of those rare opportunities when each and every one of us has the chance to make a direct impact on the outcome, without having to rely on politicians, government agencies, the slow-to-act administration, or anyone else. All we gotta do is get down there and laissez les bon temps roulez!
We're two weeks out from a great chance to do just that. The 2006 Jazz Fest starts up on the weekend of the 28th, and it continues the following weekend. There's a killer lineup this year, and I can tell you from having grown up in Metarie that any events down in Nawlins are a blast. The people down there just know how to throw a party.
I myself am unable to make it back for the Jazz Fest, but I have plans to get down there for a long weekend in summer. My homemade gumbo's good, but just doesn't stack up.
Oh, and if you make your way down there and are a beer fan, check out the Blackened Voodoo/Crimson Voodoo stuff. Some of my favorite beers.