Some friends and I have a tradition of sharing stories and observations as we travel around the world. I have been asked to post some of my NOLA observations here. So here is another installment of my Notes on Nola
As some of you know, I went to NOLA for Mardi Gras weekend - came back yesterday. Here are a few observations in no particular order.
The amount of debris is still overwhelming. When you drive to NOLA from ATL, the entire stretch of I-10 from Mobile to NOLA is littered with debris. All of the vegetation is blown over. You drive miles and miles and all you see are brown trees blown over and rivers of debris. Once you get into Louisiana, there is complete devastation from Lake Pontchetrain to the high rise. All of the malls and businesses around Crowder Blvd. are closed. There are abandoned and burned out apartment complexes. Junked cars. Empty, rotting houses. I can't imagine what the people seeing it for the first time must have thought. It is right there off of the highway. No field trip required. Welcome to the Big Easy.
The locals were holding their breath. We watched Krewe d'Etat, Morpheus and Hermes next to a place called Gypsy's. Great location. Props to the Landlady for finding it. We bought beer and cocktails from Gypsy's as we watched. I was talking to the bartender about how great the parades were and she looked a me very intently and asked "Do you feel it? I mean, can you really feel it? Is it there?". That was part of the fear. That the city would throw a party that felt like a wake. In some ways it did. At first. There was a certain amount of forced frivolity. At first. We drove through the devastation to get there, after all. But then the bands started playing. There were the local kids. Flag corps. Dance teams. Drum majors. Bands. Marching. Dancing. Playing. The Flambeaux. The floats. The little Dukes throwing doubloons like Chinese stars. And beads. Tons of beads. I found myself singing, as always, "It's Raining Crap, Hallelujah!". I felt it. Everyone around me felt it. There was the requisite crazy dude with dreadlocks dancing with his shadow. L motioned to him and said "New Orleans is back".
The crowds were smaller - but the tourists were better. You have all heard me gripe about how MTv ruined Mardi Gras. How everything was becoming more corporate and, frankly, stupid. You couldn't even walk ACROSS let alone down Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras day. And the crowds were not the type with a lot of pocket change. They came from colleges and high schools with just enough money for a hotel room and street drinks. They didn't buy t-shirts or eat in nice restaurants. They were not hanging out in the local bars. This year it was different. I walked down Decatur street and talked to a lot of the shop owners. They said they were busier this year in terms of sales. The big kids were back. They brought money for souvenirs and great meals. There was less of a "I am here to get so drunk I throw up and pass out" feel to the crowd. Yes, people were drinking. And a few went over the edge, but I ran into a lot of people that were looking the architecture. They were taking a walk down the Boardwalk. They were jamming out to the street musicians - and tipping them. The restaurants were buzzing. It was nice. It was like Mardi Gras past. Before the MTv and Planet Hollywood and all of that junk that really doesn't have anything to do with Mardi Gras. Or NOLA for that matter. I met a group of women from New York that were first timers. We were drinking Absinthe at that little place in Pirate's Alley. They told me that they came down to spend money and support the city - and were surprised by how much fun they were having. They will be back next year. Hooray for big kids with lots of spending money!
Cooter Brown's is still serving great oysters. But they went up to 8 bucks a dozen.
It was political. Seriously political. But Mardi Gras has ALWAYS been political. And not in a red-blue sort of way. I can remember going to Krewe de Vieux during the Clinton scandals. The theme was "Interview with a Godd*mn Liar" - a take off on Interview With the Vampire. Krewe d'Etat was over the top. The floats were almost all Katrina themed with the overall theme "d'Olympics d'Etat". There was "Mold Vault", "FEMA hurdles", "Blanco Boxing" and the DEMA (Dictator Emergency Management Agency - the King of d'Etat is called The Dictator) dancers followed by the Looter Girls. Heavy satire. They also had a "Gold Medal" float honoring the first responders, National Guard and Coast Guard. They gave props as well as barbs. Nola.com has a decent photo gallery here http://www.nola.com/... . Muses had an empty float draped in black honoring the lives lost. A lot of the costumes were Katrina themes. A friend made D and B formal blue-tarp wear (tuxedo and formal gown with bustier) for Mardi Gras day.
There has been considerable discussion about whether the city should host Mardi Gras this year. I think it was necessary. The city needed to release some steam. All of the communities along the Gulf Coast celebrated this year. Driving in, there were parade announcements for Alabama and Mississippi. Useless trivia: the first Mardi Gras celebrations were actually held in Mobile, Alabama. And the tourists came. The hotels were full. The streets were full. People were spending money. If NOLA can't get the tourist trade going, it won't make it. The port and the oil industry are not enough to sustain a tax base. The Convention Center is already hosting expositions and trade shows. The Superdome with be open in time for the Saints to play (poorly) at home. If the city had not pulled off a successful Mardi Gras, it would be harder to convince PittConn and the auto shows to come back. We have to start somewhere. The world is watching today to see if they can pull it off. I have faith.
Don't forget to wear your beads and shake your ass. Happy Mardi Gras.