The French Quarter Will Rise Again.

Back in college I went quite a few times to New Orleans. It was a short 4 hour road trip from Ole Miss. I went to Mardi Gras and I have been many times since then for various conventions.

I have always loved New Orleans. It is so southern, so historic, so charming, and so......creepy. Yes. Creepy. Along with the wonderful things about it, it has always had a dark underbelly. I have a love/hate relationship with the likes of Bourbon street. I have had my share of fun there, but the seedy strip joints and the overtly sexual party that Mardi Gras has become is disturbing, not only because it involves drunk young women who lose their minds as they drink their strong concoctions, but there doesn't seem to be any gentlemen left to make sure they aren't taken advantage of.

But the beauty and uniqueness of New Orleans has always far exceeded it's dark side.

As you can read here, the French Quarter survived pretty well. The rebuilding will start there and I think they will insist on opening that part of the city up long before the rest is even close to being ready.


We who love this city will be itching for the Jazz music that soothes our souls, for the spicy food that we crave, and for the slow southern style of a place rich with memories and ghosts of a time past that seem to float around you as you walk the city.