NOLA

I spent this past weekend attending a conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. The purpose of the conference was to assist in the building of a nationwide coalition of college students, graduate and undergraduate, committed to the just and equitable rebuilding of the coastal communities hit by Hurricane Katrina. As a part of the conference, attendees visited a green house built in the lower ninth ward. Elements of social, political, economic, and environmental development were tied together to give participants a greater idea of what equitable development should look like in Katrina-marred areas versus what it actually looks like. What was communicated at the conference as immediately needed was the dissemination of accurate information regarding the social, political, economic, and environmental development of these areas. Many of the hardest hit areas are not receiving adequate funding. Much of this is due to political power play. Federal dollars have been allocated without oversight. Many of the hardest hit residents feel there is an intentional reshaping of New Orleans going on in the rebuilding that is not remniscent of the city pre-Katrina.

It was difficult to put all of this information into context with the realities of the French Quarter and Warehouse District where I was lodging. In contrast to the city's other wards, the famous/infamous Quarter and Warehouse District were bubbling tourists havens. I'd been to NO several times before but had never seen the city like this. The French Quarter and Warehouse District boasted vibrant mom-and-pop shops, numerous chef-inspired restaurants, Americanized European-styled architecture, and of course, music. There is a spirit unique to the city. After visiting I can better understand how amidst all of the remaining debris, the sulfuric political rhetoric, the injustices, and the seemingly intended pollution of every kind, lifelong residents continue to trickle back and rebuild.

Some of the pics include the quaint side streets of New Orleans' French Quarter and the Green House built in the ninth ward. As an aside, I ate enough during this weekend for all of those reading this blog but were not in the NOLA. Thanks Emeril, Lucy's, the Praline Shop, and numerous other vendors for your gastric support ;)

New Orleans proved to be if not the "Most Unique City" that it claims to be, then certainly one of the most unique places I've ever visited. Long live NOLA!