Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans

I got the taxi driver today………..you know………the one who likes to talk……….and he only wanted to talk about one subject……….his beloved New Orleans. It was my fault really as it was me that asked the question “How close is the city to getting back to normal?”………he replied, “The tourist areas are coming back nicely but there is still much work to be done” and then for the next 15 minutes he told me all about Hurricane Katrina and how if he ever met George Bush he would have something to say. Honestly, though, his account of Katrina and its aftermath were morbidly fascinating. He showed me the water lines on some of the buildings and explained how large portions of the outskirts of the city are still uninhabited. He says the government still has not done enough to help and now with the credit crunch many of the projects are on holdYep, the city has a vibrant French Quarter and history dating back to the bluebloods of the 18th century and now New Orleans now has a more macabre tourist attraction – a Hurricane Katrina disaster tour. The taxi driver actually offered me the full tour if I wanted it for only $69………….information he said was in the back of the seat pocket thingy. And indeed it was. The brochure offered to take me on a three-hour journey around a number of flooded neighborhoods, including one called Lakeview. Other landmarks to be visited include the Superdome stadium where thousands of evacuees were housed for days in appalling conditions.
(more…)