how are things in my favorite city.
Well, we're still rebuilding.
Uptown and the Garden District, the sliver by the River, are fine. The rest of town is still a huge mess. I went to Chalmette this week for the first time. It still is in the same shape as the city was last October.
Stay in the grandest hotel you can find. The Ritz Carlton might be open by then, and the Windsor Court has been open for some time, though it is a shadow of its former self.
The FQ is a mess. I detest going out to dinner there at night. Like walking into Tombstone, Arizona, circa 1875, or one of those wild bars in Stars Wars. If I were Nagin, I'd make sure the city's main tourist attraction would be spotless, crime free, etc., but it is far from that. Be very careful as you traverse it, the thugs are back and the police force is substantially diminished.
Galatoire's is good, but the cooking has always been very uneven, and has become more so recently. I've had incredible meals but also have had some that were quite mediocre. It now has a chef, but I wonder whether his quality control is up to par. The atmosphere, of course, makes up for the lack of consistency.
We are very concerned about storms this Summer for two reasons. There is first an utter and complete lack of trust in any form of government, especially the Corps of Engineers.
Second, the steering currents that normally drop down to the coast to guide hurricanes to the east seem to have shifted north a bit, robbing us of absolutely the best protection we've enjoyed, better than wetlands and levees. You might recall Ivan, Georges, and any other number of storms which were headed straight for us shifted east at the last minute. They were guided away by the the steering currents. No one knows if this is a permanent feature, not that it matters since one good storm would end us as a city.
I am worried, very worried, but what are you going to do?
The Wine and Food Fest is this weekend. I am not attending, unfortunately, as my work load right now is extraordinary.
Here's the book I mentioned. George Taber is the author:
amazon.com |
