New Orleans work trip #...I don’t know…let’s say 10

Going to New Orleans always makes me a bit sad. I’ve been exclusively working on this project (more on it maybe on another post, as it hasn’t “gone public” yet) in New Orleans for basically the entire year (but been on it for 4 years) that has required me to travel there several times. Every time I am reminded of the first time I went, about 2 years before Hurricane Katrina, and how it isn’t the same and may never be again.

We flew out on Tuesday morning (09.28.09), bringing a slightly larger group from the office for survey, as 3 of us were going to be tied up in a meeting on Wednesday. Tuesday went as planned, surveyed some, ate lunch at the same place as always, presented finishes, headed to the Hotel for shower and then to head out to eat and show some of my colleagues around.

I took them to a steakhouse I had been to before, there was 7 of us so we figured we would have to wait a bit to be seated….nope table available right away. After a great dinner we were off to Pat O’Brien’s, were the hurricane drink was invented. Decided on the piano bar rather than other 2 bars, plenty of seats, and no problem requesting songs. As we closed the Piano bar, being the only ones in the place and we started heading back to the hotel thru a sparsely populated Bourbon street, it reminded me again just how much the New Orleans that I visited more than 7 years ago now doesn’t currently exist.

I was just out of college then, had been working for Zeidler Architects almost 3 years. We were there for a Theatre conference; I had no idea just how much time I would get to spend visiting what at times has felt like the deserted ruins of a city, everything was new to me in New Orleans. Bourbon Street was jammed with people, people hanging out of balconies, exposing themselves for plastic beads, drinking from 4 foot long plastic glasses. During the day the streets were filled with Music from live bands, there was a long market that sold everything New Orleans. We had to get a reservation to go to the same steakhouse I had no problem walking up to on Tuesday night. The Piano bar was so full we had to stand at the door to catch a glimpse.

I had a good time on Tuesday and Wednesday, like I have always had when I have been to New Orleans, despite the fact that it has always been for work. But it always makes me a bit sad, to see how far of the city is from where it was. I watched a show about the city, and the host did a good job of describing New Orleans, so I will leave it with that, “New Orleans is like a beautiful woman who’s had one eye gouged out, two missing limbs and a permanently damaged outlook, but also very important, she is not dead either”.