New Orleans 2/17 to 23

What a treat!  We were able to take a week off and finally go and visit Austin and Alice at their home in New Orleans.  We had planned to do this trip for a while, and originally wanted to drive there (I have never driven cross-country) but decided to instead fly there to save time.  

The weather had been cold but got warm the day we got there, in the seventies generally, with no rain but lots of humidity, no mosquitoes yet, perfect weather to ride old cruisers around town, or zip around on a 60's lambretta.

Chilling in the back yard

A&A's shotgun duplex is still under construction, but they will soon have their back addition (laundry room/party room) finished.  Then the back yard will cease being a construction storage zone and will turn into the flour/vegetable paradise that Alice is making it into.  Notice the solar panels on the roof of the addition.We stayed in the guest side of the duplex.  This side is almost finished and will be ready to be rented by Jazz Fest. 

 

New Orleans after Catrina is a great place.  Crime has gone down significantly party because lots of the criminals have left the city, partly because of the camaraderie that ensued during the rebuilding years.  There are still lots of vacant buildings and warehouses and it's relatively cheap to live in this vibrant party town with hot weather and tourists.  Who loves a vibrant party town?  Well, artists and musicians!  More young artists and hipsters are flocking here from all over, so the town has a definite young eccentric flare to it (I gather more so than before, but this is my fist time here so I wouldn't be able to compare).  I would say New Orleans is well on its way to gentrification - much like San Francisco - though apparently nothing has been done to really repair the levees, most of the money earmarked to rebuild the city and fix its problems has actually made it to New Orleans, corruption and southern inertia are still plaguing the local government, and global warming is continuing to increase the chances of hurricanes.... so the jury on my end is still out on weather this city has a chance.  I hope so, for the sake of the great people we met there.

 

Art, art and more art.  The city is full of it everywhere, and it's good too!

In city park, the sculpture garden, this one was our favorite.

Lake Ponch in the background.

Alice was telling us the story about how the levees here, which were supposed to be reinforced with sheets of this steel being pounded into the ground 100 feet, had in fact only 7 to 10 foot steel reinforcements.  The water didn't actually go over the levees, it went under it.  The story goes that in the sixties, when these reinforcements were being installed, the rich house wives in the lake neighborhoods didn't like the pounding and pile driving all the day long.  So someone got corrupted into pretending that the reinforcements were being installed, but in reality only the top 10 feet were in.  Who could tell the difference?  From above, all looks fine... Who is culpable?  Was it the city?  Was it a specific foreman?  Was it the collective of the pile driving union?  Who knows, it was long ago.  For sure we know that the Army Core of Engineers has been found guilty.  What that means we will find out.

Psycho chicken 45

The excuse for this trip was Anton's 45th birthday.  A&A's gift to him (as well as spending all their time with us and hosting us) was a very appropriate "Psycho Chicken" 45 by The Fools, 1980.  Also, Anton got his very cool hipster hat in the picture above this one.

The Mississippi at night.  Full moon is the bigger ball/light on the horizon.  iphone picture doesn't do it justice.

Glass Marti Gras beeds in City Park sculpture garden.  Check out that Spanish moss.  Just like in all the vampire movies.

City Park

City Park: Live Oaks.

Armadillo in Barataria Lafitte Preserve

Alligator with 2 babies, one on its back, the other off to the side by the tail.

Loved the Lafitte park.  The swamp vegetation is so different, and this is my first time in the south.  The armadillo was a real treat, they are so cute and they were roaming around like we would see jackrabbits at home.  I told A&A that I could die happy now, having seen them.  Then, seeing the alligator was unreal.  Well, really unreal.  It looked fake, glossy and shiny, it was so still and placed just so we thought maybe it was a prop for the tourists, especially with the two babies on it.  Then we saw her breath!  She must take only a few breaths per minute.  A chill went up my spine.  We were only a few feet away from a very dangerous reptile.  Fortunately, she was only 5-6 feet long, average Louisiana gator is 14 feet!

Notice babies on tail and on left of tail.  Mama's must protect them from other crocodiles.  about 50% get eaten.

Downtown from the freeway

Astrodome from freeway

Yes, so I suck at taking pictures.  All crappy iphone pix, none of the French Quarter, not a whole lot of the people we were with.  I know, I know, I need to get better at remembering to take the camera out at the right time, but I also don't want to spoil the moment by remembering to take the camera out at that right time... : )