New Orleans - Not Just Mardi Gras Y'All

Why is it that when you mention New Orleans to someone they automatically say, "Oh, are you going for Mardi Gras?" It doesn't matter if it is the dead heat of August, people must think Mardi Gras is a year-round event.

The other term used as a synonym for New Orleans is "Katrina". It has been four years since the Hurricane pounded the city and the surrounding communities, but no one has forgotten. The city has been able to capitalize on this lack of amnesia by offering tours to view the destruction and reconstruction of the most severely hit places as well as offering many interesting clothing options to humorize the event. A popular t-shirt that could be found hanging in the windows of almost every souvenir shop explained FEMA's evacuation plan

FEMA's Evacuation Plan: Run, M***** F****, Run!

It's okay. You can laugh. That is pretty damn funny. The locals would. I learned during my trip that the locals do not take themselves too serious and just about anything in NOLA goes. Let's just say we listened to some blues music in a club led by a 72 year-old musician who was very confident in his Viagra performance.

Something that struck me about New Orleans was that it was so much more than Mardi Gras and a natural disaster. The city was complicated. The best way for me to describe it was that it was a city of contrasts; beauty vs. beast, good vs. evil. I learned quickly that I had to adjust my perception of beauty.

New Orleans is not a beautiful city. Not in a traditional sense. You can pick up a travel guide to New Orleans and the camera will pick out all the appealing settings and tease a tourist into thinking they are walking into a gem, but that would be a lie.

New Orleans is dirty, filthy, smelly, rude and poor. Harsh adjectives, but the truth. The restaurats are dirty and the staff in less than par. They charge you an arm and a leg, expect a tip and deliver minimal customer service. We ate at one restaurant where the hostess never said hello. She just glared at us. Showed us to our table by pounding on it and left us there for 20 minutes before a server ever came. Even if you don't consider yourself a high-maintanence traveler, you have to admit that is bad.

Oh, and if you have to go to the bathroom during your trip. Hold it until you get back to your hotel. Most of the bathrooms at the establishments lacked doors and proper flushing mechanisms. Maybe that's why drinking is a past-time down there. You have to be drunk to touch your flesh to those seats.

However, if you can look beyond your expectations of what makes a city rich and vibrant you start to come away with a deep love for the hidden treasures that this city possesses.

Here is where I found the contrasts and the hidden treasures. You can be walking down Royal Street in the morning and suddenly the wind picks up the stench of leftover vomit and urine from the partying of the night before. Just when you are about to be disgusted by the overwhelming smell, you realize you are standing in front of the most exquisite antique shop you could ever know. The whole Royal Street is like that; adorned with antique shops and art galleries.

You can be walking down Bourbon street during the nighttime when the seedy side of NOLA emerges and you will be beckoned to join in the fun at one of the thousand strip joints or live act shows ( I kid you not!). But, just when you may start to feel a little accosted, you can walk across the street and there is a 5-star restaurant with people dressed in their upscale dress oblivious to the party on the streets.

The other beautiful parts of New Orleans are the hidden courtyards that the normal passerby only gets to glimpse through a street side gate that is closed off to the outside world. Tom and I would be walking down a street and all of a sudden you would see this beautiful garden gated up and that you are only allowed to imagine its' full potential. What was interesting though, is that many people must try to get into these gardens. We saw many a high brick wall that encircled a private courtyard that had warded off trespassers by pouring concrete onto the top of the wall and then sticking shards of glass into the concrete. A crude but necessary barrier.

During the Vampire tour that we went on, our guide said that the city has many people who "believe they are what they are." This mind-set can cause people to do some "weird things". New Orleans may have an inner beauty, but it is a rough neighborhood.

I think my post is getting lengthy. I'm going to stop here and in the next few days I will tell you about some of my own "weird" experiences with seeing things that may not be exactly as they seem.

Later!