Mardi Gras 2007/New Orleans Update

Well, this Mardi Gras I decided to just spend at home vegging out in front of the tube. It was nice to have the day off, but it occurred to me that it's been a while since my last update on the state of the city....

The city is definately on the rebound. There are at least 4 fast food places on my daily commute, and last I checked all but one of the gas stations had re-opened. Plus that, the algiers KFC finally re-opened this week, just in time for Mardi Gras. Still, there are neighborhoods that show little sign of life, most notably the Lower 9th, New Orleans east, and the Lakefront. All of which were the ones worst devistated by the storm, so I guess it's not really surprising.

More people are moving back into their homes as damage is repaired, and bitching that they don't get to keep the butt-ugly FEMA trailers that people have come to think of as home. Many still haven't gotten the money from insurance companies or the road home program that they need to raise thier homes to the suggested levels. Crime is a little higher than you would expect, as I'm sure the media has probably informed everyone reading these words by now. Still, there is a feeling of optimism in the air here now that had been lacking... I've only heard one mention in the media that Hurricane season is only 3 months away, which surprises me when I think about how paniced people were last year this time.

So overall, things are getting back to normal in our little post-katrina world of new homes, jobs, and lives. I'm begining to think that should the apocolypse come tomorrow, next February there would still be revelers on Bourbon street, alive with the sprit of our city.

Gotta love this town.


Oh, and the best news of the week for many of my friends now living out of town.... Jeager's seafood and beer garden has officially opened at their new inland location on Clearview... anyone up for a "big A" platter?