New Orleans, Louisiana

May 8, 2014 to May 12, 2014 -- I recently visited the Crescent City for the first time for a friend's wedding and was really impressed by New Orleans considering I had no idea what to expect as to how the city was still recovering after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I can tell you from my experience that while NOLA has its problems, the city is bouncing back in a big way and is well worth a visit.

When you arrive at Louis Armstrong International Airport you pass the Saints store where there is a replica Vince Lombardi Trophy celebrating the team's 2010 Super Bowl champion season. They really love the Saints in The Big Easy. 

One problem with the airport is lack of good public transportation to New Orleans, especially if you arrive late at night and the buses aren't running. That leave taxis as the only option and when a bunch of flights land near the same time, expect a long line and a long wait for a cab into town.

I rented a room through the rental website Airbnb in the Uptown area of N.O. in the Carrollton-Riverbend neighborhood. It was located in a quiet, hip area with lots of shops and restaurants and young people. It was a nice place to come back to after experiencing the frenzy of the French Quarter downtown. 

It was interesting being in the Deep South for the first time, although New Orleans is very different than the rest of the South considering the historical melting pot of French, Spanish, Caribbean, Indigenous, Cajun, Arcadian, etc... It actually almost feels like you are in a different country in N.O. without even needing a passport. There are reminders of being in the Deep South like the plantations and of course the humid and rainy weather and the palm trees.

On my first full day I checked out the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, which is the oldest continuously operated street railway line the world -- having began service 1835. The wonderful old streetcars take mostly tourists all the way to the French Quarter through the Garden District and downtown. But during my visit there was a big construction project repairing and upgrading part of the tracks, so riders had to exit about half way, board a bus, and then get back on another streetcar farther down the line that takes riders to the edge of the French Quarter.

I walked around the Carrollton neighborhood, had breakfast, walked across the railroad tracks and onto a walking and bike path that follows the Mississippi River. I walked past the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Audobon Park along the mighty Mississippi River. Then I hitched a ride on a golf cart with a friendly gentleman who was one of the directors of the park and he explained to me the many Hollywood movies that are shot in New Orleans and also the important steps the city is taking to become more green and sustainable and prepare for the next Katrina and rising sea levels and more extreme weather associated with man-made global warming. He said the city consulted with representatives from Finland, who had been through their own natural disaster similar to Katrina and made major changes to their coastal infrastructure to prevent flooding.

Next I took the St. Charles Avenue streetcar downtown and walked around the French Quarter a bit before hopping in a cab back to Uptown to change and then take the streetcar back to the French Quarter for rehearsal dinner. On my way to the French Quarter it started raining like a monsoon and since the French Quarter is so old it lacks modern drainage infrastructure so the water starts rising very fast and there is no way around it so I was soaking wet when I finally entered the restaurant. Experiencing that heavy rain, you can see how easily the city can get flooded.

The day after the wedding, I walked around the charming old campus of Tulane University and then briefly strolled around Loyola University right next door. Then I walked down St. Charles Avenue past historic synagogue Temple Sinai and many old gated mansions in the Garden District. I walked around a major flood control project that is being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project.

I then hopped on the streetcar and got off near the Mercedez-Benz Superdome -- home of the Saints NFL team. I walked around the exterior of the massive dome stadium and was impressed by the renovations that have taken place since that awful time during Katrina when so many suffered and died at the Superdome. There is a really special statue there called "Rebirth" that features the moment Steve Gleason blocked a punt that symbolized the rebirth of the city after Katrina. Gleason is currently battling ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Right next door to the Superdome is Smoothie King Center, which is the home arena of the New Orlenas Pelicans. Both the arena and stadium are part of the entertainment complex and it is easy to walk between the two venues.

New Orleans is so alive with music, food, culture, people, history and architecture. I would highly recommend anyone to take a trip down to NOLA and see for yourself the renaissance going on.

Here are more pictures of New Orleans: