After a 4-year absence from my hometown, New Orleans, I needed to push a reset button and visit last month. The intense desire to ingest an oyster po-boy, the need to see the homes I lived in pre-Katrina and to smell the mighty Mississippi river. As a Katrina survivor I was told the city had undergone many changes, so I knew I had to drive everywhere and re-discover my roots.  That meant brace for the good, bad and ugly. This was an emotional task for me – a native of 50 years. I both cried and laughed at what I found. My city had been worn previously by fires and floods yet remained a magical place.

The best things never change, like the food, the street characters and the sense of timelessness like living in the 18th century. You will eat better than the best restaurants in the world, even a dive in the back of a bar, food is fabulous always in The Big Easy! All the 5-star restaurants were still overflowing with customers. Of course, I devoured beignets and chicory coffee, oyster po-boys bathed in mayo and tabasco as well as “dressed” (that means lettuce, tomato, pickles) and always a “thank you baby-doll” or “thank you honey child” as I walked out every door. That is the NOLA that will always be.

My first day, I parked near the end of the French Quarter to eyeball every square inch. I knew to look up first and greeting me were those incredibly gorgeous balconies: each one like tiny jewelry boxes of lush gardens and glitzy geegaws. Balconies stuffed to the gills with oddities and greenery (and mannequins, a NOLA thing). I must also digress and say I noticed the Quarter was now a patchwork of success and failure.  Homelessness is at an all-time high in-store corners as well as tent cities. I was shocked. There were the usual antique stores filled with incredible art and furniture as well as many vacant buildings that I recall were once prospering. Not a good sign for the city. The architecture of the Quarter has always resembled European cities, but rain, heat and humidity have taken their toll on the beautiful buildings. I did not notice any effort to repair or replace giving me concern about the future. 

As I drove around the city, I could tell there were many challenges to overcome.  No matter where I drove, the streets were full of potholes in both rich and poor areas. Only erect orange cones here, there and everywhere. Some areas added humor and filled the holes with Mardi Gras beads or crushed many cones inside the huge holes. NOLA has always been a city held by a band-aid but never this bad. A lack of concern for keeping the city in shape was so apparent even in the wealthiest areas.  Residents told me they face many problems with crime, lack of mental health facilities, homelessness, transportation and the fear of climate change. The big question is always “will the levees hold for the next big one?”

While having lunch one day, there was a major rain fall but we natives know that with an afternoon shower it rains buckets and then the sun comes out. It did not take me long to notice that the drainage systems everywhere were in horrible shape. The flooding was so intense I had to just sit it out until I could drive. One coffee shop owner said the city’s pumps were working at a minimum with no hope of repairs. While we talked, some customers joined in and said New Orleans will be submerged in water by 2040! That really hit me hard.

I love the fact that New Orleans continues to laugh at itself and be self-depreciating.  An example, there has always been jewelry shops selling a round Sewerage and Water Board silver lettered jewelry pieces, indicating humor that the job never gets done. (I hate to admit it, but I have had round earrings for years with that logo). No one outside of NOLA would understand that just like no one would understand during my childhood there was a lady in the Quarter who walked her pet duck. Strange things happen in my town. 

 My trip proved there are so many pros left in NOLA. You have several festivals every weekend of the year, incredible history, diverse neighborhoods, the world’s most famous restaurants, music worthy of Grammy’s, relaxed but expensive lifestyles, above-ground cemeteries that are architectural relics, and the home of true jazz. It is a magical city, but it must be repaired and maintained now or the precious history will be lost for future generations.