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sturner wrote:

Well, they need to lower their standards more.

Haiti: "At least it's not New Orleans!"

I was in NO a few months after Katrina. I stayed at the Marriott right next to Harrahs, at least I think it was a Marriott. Anyhow, we mostly stayed in the French Quarter and the Garden District.  From what I saw neither of those places were affected at all. Down the street a few blocks is a different story.

Most of the bartenders I spoke to actually were pleased that Katrina happened. It was a cleansing.

I would miss NO if it fell of the earth. I've had some good times there. Never attended a Mardi Gras, but any place that lets me take my drink to go, well that's just a little slice of heaven.

D'Eyncourt wrote:

zoees wrote:

I was in NO a few months after Katrina. I stayed at the Marriott right next to Harrahs, at least I think it was a Marriott. Anyhow, we mostly stayed in the French Quarter and the Garden District.  From what I saw neither of those places were affected at all. Down the street a few blocks is a different story.
[snip]

Those parts of New Orleans are above flooding from Lake Ponchartrain and thus were not directly affected by the breaks in the levee walls. Had Katrina hit New Orleans closer to straight on then they might have had the same story.

I know all that, thanks. I was just pointing out how most of the people, who were working, were pretty happy about the recent clearance.

Steyr AUG wrote:

Rex '84!

No. More like "(Bitter)Sweet 17".

ShnickyShnack wrote:

macnuke wrote:

C'mon Gustav. ..you can do it.

Don't say that!

Shnick.  it's gunna hit somewhere.
you know dam good and well that I have always stated Rita should have been the second flush on N.O. to make sure it all went down the pipe.

so if I had my druthers.

In at least one part of the levee system around New Orleans the contractor building the levee was caught stuffing the walls with newspaper.

D'Eyncourt wrote:

ShnickyShnack wrote:

[snip]
Personally I want there to still be a New Orleans, but I think it should be way smaller. Stop pretending it's a "normal" city in a "normal" setting. Keep the French Quarter and downtown and bulldoze the rest.

You want a "Disney" version of New Orleans? You can get that at both Disneyland and Disney World.

I want a version of New Orleans that's viable.

D'Eyncourt wrote:

In at least one part of the levee system around New Orleans the contractor building the levee was caught stuffing the walls with newspaper.

That smurf needs to go to jail and be replaced with someone trustworthy and competent.

ShnickyShnack wrote:

D'Eyncourt wrote:

ShnickyShnack wrote:

[snip]
Personally I want there to still be a New Orleans, but I think it should be way smaller. Stop pretending it's a "normal" city in a "normal" setting. Keep the French Quarter and downtown and bulldoze the rest.

You want a "Disney" version of New Orleans? You can get that at both Disneyland and Disney World.

I want a version of New Orleans that's viable.

I'm afraid that that such a viable city will include a good portion of the part that you want to bulldozed.

They should just move the French Quarter to Atlanta.

macnuke wrote:

ahh yes. the French Quarter...

where else in the world can you hang out with a landfills worth of plastic beer cups littered about the streets so heavily you can hardly see the pavement beneath except where the not so occasional drunk is laying in the doorway in a pool of his own urine.
the heavenly scent of stale beer and urine permeating the hot and humid atmosphere laced with the smells of sweat of unwashed bodies and the underlying hint of cooking from the local restaurants.

and to think you used to be able to bring the family anywhere in the quarter with no worries and good times.


C'mon Gustav 

The place was originally populated by criminals and prostitutes, go figure. Was it ever Family Friendly?

Um, I hate to bring down this fascinating trip down memory lane, but there are, and were, only a handful of "touristy" spots in NOLA. If you go just a few blocks past Bourbon street, you will find yourself in a VERY bad part of town. I'm not talking slightly bad, like the Bronx; I'm talking about bad like the DC suburbs, Memphis near the airport, or Baltimore near Johns Hopkins. New Orleans was my first experience seeing criminals operating openly on the streets, and this was pre-Katrina.

There are some nice parts of New Orleans, where you can enjoy graceful Victorian style homes and beautiful gardens. Jackson square, in the daylight, is pretty nice as well. Lake Ponchartrain is a true natural wonder - which I got to play in during a competition down there. I also immensely enjoyed the food. I haven't had oysters on a half-shell, or shrimp gumbo, that good since.

But let's get real. NOLA has always been home to seedy characters - and no amount of plastering is going to cover that up.

macnuke wrote:

ahh yes. the French Quarter...

where else in the world can you hang out with a landfills worth of plastic beer cups littered about the streets so heavily you can hardly see the pavement beneath except where the not so occasional drunk is laying in the doorway in a pool of his own urine.
the heavenly scent of stale beer and urine permeating the hot and humid atmosphere laced with the smells of sweat of unwashed bodies and the underlying hint of cooking from the local restaurants.

and to think you used to be able to bring the family anywhere in the quarter with no worries and good times.


C'mon Gustav 

Dude, how could you leave out the transvestite strippers!?