A Tribute to the Big Easy and Vieux Carre

20 years ago, this past weekend, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana which included a direct hit on the city of New Orleans. The images of the aftermath of the storm were heartbreaking for me, as New Orleans and more specifically, the French Quarter, had become one of my all-time favorite places to visit. So, I thought a brief tribute to this amazing city would be timely and appropriate!

The French Quarter, or Vieux Carre, in New Orleans, LA

Many of my friends and family are surprised when they find out how much I love New Orleans and the French Quarter, or Vieux Carre. I mean, it’s not like they don’t have a point. The debauchery, drunkenness, and behavioral excesses of visitors and residents alike don’t necessarily comport well with my idea of a great time. Dodging piles of vomit while strolling down Bourbon Street, being solicited by scantily clad women inviting you to join them in their “gentleman’s” club showcasing partially nude pole dancers, and young, 5-year-old hustlers pestering you up and down the street for a dollar or two are a permanent part of the quintessential French Quarter experience.

But so is the beautiful architecture, the amazing history of the place, the fantastic live jazz music blasting from the bars along Bourbon Street and Preservation Hall competing for your attention, the amazing restaurants serving some of the best down-home and high art cooking in the nation, the fantastic bars and cocktails, and the entirely unique culture of the place, unlike anywhere else in the world.

I first visited New Orleans in 2001 on a business trip to meet with the leadership of Marine Forces Reserve, whose headquarters was located at the Naval Support Activity outside of the French Quarter down Dauphine St. and across a canal from the lower 9^th ward. I stayed in a historic hotel in the middle of the French Quarter (the Maison Dupuy Hotel) and ate at Mr. B’s Bistro, a wildly popular restaurant that serves classic Louisiana fare. I walked the streets of the Quarter, and was entranced by the crowds, the sights, and the sounds of the city. I was also slightly appalled at the public debauchery I witnessed – visitors stumbling along the streets nearing passed-out drunk status, police breaking up fights before they got out of control, women taking off their tops to provide everyone a show, and revelers throwing beads and tossing cups of beer from balconies onto passersby. But I also stopped frequently to listen to amazing bands blasting out some of the best jazz music I had ever heard, and to marvel at the beautiful architecture – the ornate balcony railings, the brightly painted shutters, and historic buildings many of which were over 200 years old – I loved it all!

Jackson Square in the French Quarter

After that first visit, I took advantage of every opportunity I had to visit the city. Most of my trips were work-related, but I also took Laurie with me once and she loved it as well (despite a random drunk stranger putting his arm around her while trying to pick her up – I removed his arm from her shoulder somewhat brusquely and told him to scram, which he did – most drunks in the French Quarter are friendly drunks!). Those visits included one on Halloween, which was similar to a slightly milder version of Mardi Gras – lots of parades, nudity, drinking, and acting out – kind of a normal night in the Quarter, but on steroids! In total, I have visited New Orleans and the French Quarter at least 15 times over the years. In doing so, I got to know the city intimately and learned to love everything about it as well. Which is why Hurricane Katrina was such a devastating and sad experience for me.

Katrina made a direct hit on New Orleans on the morning of August 29^th, 2005, as a Category 3 hurricane. After the hurricane passed, everyone thought New Orleans had dodged a bullet – the damage was nowhere near what everyone had predicted. Unfortunately, soon thereafter, the series of levees designed to contain the waters from Lake Pontchartrain failed, and water began pouring into the city, flooding the streets, and trapping residents who had no opportunity to escape. The fact that New Orleans was built on land that was 8 feet below sea level was the final nail in the coffin. The destruction was devastating – 1,400 people lost their lives, many of which drowned in the flooding that followed the storm.

Ariel view of flooding in New Orleans from Katrina

It would be 9 months after Katrina hit before I would return to New Orleans. Even though most of the French Quarter didn’t flood in the aftermath of Katrina, many of the areas I frequented when I visited did, and the Quarter was fundamentally changed as a result. In addition to the permanent loss of a significant portion of residents who left the state to escape Katrina and never returned, tourism was nonexistent for months after the storm and many businesses didn’t survive.

My first visit to the city post-Katrina was sobering and sad. Two of my favorite restaurants, NOLA and Stella, were permanently closed. Despite not living anywhere near the French Quarter, I frequented both of these restaurants each time I visited, and by doing so got to know the staff and servers to the point where they would greet me when I walked in with a hearty, “Mr. Mark, you are back – welcome home!!”, and comp me drinks and deserts on a regular basis. It was like I had lost good friends, and I always wondered what happened to them and whether they survived the hurricane.

Katrina as a Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico

I’ll also never forget driving down Dauphine Street on my way to the Marine Forces Reserve headquarters at the Naval Support Activity. A portion of my regular route there was impacted by the flooding that occurred, with parts of the area ending up 8 feet or more underwater before the flood waters subsided. As I drove by, each house on either side of the street was abandoned with debris still strewn everywhere, and the iconic “X-codes” painted on each home by FEMA rescuers and first responders. The “X” denoted that a search had been completed, with the time and date of the search written above the X, the team conducting the search written to the left side of the X, the results of the search (number of victims removed and number of dead written below the X) and any additional information noted about the structure to the right of the mark. My visits to New Orleans would never be the same after seeing this, and I was always struck with a sense of sadness and loss whenever I returned to the city.

X-code painted on a house in the lower 9^th ward

All that said, New Orleans has made an amazing recovery since Katrina. While the population is still down significantly compared to pre-Katrina, all else appears normal. Since Katrina, I have been able to enjoy a morning beignet at Café Du Monde (complete with rats scurrying within the bushes surrounding the café – it’s all part of the experience!), listen to the musicians and watch the artists gathered on the plaza in Jackson Square, browse the galleries and shops up and down Royal Street, grab a muffaletta sandwich at Johnny’s Po'boy, enjoy a fantastic breakfast at Mother’s with their famous ham slice (and of course, the obligatory 30 minute wait in line for service!), stop by for a cocktail at the Old Absinthe House (one of the oldest bars in the country), enjoy a fantastic elegant multi-course dinner at August restaurant or Emeril’s, visit one of New Orleans incredible graveyards (with all crypts and “coffins” above ground due to the water table – no burying corpses below ground allowed!), settle in at one of the many bars across the French Quarter to listen to live music, or just roam the streets taking in the crowds, the revelry, and the joy and sense of community everyone feels when they visit the French Quarter.

It's been 8 years since I’ve been back to New Orleans, and Laurie and I have started talking about another long weekend visit to reacquaint ourselves with the city again – I’ll be sure to share our experience there once we make it back!! Until then, raise a glass and toast New Orleans and the Vieux Carre!