Visiting New Orleans |
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| New Orleans is still the largest city in Louisiana, but it dropped from being the fourth largest in the country in the mid 19th century to out of the top 50 largest cities in the 21st century. Most people around the world know about Hurricane Katrina that nearly destroyed the city in 2005. The population went from roughly half a million to a quarter of a million in 2006 immediately after the hurricane, but when I visited in 2010 it was close to around 500,000 again, and as you can see on the upper left hand photo, life on canal street looks quite healthy. |
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| On the left is a statue in downtown New Orleans of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, the founder of the city. In choose a place that he felt would be safe from hurricanes behind a bend in the river, and begun building in 1718. The first few city blocks he designed way back in 1721 still exist today and are known as the French Quarters, and is the liveliest part of the city today. |
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| Above are two mansions located in New Orleans taking near Christmas. The city and state is known for its large southern homes like these. |
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| An interesting place to visit in New Orleans is the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. As you can see from the photos, I visited it during the winter time when there isn’t much beauty out. The park has several swamps and canals located within its borders, but it also has a large monument dedicated to the War of 1812. The war of 1812 lasted several years in the United located within its borders, but it also has a large monument dedicated to the War of 1812. The United States declared war against the British Empire for a number of reasons in summer of 1812, and the 3 year war had its final battle at the location above, known as the Battle of New Orleans. This was regarded as the greatest land battle of the entire war, and was commanded by General Andrew Jackson on the American side. Americans had been anticipating an enormous unstoppable force that would invade the south, so when news spread of a victory and the end of the war, it put the country and city into high spirits. |
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| New Orleans success as a city is pretty impressive since the city itself was built below sea level. The average height of the city is two feet below sea level, but some parts range as high as 20 feet above and others as much as 7 feet below. New Orleans is able to exist below sea level and by the coast because of its levees that block the ocean water. Of course when you’re by the beach and already below sea level, digging further usually just brings in water, so something New Orleans is famous for is deceased that are ‘buried above ground’. The surrounding photos are some of the graves and crypts that are built in the city. Dozens of graveyards like this exist all over New Orleans. |
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| Above are two more photos of some of the crypts and graves, not in the best condition. This could be water damage or old age. The crypt on the right looks like it might completely split in half and fall apart within a few years. |
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| A city below sea level built along the coast obviously makes it susceptible to some nasty storms and flooding. This street was blocked off for some reason during a storm, I’m not sure if it’s because they were doing some type of roadwork or if they were worried about water actually getting onto the street itself. Either way, it was just a small storm and you can see how nasty the ocean is and how close the water level is to the street on the right hand photo. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, water here was over 10 feet high, and some of the other levees built throughout the city failed, quickly turning streets into raging rivers and flooding homes with rapidly rising waters trapping people inside. |
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| These surrounding photos are some of the damaged houses from Hurricane Katrina. Even over five years later, parts of the city look like Hurricane Katrina came here only a few days ago. Some of these photos are from the lower 9th ward which was one of the hardest hit neighborhoods of the city, but others are from parts closer to downtown. I’m not sure the long term fate of these buildings, maybe they will be left to rot, or maybe some of them have plans to be knocked down and rebuilt. Above shows a bar that was destroyed over half a decade ago and looks probably unchanged since. Below you can see a heavily destroyed house on the lower right which is located in the lower 9th ward. The house on the left has spray paint from September 2005 when authorities had to do house to house inspections for people. |
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| These two important structures were a blessing to some refugees immediately after Hurricane Katrina, and for others an extension of their nightmare. Many refugees went on a dangerous trek to these two locations, where they did find some medical help and food, but the Super Dome of the New Orleans Saints will likely long be an icon of what many consider to be government failure to the disaster response. |
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| On the positive side, these two photos are also from the lower 9th ward, and were clearly built after the hurricane. It looks like the city of New Orleans go their priorities straight by rebuilding schools first, I passed by a least two different schools that looked bran new. I’m not sure what the building on the upper left is, but it also looks to only be a few years old. The house above was actually built directly next door to one of the most severely damaged houses in the lower 9th ward, so hopefully the other houses will eventually be rebuilt this way. |
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| Over 5 years after Hurricane Katrina however, to me the main tourist parts of the city seemed to have been fully recovered. I’m sure locals who live there would say otherwise, but as a traveler I was happy to come across lots of people, packed restaurants and bars, and just a normal atmosphere. Above are two performers, the guy on the left is doing a magic show, on the right is jazz music played on the streets. |
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| Above is perhaps the worst picture ever taken of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. This fairy-tale like church exists in downtown New Orleans, and is surrounding by some beautiful parks and gardens. The current building was founded in 1789 and became a cathedral in 1793, where it has been a place of worship ever since. It has the honor of being the oldest running cathedral in the United States. |
  These surrounding images show a good summary of what the culture of New Orleans is like. Jazz music and the creole food called gumbo is popular throughout Louisiana. The city is also known for its voodoo which was carried on from slaves from West Africa, and tarot card readings magic tricks and shows. |
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  The French Quarters which is the liveliest part of New Orleans is divided up into blocks that are filled with plenty of exotic shops, restaurants, bars and night clubs. Below are some shots from the day time, I didn’t bring my camera when I was out during the night. The art store on the left caught my eye because of the warm colors and unique work they had for sale. Above is a restaurant, one with seating outside on the second floor which is common in New Orleans. During Mardis Gras celebrations which take place around February, most of these balconies are packed with drunk party animals who are throwing beads and shouting into the crowds below. It’s a unique experience for the United States, since New Orleans has some relaxed laws that you’d normally expect in places like Europe. |
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