Gardendistrict’s Weblog

“I really think this AA thing is working.  I only had one bottle of wine last night.”…overheard at a local coffee shop.

Have spent months pondering whether there’s anything left to say about this community.  Is there anything left that the local or national press hasn’t beaten to death?  Finally came to the conclusion “yes, no and maybe.”  I am not a native but I frequently catch myself thinking like one.

“What do you mean armed National Guardsmen are bad for tourism?  There’s lots of vacation spots around the world with armed guards running around and people pay big bucks to go there.”  Former City Council Member.

Have been fascinated by the developing world of blogs and the pioneers of the media.  I thought I’d try my hand.  It’s naturally going to be a work in process but everything is moving slow in this area.

“You weren’t born here.  You don’t know anything.  My family has been in this city since the Big Bang.”  Bar Patron

 Have read that every blogger should have a niche.  Guess my niche has developed over the last two years.   Every time some outrageous headline about something that “has” or “has not” happened in this city hits the airwaves, there are phone calls and emails from associates around the country who demand to know if the story was correct, how on earth could that of happened and why am I still living here.  Yep, that’s my niche…”Why am I still living here?”

 “When life hands you a lemon, make a daiquiri.”  Anonymous

 There is no question in my mind that New Orleans is one of America’s most unique cities. While there are many who would now argue that it is one too many, I think not.  Every industrialized country has a city like New Orleans and some even have more than one.

Something strange is going on here…the lid is off the pot so to speak.  The storm brought the rare opportunity of a second chance for a city on the skids, however, the second chance comes with a price tag…”Open your books.”  This isn’t referring specifically to financial documents as much as it does to a mythical loose leaf operations manual outlining how and why things are done in this city.

 “There’s a right way to do things and there’s a wrong way to do things and there’s the New Orleans way of doing things.”  Anonymous

This is an exciting time to live here.  The Federal Government probably wishes the hurricane would have landed anywhere else but Louisiana, the state is treating the city as a new profit center and the only municipal entity working at peak efficiency is the one responsible for issuing parking citations.

I close my first blog with a lesson I’ve learned from this experience.  The keys to maintaining a healthy mental outlook during a disaster rebuild is to keep optimistic, keep healthy and keep your car full of gas.