Everywhere: Articles: Land In Sight

Hurricane Katrina left the City of New Orleans underwater and in shambles. After drying out, the city's spirited citizens have returned to restore and rebuild.

Nobody Home by andrew greer

Through the painstaking reconstruction of houses in New Orleans' Ninth Ward visitors catch glimpses of homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Even more unusual is the eerie aura of abandonment that has taken up residence here.

Sitting on my friend Sara Beth’s couch in Tennessee I stared at live television footage of Hurricane Katrina as it relentlessly pitted its way through the city of New Orleans. The sight of 150-plus mph winds and deadly rains pillaging street by street was harrowing; watching it with my friend as it ravaged her hometown, displacing her family, left an indelible impression on my mind and heart.

My mother grew up in “The Big Easy” but not until an autumn excursion during my senior year of college did I experience New Orleans infamous offerings first-hand. Acting as hostess and tour guide extraordinaire, Sara Beth walked me through the cobbled streets of the historic French Quarter exhibiting brilliant lines of French-influenced two stories, clusters of soulful street musicians and the smell – oh the smell! – of fresh beignets seeping from the cracks of the must-visit Cafe Du Monde. (Just a couple miles from your second priority: Magazine Street's infamous Po-Boy & Sandwich Shop).

Barely twenty-one, I made the obligatory nighttime trek down Bourbon Street, trading a five-dollar bill for a stiff specialty drink – “The Hand Grenade”. Though getting lit is not how I prefer to experience a new destination, the night unveils a brand new city with unique opportunity, patrons and events, serving some of the tastiest Creole cuisine while the world’s finest jazz, Cajun and zydeco musicians blare spiritual sounds into the wee hours of the morning. Moseying away from the racket, the street exposes a remarkable view of Jackson Square’s pre-Civil War gem, the St. Louis Cathedral, as if knowing, in some sacred irony, confession and repentance will purge your recent recreations.

It is this dichotomous prose that outlines the streets of New Orleans and makes the city so vivid. Highways of history create a modern draw. Traditions make her relevant. And for "The City Under the Sea" its geographical vulnerability dictates a resilient people’s determination to bounce back.

Since my first visit, I have returned to celebrate holidays, escort a beautiful high society debutante in her “coming out” ball, join the throngs of bead seekers at the first post-Katrina Mardi Gras and tour the Ninth Ward. And I am convinced it is the spirit of New Orleans, endowed by the citizens of New Orleans, that is rebuilding the city one brick at a time.