When you walk through the French Quarter you hardly notice the devastation of Hurricane Katrina almost exactly 5 years ago. You are only reminded when you overhear tour guides making reference to the disaster.
So I wanted to see what the Lower 9th Ward looks like today. This is another story. You can look at it as a glass half empty or half full.
Driving through the area makes you realize the size of the disaster, and the progress varies. Some houses are completely restored. Some houses are still untouched. Some lots are simply empty, either seeded or overgrown. Some lots have just the slab on grade left, or only the front stoop. You also see quite a few houses from Brad Pitts’ “Make it right” initiative completed or under construction.
Afterwards I walked through the Garden District, an upscale residential neighborhood. Quite a difference from the Lower 9th Ward. As usual I followed Frommer’s online walking tour. After that I drove through the City Park up to the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The City Park might be pretty inaccessible tomorrow. It will be closed for a ‘Cure for Cancer Walk’, and next week is the voodoo festival.
It was time for dinner, so I consulted Frommer’s for recommendations. One spot jumped out: Elizabeth’s. A restaurant that serves Creole Cuisine, has 3 Frommer’s stars (Exceptional) and only one Dollar symbol. This might be the right place after a sweaty day. I called for the address, input it in the GPS and drove off. Four more miles to go. Well, enough time for the neighborhood to change. I did not. I found the place, but did not stop. Maybe I should try something else. One more time around the block. Is it possible that Frommer’s made a mistake? Another trip around the block. Let’s be brave and try it. I hope my car is OK. I got there right at opening for dinner. For a little while I was the first and only guest, but it filled up pretty quickly. And Frommer’s was right. The dinner and service were exceptional.
No comments:
Post a Comment