I visited NOLA today.
It's difficult for me to discuss a city without putting it into the context of Detroit. It is, after all, the city I grew up near and spent too long writing a thesis on. It's a city that suffers the unique humanity of enjoying a Renaissance while still collapsing at the fringes. I often make references to the impoverished areas when appropriate but often cite the positive parts as well. I can draw deep from the city's history to see it's future potential. And in many cities in the United States you can see bits and pieces of Detroit in them as much as you can see bit and pieces of those cities in Detroit. Those little bits of similarity help me wrap my head around the city and learn about it.
But I think I met my match with NOLA. The city kept me spinning. On paper, New Orleans and Detroit are a near match. They were both founded by French explorers before the country they occupy was even born. They both have long histories of conflict, racial and ethnic tension, and this strong desire to maintain its own unique identity. And as I walked the streets with Gordon and Janette, that unique identity became apparent. I was just as lost culturally as I was geographically as I roamed the streets.
Gordon and Janette were very open and honest with what NOLA was like. As I Iistened to them spin various cultural, social, and geographical yarns I failed to keep up. New Orleans was both poverty and gentrification. It was the artifact of man's creative abilities and acts of God. It was a city down on it's luck, but seemed to still have plenty of it left. It was French and English. It was modern, and also older than the United States. It's NOLA, and it's unapologetic about it.
Maybe that's why it's so much fun.
I can't begin to describe the city properly. All I know is that I was shown a wonderful time by two amazing people and I'll never forget it.
Maybe one day I'll have the words (and after a secondary or tertiary visit) but for now, I'll lean towards brevity.