Memories of New Orleans

I had never set foot in New Orleans until June 2004. My now-husband is from New Orleans and invited me to attend a family member's wedding. Since this maiden visit, we've been back together three times, the most recent being our wedding in April. New Orleans is indeed a special place. The hospitality, like most of the South, is amazing.

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I was just in New Orleans for a conference, so I can vividly imagine the landmarks mentioned on the news and remember clearly seeing the levees that kept Lake Pontchartrain out of the city. I now regret that I spent so much time in meetings and not seeing more of the city, but I will particularly remember an excellent Italian restaurant in the Warehouse District called Lake Pontchartrain, as well as a restaurant called Mother's on Poydras Street that seemed like it had not changed since it opened in the 1930s. I hope both reopen.

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I couldn't even begin to share my favorite memory of New Orleans. As a college student at Tulane, as an adult living and working Uptown and planning my wedding, and later as a tourist who has only missed one Jazz Fest since starting college in 1991. Crawfish at Frankie & Johnny's, cheese fries at Cooter's, burgers at Port of Call?! Kermit playing at Joe's, Rebirth at the Maple Leaf?! This week has been painful beyond belief.

I hope that people, especially tourists who provide the lifeblood of this city, will not give up on New Orleans. New Orleans will need our tourism, our dollars, our support over the next several years.

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