Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

[Maddy McCall]

Parades rolled through the streets of New Orleans today, but they were sparsely attended and shorter than usual. More will roll tomorrow, next weekend, and, of course, on Fat Tuesday.



What would the city be without Mardi Gras?" said 17-year-old Sadie Ables, standing on Lee Circle in the same spot three generations of her family has gathered for decades.

Her mother, 37-year-old Shelly Guidry, conceded she had conflicts about the cost to the city, especially given how many people remain displaced from homes.

Less than half the city's pre-Katrina population of about 480,000 has been able to return since the storm, and New Orleans' efforts to cover parade costs with corporate sponsors flailed, forcing the City Council to allocate $2.7 million to cover expenses.

Still, Guidry was on the street with family members and her 3-year-old son strapped in a seat atop a ladder, a tradition for children who grow up here during normal years when towering crowds of adults make it too difficult for children to catch beads.

"It's memories here," she said, gesturing down the street.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEW_ORLEANS_MARDI_GRAS?SITE=MSHAT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



Please take a moment to watch the short Flash film linked below, narrated by Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club spokesman Jay H. Banks. Will bring tears to your eyes.

http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_national/katrina_mardigras/index.html

[Olney Blue]

1. Maddy, thank you for these links!

:hug:

[Maddy McCall]

2. You are welcome.

:hi: :hug:

[GOPisEvil]

3. Now I have the Harry Connick, Jr./Dr. John duet version of this song in my

head. :)

[Maddy McCall]

5. Think Louis.

Think Satchmo. :hi:

[terrya]

4. Yahoo news said the crowds were small, but celebratory

It's...reassuring.

Thank you for the pics and post, Maddy.

[Maddy McCall]

6. Yes. I backed out of going today...

we were going to go to Monroe, in north central Louisiana, which has a REALLY good parade tonight, and street parties all day. We are having freezing rain across the south, and ice on roads and so forth--so I didn't want to drive on ice-covered interstates to get there.

And now I'm feeling nostalgic and remorseful for backing out. But I think we're going to go to Fat Tuesday in NOLA, now, which we wouldn't have, had we gone to the Krewe of Janus parade in Monroe tonight.

:hi:

[terrya]

7. Well, you've got to go.

I can understand not driving on ice covered roads. But...the roads should be better in a day or so, so you can then go for Fat Tuesday. Perfect. :-)

:hi:

[jus_the_facts]

8. I wondered about ya'll.......

....it's goin' on now regardless of the weather...what rain fell earlier has frozen...and they sanded the bridges...but it's quit now....hate you didn't get to come up! :hi:

[Maddy McCall]

9. It tore me up to make the decision yesterday morning...

We've been to every Mardi Gras in Monroe for the past five years. Honestly, the ones at which we stood in the rain and the temp was near freezing were just miserable, and I certainly didn't want to go through that again today. I cancelled our reservations at about 2 yesterday afternoon. :(

What was it like in town? Is it raining now? Did it rain most of the day? Cold? Lots of people in town, out and about?


:hi:

[jus_the_facts]

11. Oh they're lined up on Louisville as I type....

...caught the news and saw a fairly good crowd...it hasn't rained or sleeted since it got down to freezin'...but there's still a winter weather advisory until tomorrow around noon...I'm sure it's got to be miserable out though with a windchill of 20 already. :scared:

[Maddy McCall]

12. Yeah, I just couldn't do it again.

We usually set up in the parking lot at that auto parts store, right by the railroad tracks on the north side of Louisville. I know that my family is probably taking down the tarps and packing up all the food now...they usually roll it all up as soon as the parade passes.

My super-great wonderful awesome flamboyant liberal gay cousin from Dallas is there--we are like the Bopsy twins at family reunions and stuff--I just adore him and I HATE that I missed him. :cry: We are the only two liberals in our whole family.

I'll be coming over in the Spring, though, for a week at Lake D'arbonne--my aunt has a great fishing camp up there. I'll let you know when we make plans. :hi:

[jus_the_facts]

15. Oh girl...I spent every summer up on D'arbonne as a kid.....

....my grandparents lived up there on the Stowe Creek side if you're goin' up hwy 15 just across the first bridge to the left...my wish is to be cremated when I bite it and my ashes be spread down by the water from their old house....trippin' at what a small world it is...you know you're the second DU'er that knows D'arbonne..Gumbo Ya Ya also spent a lot o'time up there growin' up. :wow:

Please let me know when you'll be up here again...would love to meet you and your son. :)

Again I'm sorry the weather caused ya'll to miss the parade. x(

[Maddy McCall]

26. I certainly will let you know!

I've caught many a pretty bass and LOTS of crappies in D'arbonne. :hi:

[khashka]

10. Thanks Maddy

My heart is in London, my body is in San Francisco, but my soul is in New Orleans.

"It's memories here" - yes yes yes!

Sorry, I get a little worked up about what happened to New Orleans.

Khash.

[Maddy McCall]

13. Don't apologize to me.

I'm right there with ya. :hug: :cry:

[SeattleGirl]

14. Thanks Maddy

Having never been there, I can't claim to know what it's like. But I miss it nontheless, as it's always been a city I've wanted to visit. May she someday rise again.

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

20. Amen, darlin'!

[AirmensMom]

16. Thanks, Maddy.

I've never been there, but I still miss New Orleans. :hug:

My kitty's name is Satchmo, named after Louis Armstrong.

[dbt]

17. Yes, I do, and I wish I DIDN'T know!

The first time you go to New Orleans (and PLEASE, people, say "New Orlinz," like They do, huh!), it will scare the shit out of you.

The second time you go to New Orleans, you are Sold Into Slavery and you like it.

An old boss of mine, who had lived all over the country, once told me New Orleans was the most "retarded" place he had ever been-- and it pissed me right off to hear him run down somebody's home town like that because there were a lot of musicians in New Orleans who had kept his sorry ass in the Radio business for a very long time. Besides which, he was in Little Rock, Arkansas, at that moment and thus had NO room to call anywhere else "Retarded. But I digress. For the point I wish to make here is that

*New Orleans Is Retarded.*

Not that there's anything wrong with that. See, if you take the word "Retard" in a Musical sense, it carries NO baggage. No static at all. Out where you live, "Retard" is one of them Ugly Words like Nigger that you can't say. But In Here, where the Musicians come, when we Retard a thing, we move it back. You dig? We save it until the Last Possible Minute, after which we do not hesitate to smack you in the ass with it. And you like it. The best example of this that you can possibly get is The Neville Brothers live at just anywhere you can see them play. High school Teachers who spend all damn day on their feet will stand up for three more hours to hear the Nevilles play! Trust me when I tell you that, for I never thought I'd see it either.

Everything is a little slow in New Orleans, ain't it? I think it starts with the food, but we can talk about that later

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

21. Hell YEAH!!!

Retard THIS, y'all! :evilgrin:

[Missy Vixen]

24. The first time I went to NOLA

>The first time you go to New Orleans (and PLEASE, people, say "New Orlinz," like They do, huh!), it will scare the shit out of you.<

Oh, it's the truth. My knees were knocking. After all, people drink on the street there! There was stuff going on I'd never seen in church! AAaaaaargh! Plus, New Orleans is a town one either loves or hates. There's no in-between.

It took me about 48 hours to fall in love for the rest of my life with the food, the music, the people, and the city. New Orleans is like a foreign country one never wants to come back home from. She'll steal your heart, and you'll never get it back.

Julie

[KamaAina]

18. It's been kind of a strange week for me...

with Carnival starting (in earnest; it really started on 1/6, of course), I'm FINALLY getting all these images of the home town doing what it does best -- but since the Katrina report came out in Congress, I've also been subjected to far too much footage from That Week In September, kind of what it must have been like for a Phuket exile around Christmastime at the anniversary of the tsunami :(

Then there's the guilt factor: had I planned things a little more carefully, you might have been looking at me towering over the mostly short revelers shown at the corner of St. Charles and Jackson Ave. (the Williams Supermarket at the corner is where I laid in my six-packs of Dixie during one of my early visits!), but when faced with the daunting combiantion of travel (from Hawai'i, no less) and lodging, I wussed out. Shame on me. :puke:

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

19. I lived there for most of a year, jammed in Jackson Square...

... with cats I'd only seen in documentaries!

(edit: added in location info)

Back when I still made some of my living as a busker, I found myself in N'awlins over one winter and spring. I lived with my lady of the time in what used to be one of the city's famous whorehouses, right across Decatur Street from the Morning Call... the manager lived in what had been the madam's suite. We both worked at one of Bourbon Street's famous night clubs -- she schlepping drinks, me on the door.

I absolutely loved that town, left only because summers were too uncomfortable for me... I watched the news reports, glued to the tube as at no time since 9/11, surfing from news report to weather channel to NASA Stormwatch, to news report to... didn't sleep for 4 straight days! I haven't lived there since 74, but I've always felt it was my "other" home town... felt like it was my home being washed away!

I'm a Seattle-area guy now, have been for 30 years, but I pray that my other home town recovers... as for me, once I'm cleared for heavy labor again (got a complete hip replacement last spring) I'm going down to help rebuild the 9th where most of MY homies live!

[Missy Vixen]

22. I know what it means to miss New Orleans

I hope to be back there sooner than later (I believe we invited Bosshog for coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde; we'd better get with it!) and having the time of my life.

Laissez le bons temps roulet,
Julie

[liberaltrucker]

23. I sure do, Maddy

In the heart of the night
In the cool southern rain
There’s a full moon in sight
Shinin’ down on Lake Pontchartrain
And the river she rises
Just like she used to do
She’s so full of surprises
She reminds me of you

In the heart of the night
In the heart of the ni-ey-ight
In the heart on the night
WoWo, down in New Orleans

There’s a nightbird singing
Right on through till the dawn
And the streets are still ringing
With people carrying on
It’s been so long waiting
Just to be here again
Anticipating
All the time I can spend

In the heart of the night
In the heart of the ni-ey-ight
In the heart of the night
Wo-WO-wo, Down in New Orleans

Poco-“Legend” album 1979



I went to MG in 1983. Had the time of my life.
Also, LTWife and I celebrated our 5th anniversary
in NO in January, 2003. Yeah, I miss New Orleans.
:cry:
But she'll be back, better than ever.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

25. Here's another take by Tom Waits:

Well, I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
arm-in-arm down Burgundy
a bottle and my friends and me
hoist up a few tall cool ones
play some pool and listen to that
tenor saxophone calling me home
and I can hear the band begin
"When the Saints Go Marching In"
by the whiskers on my chin
New Orleans, I'll be there

I'll drink you under the table
be red nose go for walks
the old haunts what I wants
is red beans and rice
and wear the dress I like so well
and meet me at the old saloon
make sure there's a Dixie moon
New Orleans, I'll be there

and deal the cards roll the dice
if it ain't that ole Chuck E. Weiss
and Clayborn Avenue me and you
Sam Jones and all
and I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
arm-in-arm down Burgundy
a bottle and my friends and me
New Orleans, I'll be there