A Nothing Sunday Afternoon in NOLA

There's nothing going on, but it doesn't feel that way. An intangible hum of warmth and humility is easing along the space between. Maybe the concertina driven arrangement of "Whatever Lola Wants" lilting from the radio on the heels of three hours of raw Zydeco has helped build this almost imperceptible layer. Was that what inspired the simple, elegant lunch assembly paced like that romantic grocery store commercial where the couple, together in the kitchen, feed each other morsels giggling after a stressful day's work? Is that what now bolsters our plans for a late afternoon barbecue that is more about sitting on the patio drinking chilled wine and listening to the live oak leaves rustle in the new cooler breezes of the oncoming fall? It's this roux, this rich and savory sauce, this underlying sense of being in a special place that allows for a contextual flow...other places have it - Caribbean islands, hearts of metropolitan cities, remote wilderness areas...here for some reason little simple activities seem so brilliant, so chic, so satisfying that the thread of ideas is endless.

The Sweet Life...C'mon Down!

As the remnants of Gustav are collected by roving municipal trucks, the radio is plunking out the blues, the lusty tropical vegetation is bobbing in the breeze, and the city of New Orleans is going on right where it left off. That easygoing, island-like atmosphere is still leaking through our pores into our bloodstreams, getting up into our brains and causing a blissful sensation of relaxation and fun. Laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll) is the city's enthusiastic cry, but really, how can they not? If Katrina can't stop the good times from rolling, Gustav certainly can't...and it looks like they never will stop rolling in New Orleans for any reason at all.

Which means you can come on down!! What are you waiting for (well maybe the end of hurricane season, although the news hype makes it out to be a little bit on the extreme side)? Wouldn't you love dancing, dining, relaxing on a virtual tropical island? Remember how local live music always cheers you up and makes you forget your troubles? There's really no way to describe the feeling you get when travel to a place so full of unique culture - you have to be here - in person! No video, picture or even blog post (ahem) can do it justice!

From anywhere in the USA, with the exception of Hawaii and Alaska (which by the way have their own very explorable, unique cultures) you're no more than a half day's flight or drive from this remarkable little city. So you have no excuse! Since it's a stop on the must see checklist of America, you have to come once in your lifetime, but be careful, of course, you might keep coming back...or like us, you might never leave.

Help! I'm a Prisoner in My Vacation House!

As Gustav threatened our beautiful city, we were already up in Atlanta on business. On the eve of the Katrina anniversary, we and everybody else in America watched with horror as Gustav rolled up the gulf coast and our entire city was evacuated. Rather than return to New Orleans on Labor Day as planned, we retreated to our north Georgia vacation house and gripped our TV remote with white knuckles as the water in the Industrial Canal sloshed over the wall into the 9th Ward. We gasped with relief as we saw the levee hold.

Being practical, we made schedule adjustments that kept us productive for another week, and now here comes Ike, tracking into the gulf like a deja vu nightmare! Once the only news topic on 24 hour cable, Gustav is so last week you can't even find a 30 second update, although the city is still engaged in major aspects of recovery.

OK, we live in a hurricane zone. We admit it. A possible tipoff might be that they have a popular drink on Bourbon St. named for it. But the reality of being displaced for weeks on end, fearing for the lives and property of your neighbors, wondering if your roof blew off and your possessions are scattered or soaked or both, and basic stuff like knowing your refrigerator full of food lies in dubious condition after days and days without power, suddenly becomes intimate experience. Strangely though, now we know first hand why people came back after Katrina, why they suffer through all the Gustavs and Ikes - a love for this unique city so powerful that it pervades your bloodstream. As we eyeball the new storm track, our desire to return to New Orleans continues to increase in intensity, and we are tempted to compromise everything but safety - what's a little rain and wind?!

It's lovely this time of year up in north Georgia, don't get us wrong. The crisp morning air in the lush, vibrant green woods at the edge of the lake is refreshing perfection. Under other circumstances, we might even come here on purpose this time of year, but it has become a gilded cage. We have to go home...