New Orleans, Baby

Just finished a book called Why New Orleans Matters by Tom Piazza. Written in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by a guy who lives in the city. Wasn't born there but was drawn to the majesty of the place and relocated from New York City.
The book is raw emotionally, written as it was immediately after Katrina's massive destruction. His love of the place is all over the pages, and his knowledge of the history and his appreciation for the culture give you a great feel for New Orleans.
This is a city I have always known I could dig, known it in my soul. However I have never been there. Not yet.
We have too many disasters in this country and around the world and they happen too fast. We have become jaded. Those of us who are not directly affected just move on, get back to clipping coupons and putting pennies in a jar. I was blown away in 2005 by the scope of this disaster, and of course by the truth exposed that it was essentially a man made disaster. Had the levees been properly maintained, New Orleans would not have been destroyed.  I watched the coverage, read about the aftermath and worried that a city that fascinated me would not be the same when I finally visited it.
Now I hardly think about it.
"New Orleans is the most religious place I have ever been, even though much of the population is profoundly profane, pagan, and steeped in the seven deadly sins and some others not even listed." Piazza's words. I get this. I love this.
The musical heritage alone is mind blowing. I could live there just for that. My brother was there on a business trip; he walked into a corner bar and heard music that blew his mind. That is so cool; you don't have to go to a concert to inhale the vibe; you can get it in some no name place off the beaten track. This is because they take the music seriously; it comes from the soul of the musicians and the soul of the city.
There is amazing food and ritual and tradition and voodoo; Mardi Gras; The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest). The place has a soul. New Hampshire doesn't have a soul. New Hampshire has foliage.
That's a big piece of what I find attractive; New Orleans has a personality, a feel, a smell, a sound - when I visit it the trip will be mutual - it will be visiting me as well.
Little corner stores and restaurants, from shacks to fancy joints, walk in and the food will blow your mind. From crawfish to barbecue and everything in between; the cuisine is varied and unique and alive. More of the ripple effect from the soul of the city.
People sitting on porches, on folding chairs in the street; community, the funeral processions and resultant celebrations where life and death are recognized as a tag team and mourned and celebrated accordingly. The funeral procession starts out with musicians playing dirges but quickly changes to life affirming party music that people dance to behind the procession. How cool is that. The mix of cultures and religions and points of view; the heat. New Orleans has got to be a mind blower.
Piazza first visited New Orleans to experience Jazz Fest. He booked his room through some fly-by-night agency; his description of the accommodations: "If the Addams family had run a guest house, it would have looked something like Longpre Gardens." His host told him that do to a scheduling overlap his room was occupied, but he was welcome to sleep on a cot in the kitchen or - a significant pause - in the host's room. His host was a sweet natured old queen. Piazza chose the kitchen.
That is a great New Orleans story.
Piazza talks about the traditions behind Mardi Gras, the heritage of it, the heart and soul, what goes on leading up to it; all the stuff that gets overshadowed by sweet young things covered in beads. He describes Jazz Fest, which happens on two consecutive weekends, late April, early May. It is an outdoor festival. The unbelievable musical lineup, the wide array of food available from booth to booth, the fascinating people who attend and the soul deep vibe of sweet release.
The main feel that came across in the book is the personality of New Orleans and its people. A soulful, living, breathing atmosphere of originality steeped in music and food and religion and ritual.
It must be a lot harder to be bored in New Orleans than in Anytown USA.