New Orleans

I lived in New Orleans for four years. I went through two hurricanes in 8 days there, hunkered down in a 6,000 square foot, 150-year-old house. It stood, as it had as a makeshift hospital through the Civil War, and through other storms over those years.

They've been waiting for this extreme hurricane for a long time. They've known full well what it could do. And they knew that one day it would come.

I fell in love with the place. The people are extraordinarily sweet and smart and giving, the food and music are outstanding. The art and architecture and history are beautiful, and like nothing else in this country.

I learned my bit of bricklaying there. My bricks here in South Florida are from St. Joe brickyard, just outside the city in Slidell, and I've been to that 100+ year old brickyard a number of times.

Is there corruption and bigotry and ignorance too? Sure. Just like in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Seattle. But Louisiana has gotten more than its share of mistreatment and prejudice from the rest of the States. While fully cognizant of that, the people there still extend their generosity, immediately, to those outsiders. I know because I was one.

There's a powerful sense of community in most South Louisiana towns that you don't see much in other American cities any more. Districts in the New Orleans metro area even have their own accents, so when people talk you can tell they're from Chalmette or the Irish Channel.

Those born there tend to stay forever. It seems inconceivable to them that someone would move away. I could always understand that perfectly well.

I had to leave, though, in the end. When people ask me why, all I can ever think to say is, You fall in love with it and then it breaks your heart.

My heart is breaking again tonight.