We entered New Orleans during twilight hours, and watching empty streets that were once crawling with people was depressing. Watched 100s of damaged buildings along I-10 while entering NO. While driving along Canal Street, noticed lots (all most all of them) of abandoned buildings (that used to be very nice once) with piles of sheet rock, insulation, and shingles in front of them. It was hard to believe that this is a part of the US. It reminded me of scenes from Escape from New York. Went to the River Walk on Mississippi and it was deserted with eerie silence, broken occasionally by bells of the Street Car; used to be lively with lots of people walking around. Here are some pictures.
On University of New Orleans campus - saw many of these "No Guns" signs. Of course, now we find them at middle and high schools too!
6217 Wain Wright Drive. I lived at this place for a couple of years. This place was mostly not affected by Katrina:-) Three successive batches of Desi students can do more damage to houses than a Category 4 Hurricane!
Intersection of Robert E. Lee Boulevard and Paris Avenue. Used to be a busy place with tons of students and PJ's Coffee shop; now, not a single person in sight.
Levee at Canal Boulevard
Abandoned house on Canal Street; used to be a busy street w/lots of people and traffic; now it is deserted.
We all had Cafe Au Lait with Beignets at Cafe Du Monde on Decatur Street. Fortunately, the French Quarter was not directly affected by Katrina, as it is above sea level. Though there was some crowd in this area, it was no where compared to what it used to be like. We noticed a lady reading Tarot cards to a couple in a dark alley near Cafe Du Monde - that alley used to be filled with people and street side vendors. To sum up, we failed to see the New Orleans that we remember. I hope that this once-lively city regains its past glory soon.
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