New Couch = Trip to New Orleans

So, I finally bought a couch last week after almost 6 months without one. One catch was that it had to be picked up in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, which is about 1.5 hours from my house.

I have been to New Orleans since Katrina a half a dozen times or more, but I haven't been to any of the areas that were particularly devastated by the hurricane. I think I purposely avoid those areas b/c I am overly emotional and I tend to avoid things that will upset me visually (..b/c I can't stop seeing the visuals in my mind).


The Ninth Ward looked, to me, like the damage was so much more recent than almost 2 years old. It was shocking to see the amount of abandoned house, rubble, handmade street signs, closed down businesses etc. that we saw.

After we picked up the couch we went to the Lakeview area, which is right around where I lived for some time as a live in nanny several years ago. I really have been avoiding this area..I guess because I have personal ties theres.

This area is right on Lake Pontchartrain, which is too polluted to swim in anymore, but people still boat there etc.

I always loved The West End area (nice photos in that link!) and was really upset to see it in the condition it was in this weekend. Although some of the businesses are open, a lot are closed..or the buildings are demolished altogether.

Some shots from this weekend in the Lakeview/West End area:

This is the Lighthouse, there is a picture in the West End link above of it from several years ago:


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Another area in West End, where a restaurant once stood, overlooking Lake Pontchartrain. In the distance you can see the bridge..lake:


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The Lakefront, where I used to go often with my grandparents as a child:


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The country Club in West End, where I spent a lot of time with the children I nannied for..It's closed and falling down:


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A hand made street sign, but you can see the refurbished house behind it:


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An abandoned Lakeview house. I just keep wondering how all that has been sitting there for almost 2 years. There were so many houses like this...full of things, doors open, windows broken..no signs of life:






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I miss New Orleans.
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