Taking It Easy

(New Orleans) - People from outside Louisiana have a tendency to assume that New Orleans is somehow the center of our universe. While it is our state's biggest city and an international tourism destination, many of us just don't visit that often. While I have come to the city frequently for sporting events, a quick review of our records indicates that my family has not been here since 2002.

It is a sad reality that, for us, New Orleans is a place you drive around on your way to the beach. The last time my daughter was here, she was ten years old. She has a few memories of the trip, but they are vague. So, upon our arrival, we retraced our steps.
We are staying in a Canal Street hotel, which puts us close to the most infamous tourist hot spots in the city, particularly the French Quarter. We stopped for dinner and ate in an open-air courtyard, which we all enjoyed. We were out at a relatively early hour and things were still quiet. But we hung around until after sundown. That's when things start to change.

Seeing Bourbon Street through 18-year-old eyes for the first time can be a little unsettling. Really, there's no way to prepare yourself for it. There's no question it's an assault on the senses.

Here's how my daughter summed it up: "New Orleans has its own smell. It's a mixture of liquor, barf, pee and seafood. Mmmm."

She left out the part about the delightful odor of manure coming from behind the horse-drawn carriages, but a lady has her limits.
Her observation may be on the mark for parts of the quarter, but it certainly does not sum up the whole city.

We enjoyed significant olfactory improvement once we jumped onto the St. Charles streetcar and took a ride to the Garden District. The night was lovely and uptown did not disappoint.

Just riding through that part of the city for an hour or so, you can certainly grasp why New Orleans evokes so much romance and passion from those who love it. My wife and I discussed coming back more often, and next time staying in uptown.

We truly feel a responsibility to play a part in New Orleans' ongoing post-Katrina recovery. Plus, riding the streetcar is just kinda cool.

When we planned this trip, we didn't realize it would be on Easter weekend. So, we are keeping our eye out for a Sunday service that will work into our schedule. I hope we can squeeze into St. Louis Cathedral. Maybe our daughter would remember that.

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Hello From Shreeeport.

With the nation's political attention turning toward the southwest, there's new emphasis lately on how to pronounce Nevada. The people there say it with a "short" a, like in "cat." They get worked up when people on TV say it with an "ah" sound. I know how they feel.
During the coverage of Hurricane Katrina, MSNBC's Alex Witt insisted on calling the devastated city "New Or-Leenz." This is often heard from young reporters who come into the state from other parts of the country. They have to be made to say it correctly: "New Orlinz," or "N'awlins" if you are father to the south. I am still worked up about Alex Witt's stubbornness. she was just about the only national broadcaster saying it that way. You have to figure somebody tried to correct her along the way.
In the northwest corner of the state, we can live with people lazily dropping the "v" sound from Shreveport. At least half the people in town will say "Shree-port." I won't say it, but that's just me. What we will not abide is the unnecessary "s." Don't say "Shrevesport." You'll get shouted down.
I still haven't figured out the proper way to say the name of the outstanding smaller city straight down Interstate 49 from here. Is it LAFF-ayette or LAH-fayette? It doesn't help that there's a nearby Arkansas county called "Luh-FAY-it." They're spelled exactly the same.
The one that just slays me is the northwest Louisiana town of Mooringsport. It sits on the shores of Caddo Lake, so the origin of the name should be self-evident. However, people there call it "Morningsport" plain as day. So, if the standard of how to pronounce a place is how the locals say it, then "Morningsport" it is, spelling and origin be damned.
My favorite pronouncing conundrum comes from north central Texas town of Bogata. It's is spelled just like the capital of Columbia, but that's not how it's pronounced, no sir. They say it like the vowels are transposed: Bagota. Hey, when in Bogata.......
Somewhere, Brett Favre is smiling.

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