Here Comes Isaac!

On the weekend I spent a lot of time sleeping. But I also got some time to head into the city to see the French Quarter the famous tourist neighborhood of New Orleans and home of the infamous Bourbon street. We were far more interested in Frenchmen Street which was home to some of the best local Jazz clubs in the city.

                By Sunday it was starting to become clear that we soon were going to have a problem. A problem named Isaac. Originally forecasted to hit Tampa, Isaac had begun drifting west, and some models now showed it going on a beeline for New Orleans. The problem was some models didn't. There was a lot of uncertainty in the forecast and we weren't really sure what to do (the two evacuation plans called for Houston [which some models showed getting hit by the hurricane] and Mobile [which other models showed getting hit]). So we just kinda continued about our normal schedule. By Monday, it had become very apparent that Isaac was going to make landfall and almost a direct hit on New Orleans. Luckily it had some trouble strengthening and was only forecast to hit as a category 1 hurricane (the new $14.5 billion were supposedly designed to withstand a direct hit from a category 3, just like the previous system [we swear it'll totally work this time]). As we wandered around the French Quarter Tuesday (as part of our Neighborhood day where we would explore certain neighborhoods with locals from that area), it was eerie and quiet. The normally packed streets were devoid of people except those boarding up their windows (some with plywood some with metal bars, although the French Quarter had no looting post Katrina [and actually very very very few places did, this was one aspect that the Media really really had overblown] this was in part due to the very high insurance policies that insurance companies would have had to pay out had there been looting. The insurance companies decided that instead it would simply be cheaper just to hire mercenaries to patrol the French Quarter and threaten to shoot any looters [quote "and unlike the police officers, they actually would have"].

            

Pretty Church in the French Quarter

French Quarter (architecture is actually Spanish)

Cafe Du Monde!!!

Tasty!!! But not as good as funnel cake

The same church from the other side

Pretty bridge to Algiers

New Orleans is still the US's largest port

This sight happens a lot in New Orleans, Beautiful nice building next to an empty falling apart one.

Cool factory by the river near where we stayed.

Danny and Wangui enjoying some smooth jazz at a club

Enjoying an outdoor art festival

I want this (it was surprisingly comfy)

oohhh Pretty lights!!

Boarding up stores in the French Quarter before Isaac

It was interesting to see all the different styles of how to board up. There is no kit that does it for you. It's all improvised and homemade.

Some stores were still open.

And some street performers working

A scarily empty Bourbon Street (really this is scary, this street is ALWAYS full of people) 

One of the local residents we talked to showed us the beginnings of the boat he was building (yes, that is a door)

Sandbagging to prevent flooding