MSYtristar From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 6242 posts, RR: 51 Posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 1643 times:
These are some shots of downtown New Orleans that I took today on my way to and during a free "Wednesday at the Square" concert at Lafayette Square in the Central Business District. I've always thought New Orleans has an underrrated skyline. Urban density at its finest!
1) Driving down Poydras Street (tallest building in the city, One Shell Square, is on the left)
2) The beautiful and historic La Pavillon hotel
3) Further down Poydras...you can see the W hotel (one of two in the city) on the left.
4) 909 Poydras Street (481 feet tall)
5) 47-story Sheraton hotel standing proudly behind the Queen and Crescent hotel.
6) Looking down on Lafayette Square from the 9th floor parking level at Poydras Center...you can see the 12-story 625 St.Charles condos in the background and behind that the 45 story "Crescent City Towers" condo conversion.
7) A huge sign that Shell Oil proudly displays on its namesake building.
8) The historic Gallier Hall.
9) A crowded afternoon at Lafayette Square.
10) The "canyons" of New Orleans. You can see the Pan American Life Center to the right...One Shell Squre to the left...and in the background, the Hotel Intercontinental and the 53-story Place St.Charles tower.
11) Poydras Center. Parking on floors 2-9, offices on floors 10-24.
12) The tent where the private party I attended took place at. It was a nice way to beat the heat, and the open bar was a nice touch.
13) One more aerial shot showing a historic U.S court house and the steeple of St. Patrick's church.
It was a nice early evening spent downtown. I met up with a few friends and we followed up the concert by getting some pizza on St. Charles Avenue.
As you can see, there is plenty of life left in New Orleans.
DeltaGator From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 6341 posts, RR: 16 Reply 1, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 1632 times:
I thought you all were a "chocolate city" now? Those pictures show otherwise.
Seriously, looks great. I'll be down after the summer is over and the humidity has subsided to enjoy some good chow at Mother's.
Edit: Spelling
[Edited 2006-06-15 06:49:03]
"If you can't delight in the misery of others then you don't deserve to be a college football fan."
Delta767300ER From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2559 posts, RR: 14 Reply 2, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 1623 times:
I will also probably be over during the fall. I have family in the Slidell Area. I always thought New Orleans had a great skyline. Are you familiar with the Fairmont Hotel? I stayed in it back in 2000 for a Convention and it was great. New Orleans also has the best food.
MSYtristar From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 6242 posts, RR: 51 Reply 3, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 1603 times:
Quoting DeltaGator (Reply 1): I'll be down after the summer is over and the humidity has subsided to enjoy some good chow at Mother's.
It's getting rather hot and sticky now. Good idea to hold off for a few months. Mother's (and the line of customers out the door) will still be around.
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25852 posts, RR: 80 Reply 4, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 1599 times:
Greaser From Bahamas, joined Jan 2004, 1081 posts, RR: 4 Reply 5, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 1599 times:
i don't mean to offend anyone regarding New Orleans, but it is a city that geographically should not exist. I just hope you guys are ready for the katrinas that will come in the future.
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25852 posts, RR: 80 Reply 6, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 1594 times:
Quoting Greaser (Reply 5): i don't mean to offend anyone regarding New Orleans, but it is a city that geographically should not exist.
Dude, you could say the same thing about Amsterdam or London, yet they thrive as world centers of commerce and national capitals. New Orleans is located at an ideal location for a port and is one of the busiest and most important in the world. Further, it has developed over the last three centuries as a major city with an amazing history.
Quoting Greaser (Reply 5): I just hope you guys are ready for the katrinas that will come in the future.
Powerful hurricanes hit New Orleans on average every 40 years. The hurricane itself afflicted minimal damage, it was the outdated and underfunded levee system that was built by the Army Corps of Engineers to make shipping lanes from Lake Ponchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico. If New Orleans had the kind of protection Amsterdam has, the the breach would have never happened.
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
MSYtristar From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 6242 posts, RR: 51 Reply 7, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 1594 times:
Quoting Greaser (Reply 5): i don't mean to offend anyone regarding New Orleans, but it is a city that geographically should not exist. I just hope you guys are ready for the katrinas that will come in the future.
No offense taken...in fact, if it goes down while i'm still around, i'm going down with it. All I need is my canoe, some Dixie beer, and a lot of boiled Crawfish. That'll hold me over until I row upriver to Baton Rouge or something!
Geographically correct or not, i'm glad the city is here...it's a unique, captivating place...might as well enjoy it while it lasts I guess.
Greaser From Bahamas, joined Jan 2004, 1081 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1586 times:
Quoting N1120A (Reply 6): Powerful hurricanes hit New Orleans on average every 40 years. The hurricane itself afflicted minimal damage, it was the outdated and underfunded levee system that was built by the Army Corps of Engineers to make shipping lanes from Lake Ponchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico. If New Orleans had the kind of protection Amsterdam has, the the breach would have never happened.
Will global warming affect the average strength of the hurricances? While I understand that N.O doesn't get as many hurricanes as florida, the local and state authorities should still have been prepared for katrina, which nagin & co. weren't. I'm not saying FEMA was an angel either, considering the now 1 billion dollar fraud scandal going on.
Gunsontheroof From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 3460 posts, RR: 11 Reply 9, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1585 times:
My parents were planning on going to New Orleans tomorrow, but my mom had to back out. My sister gets to go now, and I'm jealous!
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25852 posts, RR: 80 Reply 10, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1582 times:
Quoting Greaser (Reply 8): While I understand that N.O doesn't get as many hurricanes as florida, the local and state authorities should still have been prepared for katrina, which nagin & co. weren't.
The state and local authorities got over 1 million people to get out of the metro area, which is pretty good if you ask me. While the plans of last resort turned out to not be ideal, hindsight is 20/20. The levees were a federal project and should have been to the highest standards in the world, given that the US is the world's richest country, and not soom half-assed job with walls and a little space between people's homes and rushing water.
Quoting Greaser (Reply 8): I'm not saying FEMA was an angel either, considering the now 1 billion dollar fraud scandal going on.
FEMA is an overgrown construction company. FEMA was not setup to, nor were the people in charge of it capable of, dealing with this kind of situation. Simply handing people cash is not the way you deal with a situation like this.
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
MSYtristar From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 6242 posts, RR: 51 Reply 11, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1575 times:
Quoting Greaser (Reply 8): I'm not saying FEMA was an angel either,
FEMA = Fix Everything My A$$
Quoting Greaser (Reply 8): the local and state authorities should still have been prepared for katrina
You could say that many things could have been done differently, but it's all in the past now. Time to learn from the mistakes and move on. For the record, the evacuation of some 1 million people was an unqualified success by all accounts.
BR715-A1-30 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 12, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 1526 times:
Having lived on the gulf coast for most of my life, I enjoyed going to New Orleans a lot... The beignets are AWESOME!!! The French Quarter rocks!!! Definetely worth a visit, but I don't think I could live there again.
DeltaGator From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 6341 posts, RR: 16 Reply 13, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 1444 times:
Quoting MSYtristar (Reply 7): Geographically correct or not, i'm glad the city is here...it's a unique, captivating place...might as well enjoy it while it lasts I guess.
NOLA has a pretty seedy side but the good far outweighs the bad IMO...as long as you avoid the seedy areas. I always have a good time when I am there.
Quoting N1120A (Reply 10): The levees were a federal project and should have been to the highest standards in the world
Don't forget the corrupt local levee boards. They need to take some of the blame as well given the culture of political corruption that Louisiana is so known for. There is plenty of blame to be passed around local, state, and federal.
Quoting MSYtristar (Reply 3): It's getting rather hot and sticky now. Good idea to hold off for a few months. Mother's (and the line of customers out the door) will still be around.
I was there in July of 2004 last going over (quite timely in lieu of Katrina) disaster recovery plans for the IT department with the Times-Picayune, Mobile Register, and Mississippi Press and the humidity was delightfully low. Having spent so much time in Louisiana for work it was quite nice but I'll play the odds and stay away until Fall arrives.
"If you can't delight in the misery of others then you don't deserve to be a college football fan."
Gregtx From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 216 posts, RR: 1 Reply 14, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 1399 times:
I was there yesterday for a Port Meeting.
My objection with NOLA is that you can smell it before you can see it.
Not even 125mph winds and 9ft of water cleaned that city.
Thank Goodness the Garden District is intact...preserving the charm that should be all of New Orleans. And you can't argue with the food--just looking at it makes you gain weight.
What is with those huge black grasshoppers/locusts??
Quoting MSYtristar (Reply 11): For the record, the evacuation of some 1 million people was an unqualified success by all accounts.
Except they ended up in Houston increasing the crime rate by 23%. Time for them to go home.
Tom in NO From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 7194 posts, RR: 41 Reply 15, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 1375 times:
Quoting N1120A (Reply 4): I can't wait to use my new camera (bought today) when I get back to my apartment
Just make sure it gets all the way here .
Quoting MSYtristar (Reply 11): For the record, the evacuation of some 1 million people was an unqualified success by all accounts.
A lot of people see the travesties of the Dome and the Convention Center.....and conveniently forget this part of it.
Tom at MSY
"The criminal ineptitude makes you furious"-Bruce Springsteen, after seeing firsthand the damage from Hurricane Katrina
Dan2002 From United States of America, joined Dec 2002, 2055 posts, RR: 5 Reply 16, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 1344 times:
Quoting N1120A (Reply 10): given that the US is the world's richest country
You mean it's not Qatar?
Anyhow, glad to see plenty of life left in a city I hope to visit sometime this year.
A guy asks 'What's Punk?'. I kick over a trash can and its punk. He knocks over a trash can and its trendy.
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25852 posts, RR: 80 Reply 17, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1273 times:
Quoting DeltaGator (Reply 13): NOLA has a pretty seedy side but the good far outweighs the bad IMO...as long as you avoid the seedy areas.
Quoting DeltaGator (Reply 13): Don't forget the corrupt local levee boards. They need to take some of the blame as well given the culture of political corruption that Louisiana is so known for. There is plenty of blame to be passed around local, state, and federal.
While the levee boards should have been consolidated with non-political appointees a long time ago, the levees are and always have been primarily the responsibility of the feds, as they contain navigable interstate waters. Like I said, there is no reason for New Orleans to have these kinds of floods while Amsterdam, which is even lower, to stay dry other than the fact that Amsterdam's system is FAR more advanced
Quoting Gregtx (Reply 14): What is with those huge black grasshoppers/locusts??
They are called Palmetto Bugs and are actually (unfortunately) very large flying cockroaches. The good thing about them is that they don't live in walls, they live in trees, so even if one gets into your house, you are unlikely to see 20 more behind him.
Quoting Gregtx (Reply 14): Thank Goodness the Garden District is intact...preserving the charm that should be all of New Orleans. And you can't argue with the food--just looking at it makes you gain weight.
The food is great and I live in the Garden District, so I am glad it is intact.
Quoting Gregtx (Reply 14): Except they ended up in Houston increasing the crime rate by 23%. Time for them to go home.
Given that MSYTristar, Tom in NO and I were all evaccuees, I take umbridge at that comment.
Quoting Dan2002 (Reply 16): Anyhow, glad to see plenty of life left in a city I hope to visit sometime this year.
And New Orleans will appreciate your money
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
MSYtristar From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 6242 posts, RR: 51 Reply 18, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1250 times:
two more pictures....
1) Le Pavillon hotel
2) About a dozen local restaurants set up booths during the concert....needless to say they are quite popular....most of the food costs either four or five tickets...and the tickets are $1 each.
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25852 posts, RR: 80 Reply 20, posted (6 years 11 months 1 week 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1217 times:
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