Moe Long's Adventures in NOLA: The Amended Version

So, it just seemed like time for another blog posting.
My week has been enjoyable. During the week I mainly just go to work, come back and work out, get dinner, and then read, write, or stare dreamily at the stars. But on the weekends, I explore the city. This past weekend, the Mississippi Robbies came to visit, so we had a grand time exchanging stories of our internships. Our fellow Robbies arrived on Friday evening and we ate at Juan’s Flying Burrito on Magazine Street. Then we all hung out for a while, and eventually worked our way to Tipitina’s for a free concert. However, the night ended as it usually does in NOLA-on Bourbon Street. We walked around, looked at the sketchy strip clubs, and tried not to look too much like tourists. Then we all went back to our respective places of residence. Saturday happened to be July 4th. Happy Birthday America!
That morning we had a Robbie soccer match in the scorching New Orleans sun. Unfortunately, the game broke up when I was on the “skins” team. Of course this is pure coincidence…later that afternoon the Robbies had a cookout together, before heading down to the riverfront to watch the fireworks. However, the group I was with had our trip delayed as a car hit the streetcar (cars collide with the streetcar more often than you think…I was in an accident a couple of weeks ago). We were forced to take a car. While this meant that we watched the fireworks from the car on the way there, it was still an enjoyable experience, and much less crowded. As a consolation prize, we had the privilege of watching an amateur actor perform the Sermon on the Mount by the Mississippi River.
On Tuesday nights, the St. Charles Tavern has $10 all you can eat boiled crab, hush puppies, and potatoes. My first Tuesday night in New Orleans, I was eager to try it out. However, I had never tried boiled crab before. Much to my surprise, the buffet was full of whole crabs. I was secretly contemplating how to get the meat out of the intimidating beasts staring blankly, almost menacingly, at me from their Styrofoam plate. I confess I sat there watched other people to see how they did it for a few minutes, before I had the guts to ask the waitress what to do. While she was there, I also asked her which parts I eat, and what to discard. I am thankful that I did, otherwise I would have eaten the orange stuff inside, which happened to be the ovaries of the female crab. I was going to go tonight, but I got caught up in an intense round of basketball. However, I have every intention of going next week, and showing off my crab opening skills to all who are drunk enough to care…and to those of you drunk enough to read this blog, your patience and support is much appreciated. Remember to stay hydrated-it is hot out there!

Peace,
Moe Long

NOLA...No-No-No-NOLA!

This week has been, like all the others, absolutely amazing, especially the weekend. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to go to the Lower 9^th Ward to do some volunteer work. I was excited about this because I got to work with kids, which is something I enjoy doing in my work with Bounceback Kids. One little boy, Larenzo, or Rennie, was nearly 2. He was counting the basketballs, hitting people with a rake and an air pump, and eating chalk (it’s ok…I used to eat chalk, and look how I turned out…). We played with the kids at a park, and then gave them Gatorade and Subway sandwiches. While it was fun to play with the kids, the conditions of the lower 9th were saddening. However, I am very glad I got to see them because it really showed me what damage Katrina, as well as poor government handling, has wrought. There were defunct cars lying around in the street, and often it was difficult to tell which houses were being lived in and which were abandoned. Jocelyn, the contact through whom I found out about this, then took me around to different sites to give me a tour of "the real New Orleans." The French Quarter, while the most popular tourist attraction, is unlike the vast majority of New Orleans. The gutted houses, the spots where the levees broke, the cypress swamp ravaged by both humans and nature --- these are the forgotten New Orleans. I am surprised, years after Katrina, that these areas still have not been rebuilt. I have found, through my adventures in NOLA, that there is a great disparity between living conditions. One street will be affluent, and lavish, while the next street over is impoverished. Jocelyn took me to one house of a friend who she knew who worked at Loyola. The house had been gutted: on the inside, just the beams between the walls remained. As Jocelyn said, ‘Each house tells a story”. The garage in this house was destroyed. The extra car that was in the driveway was carried through the garage door and out the back of the garage during Katrina. The refrigerator then floated through the back wall of the house. When they cleaned out the house, some weeks later, mud was caked all over, like an impenetrable wall of cement. This house was right by the spot where one of the levees broke. It was really something to see firsthand such destruction and the area where where the levees broke. On the way back, Jocelyn pointed at an overpass. Here, she explained, one of her friends waited for three days with no food or water during Katrina, to avoid the flooding.

On a significantly more trivial note, I went to the zoo on Sunday. Audubon Zoo is massive. I especially enjoyed seeing the elephants, giraffes, and primates. I was lucky enough to go on the day when a new baby giraffe, Juno, was introduced to the zoo. I also saw a peacock that was allowed to roam freely, and I was able to get within two feet of it. I felt as if I was channeling Flannery O’Connor’s spirit! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the zoo. From there, I went to Audubon Park and read A Prayer For Owen Meany and ate a Snowball. (For those of you who do not know what a Snowball is, it is flavored ice in a cone.) So, that about sums up my fabulous weekend. Off to a wonderful week, and many perilous voyages through the streets of New Orleans. Until the next post, stay dry and be sure to brush your teeth before bed…

Peace,

Moe Long