New Orleans rising what the folks are saying
In my travels around the city, I've been having conversations about how it's all going post Katrina. One cabdriver, who grew up in Los Angeles, told me he moved to New Orleans post-Katrina, working construction and clean up, which he said was good pay until a lot of other people got the same idea and the work slowed down. He started driving a cab then then, and said that he has stayed in New Orleans because he not only really likes the city, but because he really likes the people. "There's a lot of goodness here." He said.
Another cab driver told me that when Katrina happened, his married daughter was in Norfolk Virginia and couldn't get to back to New Orleans. Her husband ended up getting a job, and she did too, and then they had twins. And he doesn't know if she's coming back. He said she came down at Christmas and he took around to show her how things are coming back and it made her realize she misses it here. But the schools and the hospitals are still not completely back up to speed, he said, so he's not sure whether she will move back or not.
The manager of the Camellia Grill told me that he was closed for 18 months, and that almost all his staff left the city. When the restaurant reopened he managed to get 80% of the staff back.
My waiter at the Camellia Grill (who's pictured in the blog) told me that during the 18 months that the Camellia Grill was closed he was in Miami. He said when he first got there he wasn't sure he would adjust. But he did, he said smiling. He really liked Miami. He came back to New Orleans, but he's thinking of going back to Miami. In fact so many Camellia Grill people were in Florida and so many New Orleans folk went to Florida that they are talking about opening a branch of the Camellia Grill in Tampa and one in Miami -- and our waiter would go and work there.
So every one's story in New Orleans is different. But as you drive along the streets, there's a lot of new construction, new stores, new restaurants. And a lot of the old restaurants have reopened. Some of them don't have the same staff -- things are different but it seems like NEW ORLEANS is RISING!!!
Another cab driver told me that when Katrina happened, his married daughter was in Norfolk Virginia and couldn't get to back to New Orleans. Her husband ended up getting a job, and she did too, and then they had twins. And he doesn't know if she's coming back. He said she came down at Christmas and he took around to show her how things are coming back and it made her realize she misses it here. But the schools and the hospitals are still not completely back up to speed, he said, so he's not sure whether she will move back or not.
The manager of the Camellia Grill told me that he was closed for 18 months, and that almost all his staff left the city. When the restaurant reopened he managed to get 80% of the staff back.
My waiter at the Camellia Grill (who's pictured in the blog) told me that during the 18 months that the Camellia Grill was closed he was in Miami. He said when he first got there he wasn't sure he would adjust. But he did, he said smiling. He really liked Miami. He came back to New Orleans, but he's thinking of going back to Miami. In fact so many Camellia Grill people were in Florida and so many New Orleans folk went to Florida that they are talking about opening a branch of the Camellia Grill in Tampa and one in Miami -- and our waiter would go and work there.
So every one's story in New Orleans is different. But as you drive along the streets, there's a lot of new construction, new stores, new restaurants. And a lot of the old restaurants have reopened. Some of them don't have the same staff -- things are different but it seems like NEW ORLEANS is RISING!!!
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