The following is a letter to the editor of the Baton Rouge newspaper from 9/15/05 and can be found at http://2theadvocate.com/stories/091505/opi_view001.shtml . As someone who never made it to New Orleans before the storm, I read it sad about what I might have missed out on but hopefull for there are so many people committed to rebuilding the city and restoring it and the landmarks and experiences that make it so great!
New Orleans will recover from storm
I was born and educated in New Orleans.
I remember:
Poboys at Mother's restaurant on Poydras.
Commuting across the Canal Street ferry each morning from Algiers Point in high school.
A streetcar ride down St. Charles Avenue on a cool fall day.
Omelettes at Camelia Grill.
I know what it means to miss New Orleans.
I remember:
Seafood at Fitzgerald's on West End by the lake.
Watching the boats come in at sunset on the point by Southern Yacht Club.
Watching the submarine races on Friday night by the Mardi Gras Fountain.
Hearing Anthony pronounced Antknee.
Making groceries at Schwegmann's.
I know what it means to miss New Orleans.
I remember:
John Gilliam running the franchise-opening kickoff back for a touchdown for the Saints.
Billy Kilmer's passes that looked like wounded ducks.
Buddy D and Hap Glaudi with the Blue Plate special pick of the week.
Tulane beating LSU in 1974 for the first time in 20-something years.
The Bagheads after the Saints lost 13 games.
Tom Dempsey's record 63-yard field goal to win the game.
LSU winning the national championship in the Sugar Bowl.
I know what it means to miss New Orleans.
I remember:
The best hurricanes being at Pat O'Brien's.
Coffee and beignets at the Morning Call after a cold night at a football game.
Two-a-day football practices in August heat on Scout Island in City Park.
Dinner at the Blue Room in the Fairmont Hotel.
The sound of the calliope on the riverboat on a beautiful fall afternoon.
I know what it means to miss New Orleans.
But now Katrina threatens to wash away the future of New Orleans. But it will not happen because many like me also remember what it means to miss New Orleans. It will come back.
First the music will come alive in the Quarter, awakening our ears. Then the aroma of coffee and doughnuts will awaken our sense of smell. And the sight of streetcars running along St. Charles Avenue will delight our eyes.
Small neighborhood stores along Magazine Street will welcome Antknee and Natalie as they make groceries once again. As long as the dream remains, recovery will never be far behind.
May God bless New Orleans; there is no other city like it.
Bruce J. LeBlanc, DDS
Baton Rouge
