blacksundae

Well duh. But, more to the point, duh according to the 2008 Frommer’s Guide to New Orleans, which opines thusly:

Go, because everything in life is fragile and precarious, and we can take nothing for granted, and some day it really will all be gone. Go, because it’s not gone, not at all. Go, because the things you wanted — the beautiful architecture, the majestic oaks, the river wind, the quality of light that makes even the most mundane just a little bit magic — all remain. Go, because there are people there, and as long as they are, there will be music and food, and it will be some of the best of your life. Go, because perhaps you’ve wanted to help in any way you can, and now the best way you can is to help a historic city regain its economic feet. Go, because every brick in the French Quarter has a story to tell, and so does the damaged ground of the Ninth Ward, and you should bear witness. Go, because there is much to celebrate, and this is still the best place there is to do so.

The Frommer book also has a good introductory article on New Orleans. (Thanks to the branch manager at the Hubbell Library, who blogged this at the NOPL MySpace page.)