MovieChat Forums > Treme (2010) Discussion > What is it like in NO today?

What is it like in NO today?


Are people still waiting for money to repair their houses? Are houses still being torn down without the consent of the owners? Are all the legendary bars and clubs closed? And did the NO police departement get cleansed from all the bad seeds?

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There are still jazz/music clubs but in the Bywater/Marigny there are music ordinances. [Which..are controversial] And there will always be bad seeds in the police department/local government [that's true everywhere though..]

NOW the big problem is what locals call The NEW New Orleans...in which people come from other places and try to make New Orleans like everywhere else. [In fact, in this article.. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/travel/experiencing-new-orleans-with -fresh-eyes-and-ears.html?_r=0, Michiel Huisman [Sonny]'s wife made a very unpopular comment that locals mercilessly mocked about how she could not find any kale anywhere..]

Katrina WAS nine years ago...

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Thank you useydude! I will check out the article. I guess you would have to read the local newspapers to really learn how the fight against corruption and police violence continues.

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I think she didn't want to sound like a snob... just figure, she's from the cosmopolitan city of Amsterdam and moved to NO because Michiel was working there and liked it. A peculiar kind of transplant, considering that Dutch culture is even different from American one in general.

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And kale is a Dutch national dish :)
But we mash it up with potatoes, and serve it with smoked pork sausage and gravy. Can't imagine why anyone would put it in a blender and turn it into a swampwatersmoothie tbh

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What is N.O. like today? The Saints stink.

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Still ridiculously dangerous, and to top it off the riff-raff criminals were bussed out to places like Baton Rouge and they stayed there, thus ruining that city as well.

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I visited New Orleans for the first time last October and I fell in love with the City. I thought it was beautiful. If I ever come into some money, i'm moving.

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I was there in January 2015 and I was there for halloween/all saints day back in 2012 which I had a great time but it felt more touristic than authentic NO. NO is a beautiful city but I do feel like it has lost some of its spirit. Katrina definitely did a number on the city in many different aspects. I'd like to visit NOLA again to explore the city & its culture some more. On a lighter note I love how this show captures everything that is NO.

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New Orleans is actually better now than it was pre-Katrina.

Prior to Katrina, this city (where I've lived my entire life) was absolutely dying. People were moving away (usually out of state) in droves - particularly people with post-graduate degrees. They were moving away b/c there were very few opportunities for professionals like that. And it's jobs that require post-graduate degrees that dictate how healthy a local economy is.

Katrina, while very difficult and awful in the short-term, was maybe the best thing that could've happened to the city in the long term. New Orleans got the chance to start over. The local educational system was THE worst prior to Katrina. Because of Katrina the Feds came in and took over the educational system and improved it dramatically. Pumped time and money into it. Young enthusiastic teachers from Ivy League schools have been moving here since around 2007. The overall climate for business is waaaay better than it was pre-Katrina. There are numerous articles on how New Orleans has become the best city in America for young entrepreneurs. That was not remotely the case pre-Katrina. Also, Katrina is actually what kept the Saints in New Orleans. The Saints owner, Tom Benson, was very intent on moving the team to San Antonio in the 3-4 years prior to Katrina. The team was as good as gone - and that would've been the final death-blow to the city. When the devastation of Katrina happened the NFL made it a point to not allow Benson to abandon the city. The NFL knew that would be cruel. And the Pelicans (formally the Hornets) wouldn't still be here if Katrina hadn't happened. No one could have imagined this effect at the time but that's actually what transpired. Also, there are more restaurants and clubs in New Orleans now than ever before in the city's history. That's correct - more restaurants and clubs open now than at any time in the city's history. Who could've seen that in September 2005? No one could've - but that is indeed what's happened I'm happy to say. All the new young people who amazingly moved to the city in the years just after Katrina have pumped new lifeblood into the city. Many New Orleanians who had moved away either before Katrina or right after Katrina are now moving back. It's amazing.

Crime is still an issue no question. In fact, the crime problem is the only thing preventing New Orleans from being the single best city in America at this point. I hope the crime rates go way down. It's a problem in every major city in America and New Orleans certainly has a big problem in this area.

But culturally the city is second to none. Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest, jazz, blues, the amazing food, the overall good-time vibe - it's awesome. It really is. Do thankful that it's come back better than ever.

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Definitely better than Pre-Katrina, but still plagued by the same basic demographic problem that prevents it from ever becoming a world class city. Too much of New Orleans is just too dangerous.

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If you're interested Elisabet, the Times-Picayune is downloadable for free daily from their website. Just scroll down to the bottom of their website front page and on the left should be 'TP Elecctronic Edition'. I read it nearly every day from Canada.

Currently the city's biggest troubles are crime (there's a shooting, if not an outright death, just about every day) and an ongoing controversy over Civil War statues which the current mayor wants removed. In the past year they've lost Big Chief Bo Dollis and Allen Toussaint. But life goes on, for better or worse, hopefully for better in 2016.

...and still no Hubigs.

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