AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > December > 28
Friday, December 28, 2007
It’s good—and sad—to be back in New Orleans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New Orleans-Every time I come here, the memories return and embrace me like a dear old friend. But this time was different. This time I wondered how many of my memories of New Orleans would still be here.
Like anyone who writes about college sports for a living, New Orleans has been a pretty regular stop on the trail. I first came here as a college student some 30 years ago to experience Mardi Gras. Those memories, as you might imagine, are a bit fuzzy.
But since I came here for my first Final Four in 1982, and watched freshman Michael Jordan knock down the winning shot for North Carolina, not many years have gone by without at least one trip to the Crescent City.
But when I flew here Thursday late afternoon, it marked my first visit since Katrina devastated this grand old lady and created image after image that would break your heart and make you seethe with anger all in the same moment.
On the drive in from the airport, I looked for the remnants of the carnage that happened over two years ago. The Superdome has been repaired and looks no different from the outside. The inside had to get an entire makeover and I’m anxious to see that.
The Hyatt Hotel adjacent to the Dome, which was always the center of activity for the big events in this town, is still not open and it may never open again. Hundreds of glass windows that were shattered by the storm have been repaired but the damage to the overall structure was so severe it might not make financial sense to restore the Hyatt to its original condition. That would be a shame.
In the coming days I look forward to getting out and seeing exactly how my old friend is doing. My sense is that I will see little change downtown and in the French Quarter. The story will be different in the outlying areas, including the Lower Ninth Ward. I want to see that as well.
In the meantime, we have a couple of good football games coming up. I spoke to some Hawaii people when I got in last night and I can tell you that these folks ain’t the least intimidated by a team from the SEC. They spent a bunch of money to get here and see this as a once in a lifetime experience. They are going to party hard and fully expect their team to win.
Six days after the Sugar Bowl we’ll get a BCS championship game that is still hard to figure out. But I will say this. If you think this game will be just like Florida’s win over Ohio State in last January’s BCS championship game, you are in for a surprise. The whole mindset of this game is different. I expect it to be close.
So it’s good to be back in New Orleans, my grand old friend. Hopefully the next 10 days will play a big role of getting her completely back on her feet.
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