some of new orleans funSSSS....

biking down royal st.

One of the most ironic features of the city of New Orleans, yet unique, is the mix of different cultures in a single cluster, neighborhood, or street. This feature gives me a sense of being in different societies by just riding my bike down one single route- Royal Street - that cuts from the Bywater area through Faubourg Marigny to the French Quarter. According to Greenbie, in his article Village Space: Fences and Neighborhoods, he states, “…my hypothesis is that the most clearly bounded areas will tend to attract people who actively seek homogeneity, who are already disposed toward small communities, such as ethnic groups, to the degree that their desire for cultural cohesion overrides other needs and objectives.” I find this theory is valid and embedded in my journey through Royal Street. Personally, it is the interaction with the people in these three neighborhoods that gives me the sense of being in different places.

I start my journey by packing a camera and a notebook, and riding my bike through Royal Street. Actually before I start my journey I ask my neighbor the street or boundaries that separate these three neighborhoods. I am told that the boundary of the Bywater area starts from Poland Avenue and ends at Press Street, and so I ride my bike to the corner of Royal Street and Poland Avenue. Riding from Poland Avenue to Piety Street, I notice that the buildings have the same external physical look. Some of them share the characters of being old and not well maintained. Others share the same building type like “shot-gun” houses. Furthermore, some share an extreme color on the outside walls, like blue, red, purple, etc. According to the Bywater Neighborhood Association most of the buildings are single story but are raised well above grade, and therefore I find that they share approximately the same height. I also find that the fences that surround the houses in this area are pretty high. Some houses place a pin-like trim on top and around their fences. As a result, I think that the people do not feel totally secure. Even though, it is a negative thing, I find it architecturally intriguing. It gives the fences a three dimensional depth and also it provides the fences with more texture.

I stop by Frady’s, a local market on Piety Street, to get a Po-Boy. While waiting for my food, I talk to a couple people who are also waiting for their food. And I figure out that the most fascinating thing I find about this neighborhood is its people. They are family to each other. They are family to strangers, like me. I base this statement on real experience with those people. For instance, when I walk in Frady’s the owner, Kark Frady, always asks me about my day. He also asks me what kind of food I like, so he would cook it for me. He says, “You are new here in New Orleans, and I want to make you feel home.” He makes me feel like I am member of this neighborhood or rather a member of a big family in this neighborhood. Once I finish eating my food, I head back to Royal Street. I notice a number of people walking their dog along me in the same direction. When I got to the corner of Royal and Piety Street, I see a park to my left. It is a dog park. People use this park as a social center to walk their dog, and also as a space to hold different events ranging from food to art to music.

Next, I continue riding my bike towards Faubourg Marigny. I was told that it starts from Press Street and ends on Esplanade. When I got closer to the rail road, the buildings on both my sides begin to recede. It seems like I am entering a new space, and yes indeed I just pass Press Street entering Faubourg Marigny. The buildings in this area are more likely the same in the Bywater. The different that I noticed is the height of the fence. It wasn’t as high, so I figure the people here feel more secure. Unlike the Bywater fences, people here decorate their fences with Mardi Grass beads. There are also more local businesses in this area, and so it seems more active and therefore nosier. There are more people walking on the side walks as well as more automobiles passing by the road.

Before crossing Elysian Fields Avenue, I see a ceramic art store to the left. The back yard of this store carries a set of beautiful ceramic works. It also has a number of wood ponds that contains elephant ears leaves and white lilies. The mixture of ceramic works and natural plants in this back yard brings a new setting to the area. It brightens up the area with natural plants. And when I cross Elysian Fields Avenue, I see another park called Washington Square. This time, I take a seat on the bench and rest my bike to my left. I look around the park; the paths are cleaner, and the grass is mowed. It seems that the government maintains this park more as supposed to Markey in the Bywater

After that, I go on towards Esplanade. As soon as I merge left on Royal Street, I see the towers at the end of the street. Again, I figure that I am entering the Vieux Carre or the French Quarter. The buildings in this area appear to be more significant because they are well decorated. The balconies are trimmed with an artwork of iron. Another noticeable feature in this area is the plantings on the balconies. It looks as if the people here are restricted to not plant on the street, and therefore they decide to plant on their balconies. The streets are packed with cars and trucks. In fact I have a difficult time maneuvering with my bike in the French Quarter. It is the most active zone within the three neighborhoods that I cross.

Riding furthermore into the French Quarter, I notice that this street is filled with art galleries. In fact I refer to these few blocks as the Art Blocks. It has a wide range of different art types: glass, ceramic, paint, etc. I also notice that the people in this area are of two types: the tourists visiting the city of New Orleans and the locals running their businesses. For that reason I feel that I am an outsider because everyone is trying to mind his or her own business and there is no sense of connectivity.

Despite the fact that people define boundaries by the physical look of the buildings, I find that it is just a minor part of it. In the words of Greenbie, “I will consider the formation of cultural groups as the human social expression of the universal tendency of things in nature to form clusters of like entities, which are thereby distinguishable from different entities.” In my view, the big part of defining a neighborhood is its people. It is the cluster of these different groups in one area that gives them unique characteristics of their own and defines their zone within the community.

wow! are we really under sea level?

The city of New Orleans is a suspended land hanging in the middle of a body of water. It is the levee system that surrounds the city protecting it from floating. It is a city that you will experience different bodies of water, from river to lake to canal. Lake Pontchartrain is to the north of the city, Mississippi River hugging the city from the south, and a number of canals branching from these two bodies of water. It sounds an unlikely place to live, but yet, I still want to be in this city.

For one of my seminar classes, we all went to the Mississippi River to get on Natchez River Boat. Upon boarding the boat, I suddenly felt something. I didn’t know what it was, but it was something that I had never experienced before. It might be the fact that this was my first time taking a boat tour. It might be the smell of the river. It might be the hot humid weather.

Sitting at the edge of the boat listening to the narration of the tour was really interesting. I learned a lot of facts that I didn’t know about landscape of the Mississippi River. I learned that the silts from the flooding of the river would compress under their own weight and sink. The next flood would rebuild the silts, creating a natural levee that protects the city. I also learned that both sides of the river are partially shaped by hurricanes. But for me, it is the people and the activities in this river shape it. It is not the land on both sides of the river creating the landscape, but the activities within the river create it.

Even though the Mississippi went through a number of disasters, I noticed that people still come back to this river. It is the people who have the potential to rebuild their city and their river because they depend on it so much as a part of their daily lives. The river is a means of receiving and shipping goods for the people of New Orleans and is represented in the products they use on a regular basis. They use the river as a site for their industrial factories ranging from warehouses to barges sitting at the edge of the river. The river is also a recreational site attracting the tourists and the locals alike. I noticed two extreme surfaces on each sides of the river, one is filled with high rises and the other is filled with horizontal housing. Connecting these two surfaces are boats and ferries that carry people, bikers, and cars back and forth.

During the tour I met a tourist on the boat. He was talking about his unique feeling about the city of New Orleans. He was fascinated by the food, the music, and the people here in New Orleans. He compared New Orleans to his home town Paris. He said: “I am from France and this is the French Quarter, yet I see they are very different.” The one comment that he made looking very shocked “Look at this city, are we really under sea level?” This statement made a strong impact in my own mind. I realized that the people of this city are not worried by the fact that they are living under sea level, but instead they are facing it and living it. The opportunities presented by the water surrounding New Orleans are more stimulating than the fear of it.

the second look

How can a person describe a city, a neighborhood, or a place? One can only describe the city by being in the city; smelling its air, listening to its sounds, seeing its people, touching its texture, and tasting its flavor.

When I first came to the city of New Orleans, I was surprised. Maybe it was the fact that I arrived in the city when it was dark. The neighborhood that I am living in was partially destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and therefore it looks frightening. At that moment, I knew that I was literally stepping into a totally different world. It was like the first time I stepped into Newark International Airport in New York City. I was anxious and nervous about these surroundings. But this time, the fear and the wonder were surrounding me. It was not the picture that I had drawn in my mind. It was not the picture that people had described to me. I had imaged this city is like the French Quarter but at a larger scale. I didn’t imagine that there are so many different neighborhoods within the city of New Orleans.

Although all these thoughts were going through my mind, I tried to fight them in order to find the picture that was in my mind, a unique city. Therefore I started to explore and discover the city. I went to the most delicious restaurants in the city and tried their food, yet it was tasteless. I took a ride in my car through different neighborhoods, and it still looks frightening. I realized that New Orleans is not my city.

The next day, I returned to Lexington. I was disappointed in myself. I left my dream behind me. I let down the people that supported me, both my family and my friends, when I gave up on New Orleans. Immediately, with the help of some of my professors, I decided to return to New Orleans, and face my fear. I returned to New Orleans, this time with more confidence. I was prepared mentally and emotionally. I was ready to face both the good and the bad. This time I approached the city with a saying in my mind: “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

New Orleans is a city that unfolds as you explore it. The people of this city might look a different than what I am used to from the outside, but once you talk to them, they will smile and talk to you with an open, welcoming heart. They are just like me; people with feelings and emotions.

On the first day of school, my studio took a tour around New Orleans. I was sitting in the front of the van thinking how great this city is. It is unique because of the simplest things; the street names, the food, and the music. The city doesn’t need to be represented by typical tourist attractions, but can be represented by less obvious symbols.

This experience had taught me a lesson. In the words of Andrew M. Greeley, “We're given second chances every day of our life. We don't usually take them, but they're there for the taking.” I realized New Orleans is made up of so many different things, like it’s people, its texture and its flavors. I took a second chance to experience these things about New Orleans and I am proud of myself for doing that.