[title type="h5"]
Day Four After The Storm
Friday, September 2.[/title]
My thoughts have shifted away from the idea of escaping from New Orleans to an obsession with the future of our city in the near and medium term. We know that the construction business will boom, fueled by billions of dollars from outside. That alone will prove a huge boost. It is hard to imagine that the existing investment in the city and our uniqueness will not be enough impetus for us to rebuild.
On the other hand, the rioting and arson and the rest of the hooliganism that took place is giving our city a black eye that will be hard for some people to forget. Please be confident in our city and know that what you're seeing are the actions of a very tiny, craven bunch of desperate people.
No small number of productive Orleanians will choose not to return. They will make that choice not out of defeat, but out of a need to resume earning an income. In my own case, I can think of many scenarios in which I will be able to resume working in New Orleans--perhaps not doing the same exact things, but using my abilities somehow.
However, it's hard to write or talk about New Orleans restaurants when the restaurant community is months away from re-opening on even a small scale. So I am already exploring the national freelance markets to replace what I have lost from my local newsletter and other writings. They will return when the restaurants return.
My next thought is that those of us who are productive members of the community must come together, even in as informal a way as this, to determine what we will do collectively to re-launch our business. It's much scarier to look at the situation on one's own. We must talk to one another.
And to roll our sleeves up. If we have any sleeves to roll.
