Thoughts on a Plane (slightly less scary than snakes and hopefully more entertaining)

I read somewhere that New Orleans is a third world city and I could tell that life could be hard there. It wasn’t easy before Katrina and it’s only become harder since but I was overwhelmed by the variety and quality of the shops in the French Quarter. All I had heard about New Orelans was the struggles since Katrina and the craziness of Bourbon Street. I was pleasantly surprised to find amazing art, beautiful jewellery, all different kinds of clothes, the Mardi Gras masks of course and so much more. If you want it I would challenge you not to find it in the French Quarter of New Orleans, they even had a large sprinkling if the obligatory tourist shops with t-shirts, shot glasses, postcards etc. It was too easy to spend money there yet I don’t regret a single purchase, especially as the dreaded Christmas shopping is almost complete.

I didn’t just buy for other people though, I found a fair few things I couldn’t resist including some prints from the Craig Tracy, Painted Alive Bodypainting Gallery. There are many different galleries in New Orleans all showcasing different kinds of art but it was this one in particular that I was drawn to. As I walked through the gallery I admired the artists work but when I saw Inferno I froze. It spoke to me, plain and simple. The gallery owner saw me and came over to talk with me and ended up showing me the larger prints of Inferno. I liked the prints but I wanted to own that painting, however common sense did prevail and in the end I decided to purchase three smaller prints that I believed would complement another instead.

On leaving the gallery I did wonder if I had been taken advantage of, the chances of me actually buying the painting were small (though probably not as small as they should have been considering I am unemployed) and it made sense to sell me a print there and then rather than let me walk out. Since I arrived in America I have been doing pretty well, no tears and only a few melancholy moments but when discussing the prints I uttered the words “I lost someone” and for the first time I wanted to actually cry. Not perhaps the best state of mind to make a purchase but on reflection I have decided that anything that made me react that strongly was worth owning, not to mention that they will last longer than a t-shirt or keyring.

Art aside I fell in love with New Orleans. From the first moment I stepped off of Bourbon Street I felt at home and I left regretting that my time there had come to an end so quickly. During my time there I felt like me, it’s the only way I can explain it. New Orleans is a city that has known more pain and suffering than I could ever imagine yet the people there are living their lives and rebuilding their city one day at a time. The symbol of New Orleans is the Fleur de Lis as a sign of rebirth, of hope and recovery and I cannot think of anything more appropriate. To me New Orleans is a city of music; a city of art; a city with a rich history and culture. It is a city with a soul and now a little bit of my heart, hopefully one day I will be able to return to be reunited with it.