versatile ladies of style November 8, 2009
I was lucky enough to go Sunday second-lining with Lisa Palumbo today. Damn, that woman is a pro second liner. She somehow manages to stay right by the band, where you can hear the music and nothing else. We alternated marching with the Free Agents and Rebirth.
Each band had a dancing group marching in front of them. One was a group of decked-out women called the Versatile Ladies of Style. The other was a group of decked-out men called Sudan. All I could think of while watching these groups, who had members of all ages, was that these are the people who are keeping New Orleans culture alive.
Lisa and I hung out with Deborah Cotton, who was filming the whole thing.
I had to leave early so I could see the Saints game (30-20, Saints). I cut out when the parade stopped at the Zulu club on Broad and started walking up St. Ann to get to my car. A few blocks in I ran into three girls who stopped me and asked how to pronounce the name of the cross street.
“DUR-jhen-wah.”
A few blocks later, I passed a house with three older black women on the porch. One of them called out to me, “hey lady! Are you just out for your afternoon walk?” They were obviously worried that I was lost.
I explained that I had been to the second line parade, but now I was going to get my car and go watch the Saints. They laughed, made sure I knew where I was going, and wished me a good day.
I had a great time and a fun walk back to the car, but I must say something about the sidewalks in that neighborhood. I had to walk in the street because the sidewalks are a mess, and not because they are being repaired. Why, four years out from the flood, are the sidewalks in that neighborhood in such deplorable condition? The neighborhood is one of the most historic in the city, and there are children and elderly all over the place. It’s dangerous and inexcusable to have their sidewalks in such bad shape, and in some places non-existent.
- Posted in : main
- Author : dangerblond
Comments»
I wish I could do that, but my other half always ahs something else in mind. I’m still trying to get the transplant into the Culture.
In this season it’s always about college football and her Alma Mater, and Sundays are are a day of doing nothing but movies (Saints are exceptable since I bitch).
She just doesn’t get that there is something to do everyday in New Orleans… Second Line, Neighborhood Fair, festival, etc.
I can’t be at everything due to health probs, but damn I’d like to be able to participate in the culture I I praise and celebrate. Sometimes everything else must be forgotten and you just let yourself join the Dance.
This is how you enjoy that which is the Reality of New Orleans.
I wish I could get that message across.
The sidewalks are a mess because the property owner is responsible for them not the City.
Messed up policy which let’s the City off the hook for many issues including slip and fall law suits.
In Holy Cross there’s been a “recovery sign” up–one of those blue fancy ones that are designed to make us feel better–it reads, “Sidewalk Repair,” major and minor streets (or something like that). My neighbors and I have watched completely find sidewalks be repaired while others, like mine, were completely skipped over. When I called 3-1-1–repeatedly–I kept getting told it was FEMA and that there was no one I could contact.
To me, this is the issue: we should not have to repair sidewalks that sat under floodwaters for weeks. Why? Because not only did that floodwater damage the sidewalks, but that damage was not caused by ordinary wear-and-tear.
It pisses me off.
That is all!
; )
Wait - residential property owners are responsible for SIDEWALKS? That is just insane. I never knew that