Jambalaya

Like many old places, the New Orleans of today is a result of architectural layering that offers a contrast to more modern cities.

Here it is possible to see a jambalaya of homes, restaurants, bars, warehouses and other businesses right next to each other. Sometimes they may even share the same front door. It looks like lots of things were built here without permission and then someone else came along and added on.

Traveling across the country this winter I came across many generically modern American places marked by familiar brand name neon signs announcing themselves as a place to stop. From the highway, they all look the same. But not New Orleans. It is a real place. Unplanned, open to new ideas, and protective of the old.