quote:
Name another city in the world that can put together this large of an event encompassing a huge amount of space. Virtually nothing has ever happened, minus some independent events certain years. I’m tired of hearing the New Orleans slander

No city can do Mardi Gras like New Orleans does Mardi Gras, no will dispute that.

If you define "independent events in certain years" as both an NFL owner and the current District Attorney being carjacked on city streets, no city does those events quite like New Orleans, either.

I moved to Las Vegas just before Hurricane Katrina. Even before Katrina, the down slide of New Orleans was evident but I had some false hope that maybe Ray Nagin would ultimately prove to be something different. Katrina's aftermath showed otherwise.

Flash forward a few years and I come home to see the Saints win the Super Bowl. I stay for the parade, then hang around for nearly two weeks afterward. It seemed as though the Saints' resurgence had buoyed the city and maybe one miracle might just inspire another. 8 years each of Landrieu and Destroya have smashed those hopes into a million tiny pieces. The last 2 Mayors of Las Vegas have been a former Mob lawyer, followed by his now 84 year old wife...and folks HERE are laughing at what a mess New Orleans has become...and Lord knows, there's more than a few issues here.

In the end, Las Vegas and New Orleans are both alike and vastly different. Alike in that both can host certain events unlike anywhere else on the planet. Alike in that folks come from all over to let loose and act like they wouldn't be caught dead behaving back home. Alike in that in the immediate aftermath of the worst tragedy in the city's history, a local sports team galvanized the populace by far exceeding expectations and nearly riding the wave to a championship...though both teams would reach that goal a few years later. Vastly different in that LV is rapidly rising population wise, economy wise, also as a burgeoning media and sports market. New Orleans is either floundering or barely hanging on in all of those categories. Hopefully, hosting the Super Bowl next year can help to change that. Sadly, New Orleans isn't even on the NCAA's radar for future Final Four or even regional events. Las Vegas gets its Final Four shot in 2028.

New Orleans has seen its best day. It had a chance at rebirth following the tragedy of Katrina. It became the alcoholic that went dry for a couple of years, only to fall badly off the wagon.

This post was edited on 2/11/24 at 12:31 am