[StBernard] the French Quarter

[Westley Annis]

When I first moved to Louisiana I was apalled at the overflowing garbage and
lack of public garbage cans; I hate to say it but its the messiest state
I've ever seen, excluding New York city when they had a garbage strike. I
could never understand why of all places, where it is so hot, this is such a
problem, esthetics aside, it is a health hazard. Unfortunately, the lower
the per capita income, the lower the taxes and quality of services;
therefore, it is up to us to clean up our own back yard and report those who
do not. Mudpie 



	----- Original Message -----
	Although this posting may not interest many of you, if your living
depends 
	on the N.O. tourism/hospitality industry then it will. My family
decided to 
	spend Easter in the French Quarter and dine at a local restaurant
there. We 
	keep hearing about how the French Quarter businesses are suffering
and 
	thought it would be nice to get out have a family Easter celebration
since 
	no one has a real kitchen to cook in or a table that seats more than
four. 
	
	We arrived in the F. Q. after attending mass at OLPS, so it was not
even 
	1pm. The FQ was a mess. Every trash can around the Cathedral and
Jackson 
	Square was overflowing with garbage. The streets had broken bottles
and 
	trash everywhere. The smell was awful. Obviously, the area had not
been 
	cleaned from Saturday. 
	
	The FQ was full of local people and some tourists. There were
several Easter 
	parades scheduled throughout the day. We headed to Bourbon St. 
	to see one parade on our way to the restaurant. The famous/infamous
Bourbon 
	St. was worse! Not only the same condition as around Jackson Square,
but 
	putrid liquids all over the sidewalks and even a dead bird rotting
away on a 
	sidewalk. Many of the pedestrians, like us, were in nice clothes and
shoes 
	and there were many children. We all had to hop around the mess to
get down 
	the streets. 
	
	I know that the FQ isn't always the cleanest it could be. I know
that you 
	can expect such conditions at night or Mardi Gras, but when you are
trying 
	to bring back an entire sector of the economy and get the locals to 
	patronize the FQ businesses, you have to ask yourself who is minding
the 
	place? It didn't appear any of the businesses cared to hose down
their 
	sidewalk or clean up the mess-maybe they are tired of it or maybe
they see 
	it as the City's problem. Where is the City dept that has custody of
keeping 
	the FQ clean? We don't expect the cleanliness of Disneyworld,
although 
	there is no reason why it can't be that clean, but this was so
horrible that 
	I can only imagine if a visiting executive from a cruise line or
hotel or 
	restaurant experienced this. 
	
	The Zurich Golf Classic is approaching, and so is Jazzfest, but it
doesn't 
	see to register with those responsible for the care of the regions
no. 1 
	tourist attraction. 
	
	At least in St. Bernard we have a temporary excuse for our current 
	debris/trash situation that I pray will see improvement every day.
But it is 
	also a reminder that while we are all working on a new, improved,
smaller 
	St. Bernard, add the word CLEANER, as well. Let's not tolerate the
littering 
	and dumping that we had. Let's set our standards higher than before
Katrina 
	with public awareness, enforcement of laws, and providing the public
trash 
	cans and having them emptied. There are a few things that make an
enormous 
	first impression about a community to its citizens and visitor; how
clean it 
	is must be number one. I'd rather be in a community that is cleaner,
with a 
	lower per capita income than in a place with a higher per capita
income that 
	is filthy. 
	
	Deborah Keller