New Orleans: Post Katrina, Pre-BCS
Our hotel in New Orleans is the Marriott Convention Center. Yes, that convention center.
This building is where thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims gathered in the days following the storm. Although the city says only a handful of people actually died here, thousands suffered here. No food, shelter, medicine or hope. This was merely two years ago.
Today the center is open for business again, although little business has come in. This football game is the biggest event this city has welcomed since the storm. But to look out my window this morning and see the convention center is still a reminder of the anguish that engulfed this very spot. Makes covering a football game seem insigificant. To this city, the game’s a significant step toward recovery.
