Changes in Longitude
June 10, 2007
My friend John and I took a trip to New Orleans this weekend, my third visit to the city in the past month. The first trip was for pleasure, the second for research. This one was for business—John and I found a house and will be moving to New Orleans at the first of August.
I’m incredibly excited about the move for a variety of reasons. Obviously, New Orleans is an amazing city. Despite the troubles post-Katrina, the city is as alive as ever, and recovering slowly, but surely. It’s a city rich in culture and thoroughly Southern, but large enough to offer some of the big city conveniences that I miss from my time in Baltimore. I’m also thoroughly convinced that you might never eat a better meal in your life than one you’d find in New Orleans.
And it’s just time. I moved back home under a cloud of uncertainty caused by the problems our family suffered over the past few months. But we’re doing better now. My mom’s back on her feet (and spending the summer in Europe with her best friend, something of which I am terribly jealous). My brother is working on getting his head screwed back on straight. My grandparents have passed, which, while it was sad for us, removed a huge burden from my mom’s shoulders. And as much as anything, it’s time for me to move on. Bay Minette is a dysfunctional little town that long ago traded away the character it had for a few fistfuls of magic beans. I’ll always have a little soft spot in my heart for my hometown, but I need more room to grow. New Orleans, I think, is the place to put down those roots.
The next month and a half or so will be long ones, but it gives us plenty of time to prepare. And come August, I hope all our friends have a chance to come visit us in the Big Easy.
Sounds like a healthy and exciting change of venue.
Congratulations – it is a beautiful city.
Seems like a very nice place, Congratulations!
Seems like thats further from Tybee. Et tu, brute!!
Also I think Tybee is in the middle of this so called “Magic Bean” deal. Sounds exciting.
I’m just moving constantly westward from Tybee. But the good news is that eventually, I’ll make it all the way back around in a few decades. Go round earths!
Buy a house on stilts.
Do you know something I don’t?
luke, if you come back today, your mama wants your work email address. you can text it to me if you want.
oh, and hullo, matt. you may remember me as luke’s female sibling number 1. or ‘the pretty one.’
i know a lot of things you don’t. For instance, the combo to my bike lock.
12-6-24
Matt your totalitarian rule of the web will one day come to an end, and when it does I will be right there to post something about you without fear of having it edited to make it seem like I am actually complementing you.
Golly, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
i want to visit! i’ve never been to new orleans!
Matt, we can’t wait to have you! Oh and the stilt reference is about flooding silly. Where is your house located? I can probably tell you if that area is prone to flooding or not. I can’t for the life of me picture who John G. is. Oh, we’ll see when you get here. Peace, Sara
It’s in Carrollton, near Tulane. The landlord told me that the area didn’t flood during Katrina, so hopefully that means we’re in good shape. :)