A Tale of Two Cities—Report on a site visit to New Orleans

by Elaine Strass, ASHG Executive Director

When the ASHG Board made the decision to notify the membership that we intended to meet in 2006 in New Orleans as planned, it was also decided that it would be necessary to visit the city and ensure that all the facilities were recovered and in good running order. I met with representatives of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB) and several hotel personnel on March 2 and 3, and made the grand tour. We were joined by Pauline Minhinnett, Senior Meetings Manager, FASEB Office of Scientific Meetings, Laurence Amberson, BREDE Exposition Services, and Steven Mirsky, AVW-TELAV Audiovisual.

My first observation was that the airport is for the most part restored and fully operational. There is one section that is still under renovation, and will be completed by the time of our meeting. I saw numerous taxi cabs picking up and dropping off passengers. I noticed shuttle buses for rental car companies, airport buses as well as cabs. If needed, shuttle buses will be provided to transport meeting attendees from the airport to the hotels.

Our tour was timed to begin one day after Mardi Gras was over, just to see how the City of New Orleans handled cleaning up after the numerous balls, parades and days of on-street revelry. I was immediately struck by the sight of swept streets and empty trash cans. Actually the French Quarter looked cleaner than I had remembered it at the time of my previous visit just before Katrina hit. As we walked through the French Quarter, we saw all signs of a city ready for business. Restaurants and shops were open, public transportation was running, taxis available and even the famous horse and carriage rides were available in Jackson Square.

At night we walked through the Sonesta Hotel (newly decorated and resplendent in gold and white) where we looked in on a party in progress. The hotels and restaurants for the most part are back in shape, or are in better shape than previously. The general look in the French Quarter at night was one of gaiety and seemed very inviting. We went to Arnaud’s for dinner. A good time was had by all, and, needless to say, the food was just up to New Orleans’ minimum standard – utterly fabulous. The next day I visited several more restaurants, all of which were open for business and appeared to be in full swing.

I learned from Susan Ives, our tour guide from the NOCVB, that the area of the city along the Mississippi River was minimally impacted by the storm and the flood. This belt includes the downtown area, the Morial Convention Center, numerous hotels and the French Quarter. I was particularly interested in those areas because that’s where our attendees will visit and the sites where the meeting will actually take place. As I toured the city, I saw property in excellent condition, signs of renovations underway, handsomely landscaped areas and in all a normal urban picture.

Next we visited the Morial Convention Center. The portion of the immense property that we will be using, Halls D, E and F, are fully operational and have been used already this year for large gatherings and balls. Most recently they were used for Mardi Gras galas. Halls A, B, C, G, H and I are being refurbished and will be completed by the end of June. It was interesting to note that the refurbished Halls D, E and F are beautifully decorated, much more so than previously. The color scheme has been changed, and the floors and wall surfaces are new. By the time of our meeting, the Convention Center will have all new chairs for our sessions. After seeing the French Quarter, the Hilton Hotel (our Headquarters hotel) and the Convention Center in such good shape, I am convinced that all the areas we will be using for the meeting are at least ready to go and in some cases better than before.

We drove to the lower Ninth Ward, a good distance from the downtown area. I had seen TV, magazine and other media showing the effects of the flood. But somehow I was unprepared for the complete devastation of large areas that stood before us. I could not even imagine what these neighborhoods looked like before the catastrophe or how the debris could possibly be sorted out. It is now March 3, 2006—months later—and while the streets are all cleared and tons of rubble have been trucked away, there remains an enormous amount of work to be done in this area of the city.

The next day my tour continued through two seriously affected neighborhoods: the City Park and Lakeview areas. Both are expensive housing in beautiful urban settings. Most of these properties will be refurbished in some way. The destruction from house to house was uneven, so some houses are occupied, some are under reconstruction and some are on the market waiting to be sold and then either renovated or torn down. There is a housing boom in the New Orleans area! Many citizens are looking to relocate and apparently there is competition for the houses left standing. I saw signs that said, “We will pay cash for your house in any condition.” Other signs said, “Houses Gutted, Call Us.” Near the City Park area there are trailers and campers parked for the duration of reconstruction. They belong to contractors from other cities who are joining in the effort to rebuild New Orleans. They come from all over the country. The mood I felt in this area of the city was infectious. Everywhere I looked there was evidence of cleaning up and getting on with life. Every day the people of New Orleans are picking through the mess, carting off the discards and starting anew. Some of those people are volunteers, some are hired and some are the landowners. I visited with a few of them. All imparted a positive feeling and made me realize that storms have come and gone, and the people of New Orleans remain. It was a very important lesson for me. I was transformed by being there.  Now after experiencing just a touch of what these people are going through, I want to do something to help New Orleans. It was amazing to me that after losing so much they would steadfastly support their original decision to live there. But many of the people I talked to did not even consider moving away. They love their home. They know it is more than just a house.

Based on my recent site visit, I wholeheartedly recommend that everyone plan as usual to attend the ASHG meeting. The first big convention to be held in New Orleans since Katrina will begin on June 24. By that time all of ASHG’s hotels will be fully occupied; the Convention Center will be completely refurbished and open for business. By the end of the summer the Charles Street streetcars will be running and other meetings will have come and gone. Not only is this a beautiful freshly renovated site for our meeting, our presence there also provides us with a unique opportunity to support the redevelopment efforts. And Commander’s Palace? Currently it is being thoroughly renovated and is scheduled to reopen well before our meeting, October 9-13. I will look for you there.

For the most up-to-date information on New Orleans, please visit the official New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau Web site at http://www.neworleanscvb.com/

For further meeting information, please go to:  http://www.ashg.org/genetics/ashg/menu-annmeet.shtml

Elaine Strass
ASHG Executive Director