Miami, New Orleans and Albuquerque

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I'm sat in a diner during a meal break on a very long Greyhound bus journey. Sat at the table in front of me is a large middle aged woman, wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

At the table behind the woman are sat 2 thin middle aged men. One of the men says to the woman, "Where're you from?" "Dallas" replied the woman, "I've been inside for 10 years. I shot a man. Do you still wanna talk to me?"

You meet some interesting characters on long distance Greyhound bus journeys in the USA.

I flew from Rio to Miami arriving at 5am on the 14th of September. I caught a local bus from the airport. I was amused to find that everyone on the bus spoke Spanish. I stayed a couple of days in Miami Beach and visited the Everglades.

After Miami I went to New Orleans, a long 23 hour bus ride.

The good news about New Orleans is that the tourist infrastructure has been restored. The old historic French Quarter was relatively untouched by Katrina. The old colonial parts of the city are on the highest ground in the city. So hotels, museums, restaurants and clubs are open. The problem is the rest of the city. Much of the city is still in ruins. Half the population has not returned. 80%!o(MISSING)f the city was destroyed when the levies broke. A vast part of the city is still a wasteland. When the levies broke many houses were ripped off their foundations. Many other houses were so badly damaged they had to be destroyed. All over the city there are adverts for house demolition companies. Even now a year later there is rubble on the streets and even rubble on top of the roofs of some houses.

People are rebuilding but...

The insurance companies are often refusing to pay out. New Orleans, even before Katrina was the poorest city in the USA. So a lot of people didn't have insurance. When I saw some of the worst effected districts, I wondered why anyone would want to return. The Lower 9th ward which was one of the poorest parts of a poor city was destroyed by Katrina. Even now, whole streets have disappeared. There are no shops or services. Basic infrastructure is missing. The city is still not safe even now from another storm like Katrina.


My next stop after New Orleans was Albuquerque. Albuquerque is a pleasant city on a high plateaux in the New Mexico desert, surrounded by mountains. It is celebrating its 300th anniversary. The old town retains many of the original buildings.

But I found that the Indian Pueblo Cultural Centre was the most interesting thing in town. It is owned by the 19 Indian Pueblos of New Mexico. The Pueblos have their own government. Some of the Pueblos have been continuously occupied for over a 1,000 years.

The story is a familiar one to all Americans. A group of frontier farmers, traders and hunters living on the edge of the wilderness were oppressed by an autocratic foreign government...

These were, however, not the farmers and villagers of Concord and Lexington fame. These were the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, who in 1680, nearly a century before the more celebrated revolution of 1776, staged the first successful revolution against a foreign colonial power, Spain.

Pueblo Profiles: cultural identity through centuries of change/ Joe S Sando; ISBN 0-940666-39-1

After a few days in New Mexico I continued my journey towards the land of dreams, Los Angeles and Hollywood.

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Photos

Coral Gables, Miami
This is a very upmarket district of Miami

Fats Domino's practice piano salvaged from his destroyed house
Fats Domino lived in the lower 9th

Ursuline Convent, French Quarter, New Orleans
Built in 1745, this is the oldest building in New Orleans

Comments

[Lee Wainwright]

Background Information
It is obvious from the gables on this structure why it is called House of the Rising Sun. Is this currently a private residence or a commercial enterprise? Is it the house referred to in the song and was it actually a brothel at one time? There are other comments found on the web that say that the building was actually located on Bourbon Street but they do not give a specific location. For some reason this question popped into my head and I just had to find out. Thanks,

[Stuart]

It's what you want it to be!
I can't answer your questions. There are several properties in New Orleans with a claim to being 'The House of the Rising Sun'. Some of them have been burned down over the years. The [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A12460772] BBC website[/url] says this about the brothel: " So, does any of this prove there was an actual brothel named The House of the Rising Sun in New Orleans? According to Pamela D Arceneaux, a well-respected research librarian who works at the Williams Research Center in New Orleans and helps maintain the Historic New Orleans Collection, er... no. She is quoted in numerous articles as saying on the subject: I have made a study of the history of prostitution in New Orleans and have often confronted the perennial question, 'Where is the House of the Rising Sun?' without finding a satisfactory answer. Although it is generally assumed that the singer is referring to a brothel, there is actually nothing in the lyrics that indicate that the 'house' is a brothel. Many knowledgeable persons have conjectured that a better case can be made for either a gambling hall or a prison; however, to paraphrase Freud: sometimes lyrics are just lyrics. Yes, maybe. Maybe, lyrics are just lyrics."

[Keryn MASSON]

Lee Wainwright House of the Rising Sun If you want further information on this contact Eric Burdon himself. He's been there. According to his book it's down Magazine Street in the French Quarter. (Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Eric Burdon) It's a good read.

[Steven]

The Women's prison story sounds more likely
Some people believe the "house of the Rising Sun" was slang for the New Orleans women's prison which has been said to have had a rising sun above the entrance. The earlier versions of the song were sung by women from their perspective. Check out Joan Baez's version.

[Bob Chorba]

\"House of the Rising Sun:
I thought the "House .. ..." was a Women's Prison.