2006
2006 New Orleans Service Travel
The inaugural year, the guinea pigs, those who did not get kicked off the worksite and actually got us invited back.
46 individuals saddled up in a bus, headed down and were some of the early people to help set the foundation for what would become Musician’s Village in the upper ninth.
The trip highlights:
- Working on up 10 houses throughout the week.
- The Blue Angel Lounge hosting the first of a tradition for the GBB NOLA trip. Cheap beer, free fresh oysters and shrimp, and great company! The Blue Angel is in Plaquemines Parish which was devastated in the storm. They took us on a tour of the area and then hosted the best party outside of Hamilton County. We heard from many victims and continued to hear words of praise!
- Learning many new tasks including siding, roofing, framing, and window hanging.
- A very enjoyable……….bus ride.
- Finding just the right local bar, the Copper Monkey. The Copper Monkey was our hangout after work while waiting for roommates to shower. New Orleans was still facing infrastructure problems causing low water pressure, lack of water, and brown outs. On Friday the Copper Monkey hosts an awesome crab boil which many of us attended.
- Seeing first hand and learning from victims first hand about the storm and the struggle to rebuild. Nearly one year later, it was hard to believe anything had been done.
- Developing friendships with trip participants and Habitat staff.
- For some of us this was our first experience of New Orleans. Therefore, many nights were spent exploring Bourbon St, sipping our first Hurricanes and Big Ass beers, finding the best jazz bars, viewing the flaming water fountain at Pat O’Brian’s, and getting to know the local dialect!
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009, Administrator