redux

the Degas House, featured in posts a few months ago, is listed as closed due to hurricane damage. it's a couple of miles up Esplanade from the quarter, I will see if I can't walk up there on Sunday to see what's become of it. I wasn't particuarly taken with it as opposed to somewhere else, but it would work as a good landmark. I remember the Frenchwoman, Betty, with whom I saw the place, was on her way to Indonesia, I belive it was, to take up a teaching job there. We had lunch afterwards at Cafe Degas (no relation) and we also went to Preservation Hall on Saturday evening, I wonder if Preservation Hall is open, can it be? no, of course not, closed indefinitely, no musicians, they're touring europe--the radio this morning mentioned that NOLA musicians are getting more work than they've ever had in their lives before. well, good on that. and i will see what's left.

this has all happened before. I watched the old Armstrong/Holiday movie New Orleans a month or so ago and there's a particularly moving shot of storyville being closed down, from whence the music goes out into the rest of the world and everybody thrives in Chicago. it's all happened before.