Dome Sweet Dome

Long-time visitors to the Dry Spot may remember that one of my first significant posts (if any of them really have been...) was a story about my love for New Orleans and my first visit back there since Katrina.

I was elbow deep in marinating my flank steak last night (not dirty, get your mind out of the gutter!) when my cell phone rang and I saw it was our good friend from the Crescent City on the caller ID. My hands were nasty (quit it!) so I asked RUABelle to get the phone out of my briefcase and hold it next to my ear. (she's an angel that way.)

As soon as the call connected, I knew where she was. I could barely hear her above the din of the crowd and the wail of the music. "OhmigodohmigodI'mattheSuperdomeand it'sU2andGreenDay!U2andfreakin'GREENDAY!" she shrieked.(parentheses) Then the phone cut off as I'm sure she would rather have been actually listening to U2 and Green Day versus talking to us. But we thought it was really special that she had chosen to reach out to us in that special time.

RUABelle turned on the television and we both stood there watching the show and the pregame festivities with huge grins on our faces. In a moment of synchronicity (or just two people who have lived together forever and finish each other's...sandwiches?...sentences, we both said at exactly the same time, "I've got goose bumps." Well, she actually said "goose pimples," but I always thought that was kind of a dumb phrase. Since when do geese get acne?

The football game was almost immaterial to the success of the evening and the gesture. It sure didn't hurt that the Saints kicked that Falcon ass, and I'll bet they're still partying in the French Quarter. Hell, Saints fans party all night when they lose. What was important was that an institution had returned and the symbol of all that was wrong in the post-Katrina fiasco had been repaired and made better much faster than anyone could have expected.

I know that there are still thousands of people displaced and houses to be rebuilt, but in order to make New Orleans whole again, people have to have something to come back to. Former residents have begun to put down new roots in cities like Baton Rouge, Houston and Nashville-good places to live and raise a family. They need a reason to return to the city and contribute again to its culture and charm.

There is still a lot of fear that the levies have not been rebuilt well enough to bear the brunt of another storm, and rightfully so. Infrastructure should be the first priority and believe it or not, the Super Dome is part of that infrastructure of the city. Mayor Nagan has a tough row to hoe, and America needs to keep focus on the rebuilding efforts. Last night shined a spotlight again on a city with a hole in its heart. We must continue to help them out even after the stage as been struck and the ESPN caravan has moved down the road.

I liked what Tony Kornheiser said when he called the Saints "everybody's second favorite team." I have to admit that they're rapidly moving up to 1A status in my book.