homesick for a place you never lived
Jan. 1st, 2006 10:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lauralhJeremy's photos of New Orleans are making me wistful. I can't really say homesick because I honestly never lived there, but my dad grew up there and his sisters and mom still do. In fact he kind of lives with his mom now, but let's not get into that bit.
But you can see the big bridge over the Old Man River, which we always drove over to get to Gretna in Jefferson Parish, where Grandma Virgie lived. We went at least once a year to see her. She was younger than my mom's mom (who lived 10 miles from us) and with her and my aunts around, you could see where I got my height, and my young looks (my aunt who's 23 years older than me, and has a daughter my age, looked like my sister). Since we were kids, we never hung out at the French Quarter at night, but we went to the riverside mall and Cafe Du Monde and the Audobon zoo.
In high school I dated someone who lived in the nicer suburb of Harahan, and stayed with him and his family for a week. We'd drive over the treacherous West Bank Expressway bridge to my grandma's and back, and toured Jackson Square and went on the moonwalk. I hate the guy now, but I still love the city. For east coasters "the city" is usually new york; for me it's New Orleans. Whenever we'd approach it at night I'd squeal with delight to see all the bright lights everywhere, and I did so with Dallas later in life. I still grin when I see the lights come on in Seattle.
at the end of college, I went with a few friends (non-drinkers actually) there, and we had a blast. I was so happy to show off the French Quarter to my best friends, it was almost like introducing two lovers. I truly can fall in love with cities at times, and while Seattle is my home now, New Orleans will always be my first love.
But you can see the big bridge over the Old Man River, which we always drove over to get to Gretna in Jefferson Parish, where Grandma Virgie lived. We went at least once a year to see her. She was younger than my mom's mom (who lived 10 miles from us) and with her and my aunts around, you could see where I got my height, and my young looks (my aunt who's 23 years older than me, and has a daughter my age, looked like my sister). Since we were kids, we never hung out at the French Quarter at night, but we went to the riverside mall and Cafe Du Monde and the Audobon zoo.
In high school I dated someone who lived in the nicer suburb of Harahan, and stayed with him and his family for a week. We'd drive over the treacherous West Bank Expressway bridge to my grandma's and back, and toured Jackson Square and went on the moonwalk. I hate the guy now, but I still love the city. For east coasters "the city" is usually new york; for me it's New Orleans. Whenever we'd approach it at night I'd squeal with delight to see all the bright lights everywhere, and I did so with Dallas later in life. I still grin when I see the lights come on in Seattle.
at the end of college, I went with a few friends (non-drinkers actually) there, and we had a blast. I was so happy to show off the French Quarter to my best friends, it was almost like introducing two lovers. I truly can fall in love with cities at times, and while Seattle is my home now, New Orleans will always be my first love.
