Southern Expedition

Though I have spent time in the "South" before, my most recent excursion was almost completely new, so I thought I would bring some of my thoughts about such geographic locations.

In general the areas in the South seem to be incredibly run-down. Though I know that there are problems with weather and money in some locations, it seems that there is a significant lack of effort that is put forth. Often times a simple coat of paint or a few hours of work would make a dramatic impact to a home or business, and yet this seems to be beyond the scope of the whole area. Mississippi is by far the worst. The only noticeable exception was Jackson, which was actually a neat small city that seemed to have some heart, though I didn't spend a great deal of time there. It is really a shame, because the land in Mississippi was really quite beautiful, and if not marred by unattractive buildings and towns, it could be really nice.

Louisiana was a little better, but again, the same lack of effort was present. The suburbs still had hurricane trash- not debris that was tough to move, but small trash- all over the place. I did like the houses in Mandeville (a New Orleans suburb) a lot though, and the view of Lake Pontchartrain was excellent. I was also impressed with the 28 mile long bridge that crosses the lake to get into New Orleans proper.

The city itself was almost exactly as I expected: a great culture with a great feel, and a lot of grime. The city was so dirty. Such a shame. The city was kind of like a mesh of San Diego and Las Vegas. It was really spread out, but had some great areas. While I wasn't surprised by Bourbon Street (it was exactly as fun/crazy/dirty as I expected) I didn't realize how close it was to the upscale urban center. It is literally around the corner. That was surprising.

I really hope that more people with a heart go in and clean that place up. Though I understand that they dealt with a terrible tragedy that takes time to recover from, there is a lot that could be done easily with a little heart. City Park, which used to be a huge attraction that was simply beautiful, is now run down. They have let the grounds get overgrown and simply haven't put the time into making it a place people want to visit. I hope that changes.

Lastly, Pensacola and the Emerald Coast. BEAUTIFUL. Pretty much, that is all that needs to be said. Pensacola Beach is in undergoing a lot of building, and I am excited to see how it plays out. I was of course very interested in the small business aspects, but I won't bore you with all the details.

In truth, I enjoyed everywhere that I went, but I was extremely disappointed in the effort put forth. I suppose that to each their own and all that, but it makes me appreciate the cities that make attempts to make the best of their situation regardless of money. Maybe what I see as flaws others see as value, but I still think that most of the time people would be happer and have more pride in what they do and where they live if they put a bit more effort into the places they lived and worked.