Dear New Orleans,
Upon graduating college in May of 2010 I spent five weeks driving all over The United States. It was an experience I will never forget. In fact, I can’t really think of many things I would trade it for. People need to spend more time traveling our country, it’s a shame really, with all of this focus put on studying abroad (which I did that too and am not bashing it, it was also a great experience) when there’s so much here in America to see. You don’t need to cross national borders or explore different continents to see a different culture. We may all be Americans, but that by no means means that we are all part of the same culture. There are so many sub cultures. Not all Americans live by the same moral and ethical codes, eat the same food, go to the same stores or enjoy their leisure time the same way. But we all know this, don’t we? We just have not all experienced or observed it. But you, you are lucky, you have so many cultures and influences that seem to exist so harmoniously that I could not help but fall in love with you.
As I’ve been putting in 12-15 hour days at work lately I have been longing for an experience like this road trip again, sooner rather than later. My favorite stop of the trip was to see you, New Orleans. The reasons I will not go into at this time but the city is fabulous and I recommend everyone go there.
On the way to visit you I purchased my beloved D-SLR camera (one of the best purchases I have ever made), so my first day in New Orleans was my first day with my camera, perhaps symbolic, but perhaps not. It was a great day, some of the pictures I took on that day remain some of my favorite photos I have ever taken. The above photo being one of them. I guess you could say this was my first ‘go’ at street style photography, although it was not an intentional one. Little did I know that a few years down the line I was going to start a blog on style…
The photo above was taken late in the afternoon late in late June on the north side of Jackson Square; Cafe Du Monde lay across the square behind me. I remember it so clearly. There was a brass band playing, four talented young gentlemen; tourists were everywhere and there was a church next door that had a ‘Church Quiet Zone’ sign posted. I am guessing this was not the first time the sign had been disregarded, certainly wouldn’t be the last.
I love this photo. I often look at it to remind me of our time together. I don’t care for the shoes in the foreground (which are intentionally blurry), but the ones in the background kept my attention for some time. They were those of the tuba player. This was not the first time I had seen these shoes. Nike released these Dunks as part of a limited edition collection for the 2010 Olympics. Dunks were produced in each of the five colors of the Olympic rings. I think the orange laces elevate the appeal of the shoes. I almost bought a pair, just like these blue ones. I know, not my style right? Well, I once had a short lived sneaker thing. I still like sneakers, although I don’t really wear them. I still love New Orleans, although I have not been back since those few days in late June of 2010. But, I do hope to see you again soon.
With love and respect,
Justin
