Neon on Bourbon Street

Neon on Bourbon Street
Originally uploaded by rllayman.

Anyway, concerns expressed by people in the area of 8th Street SE about "becoming another Adams-Morgan," take on a whole new level of meaning--or about the nascent "H Street NE Entertainment District."

I am staying at a bed and breakfast owned by people who used to live in Capitol Hill. They love the French Quarter, say that it's more walkable and bikable than Capitol Hill, and that they've really come to appreciate the music-jazz heritage of the city--that the music they hear is usually quite good (although it wasn't on display last night on Bourbon Street, I'll say that).

I know that our experiences are always relative, but there are material conditions that impact an area's ability to become an entertainment district. NW neighborhoods have younger residents, more singles, and 3-6 times the number of residents compared to NE neighborhoods.

As my hosts told me, "New Orleans is the northernmost Caribbean city. You can commute to the south, but you're not in it."