By Ned Randolph
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – In the days since a U.S. Army veteran drove a truck into dozens of New Year’s Day revelers, normalcy has begun to return to a stricken yet defiant New Orleans, where music is again streaming from clubs and restaurants are filled with tourists.
After leaving flowers at an impromptu memorial, Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Thursday led a traditional New Orleans brass-band parade down Bourbon Street, where the FBI says a Texas man carried out an attack that was inspired by Islamic State.
At least 15 people were killed, including the attacker.
Dinner reservations are coming back quickly at the historic Galatoire’s restaurant in the French Quarter, the city’s Creole-flavored historic district where tourists throng.
Caroline Rodrigue, a 31-year-old hostess at the restaurant, saw Cantrell’s parade, one of the normally frequent processions known locally as second lines that accompany funerals, celebrations and community events.
“It was very emotional,” she said. “It’s time for resiliency and coming together. I would definitely rather be here together than sitting at home wondering.”
Restaurant staff and patrons said they were reassured to see many police officers and other camouflage-outfitted patrols prominent on Bourbon Street, which is often busy into the night with partying tourists.
The city, nicknamed the Big Easy for its usually relaxed mood, has weathered many storms, including catastrophic Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which killed more than 1,300 in and around New Orleans.
“There’s a lot of talk of use of the word ‘resilience,'” said Walt Leger, head of New Orleans & Company, the city’s tourism marketing office. “You get stronger and stronger each time and so yes, we’ve had our fair share of challenges, but this one is now added to that list.”
The mayor has said security will remain heightened in the city, which is readying for major events in the coming weeks. The New Orleans area depends on its tourism and conference industries and attracted 17.8 million visitors in 2023, according to state data.
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to visit on Monday to meet with officials and victims’ families. Next month, the city will host the National Football League’s Super Bowl. And in a few days, New Orleans kicks off its famed multi-week Mardi Gras celebrations.
‘EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE’
By the Mississippi River on Friday, designers and builders put the finishing touches on Mardi Gras floats inside a hangar at Kern’s Mardi Gras World, a workshop and tourist attraction, ahead of an opening parade next week.
Tour guide Lee Curran showed visitors around and said the festive period, known for its many parades replete with costumes, celebrity marshals and bead throwing, was a touchstone for the city’s residents.
“It’s Mardi Gras, right? It definitely raises the spirits,” he said. “If it doesn’t happen, it’s not good for the economy not good for morale. Everyone loves a parade.”
In the hangar, Emma Duhe, 19, was carefully applying blue paint to a large marlin model that will adorn a “super float” in a blowout parade on March 2 by the Krewe of Bacchus, one of New Orleans’ best-known parade organizations.
“It makes me feel like I’m doing something for the city, where I’ve spent my whole life,” said Duhe, a graphic design student at Louisiana State University.
Back in the French Quarter at the Bourbon House seafood restaurant, 40-year-old Chad Weaver was shucking oysters for customers and said New Orleanians wouldn’t let fear alter the city’s upbeat vibe after this week’s frightening events.
“You can’t predict that, someone wanting to do you harm,” he said. “There’s nothing you really can do except beef up security.”
Outside the Bourbon House, a crowd gathered around the One Way Brass Band, undeterred by Wednesday’s assault.
Embracing the city’s tradition of joyful music is “a big middle finger to ISIS,” said Danna Crary, referring to Islamic State, as she watched the band with her miniature Schnauzer.
“This is how it should be. It’s hard for the families, but I’m not going to let them take away our spirit.”
Not everyone was so sanguine. At Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar, a waitress, who did not want to give her name, said she was scared and kept a nervous eye on people.
Terry Cooney, manager of Ticklers bar, said he could have used another day off work to deal with the fear and uncertainty caused by the mass attack.
“I hope this is the end of it. I pray to God,” said the 53-year-old.
(Reporting by Ned Randolph in New Orleans; Additional reporting by Julio-Cesar Chavez in New Orleans; Editing by Jonathan Allen and Cynthia Osterman)
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