30 March 2008
Scenic Route US 90
02/04/08 20:31
We came by what the signs described as the "scenic route" heading west from Pensacola. However, Hurricane Katrina that nearly washed New Orleans into the sea a few years back seems to have put quite a different spin on the word "scenic". The beach is a mess, the palm trees are mostly gone, and the old colonial villas that used to dot the Mississippi coastline have been replaced by new and less decorative structures. It is pretty much non-stop road work all the way, and if you did not know any better you would probably think that somebody just reenacted D-Day down there.
Tomorrow we are off to New Orleans to try our hands at something new. We are planning to do a portrait of the city based on the people we meet and the places we see. We have already set up a couple of interviews with a journalist who have traveled all over the US and a volunteer who moved there to help rebuild the city. We are pretty excited about the whole thing, and hope to write you some interesting stuff while there.
For now, all we got on offer is a little slideshow of our impressions along Scenic Route US 90. Be sure to check it out in the Roadside Reels section.
See you in NOLA!
Seaside Dystopia
30/03/08 11:40
Mark's friend Josh grew up in the these parts of Florida only to become harshly critical of his own country. He tagged along on our trip, and gave us an insider's view of how areas like Seaside can generate anger and frustration in young Americans like himself. Attending a neon-lit bubble-gum concert by a couple of famous YouTube guitarists, and hanging out at a soulless bar packed with rich kids on spring break, he told us how growing up in Panama City had felt like being under constant attack by his surroundings. "I don't have anything in common with these people," he said, almost spitefully lighting up another cigarette.
Thinking back on the poverty we saw in downtown Atlanta and going through rural Georgia, it was incredible to the point of nausea to see such a stupefying display of riches. It felt like going directly from one extreme kind of desperation to another - and neither of them came across as being particulary fulfilling. Driving around with a couple of left-wing political activists in the car probably did not ligthen up things a whole lot, but still we are sure that our evening of fun would have ended just as quick if we had been on our own.
Right this moment, we are sitting at the Trigo coffee shop enjoying truly European café lattes and croissants - the best we have had of both so far. Soon we will be back out on the road, heading towards Pensecola in the northwesternmost part of Florida. Once there, Mark will set up a meeting with a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union for us. Anyway, we need to kick back in a hotel for a few days to express our impress, and get our next portrait over and done with. So stay tuned to learn more about the life and nature of Mark Burch, the Godfather of Gay.
