I was in New Orleans at the end of March and again at the end of October. I don't claim to be an expert on the city, but I wanted to share some observations about the difference six months makes (and for NOLA residents, I apologize if this is all too obvious):

New life in the Upper Ninth — In February, we held a fundraiser and book-signing at the Saturn Bar in the Upper Ninth Ward. The neighborhood felt like a ghost town then. In late October, we went back to the Saturn for a few beers, and I was immediately struck by how the neighborhood has sprung back to life. There were people everywhere. At the same time, the National Guard patrols the streets in military vehicles, helping out the police. This gave the neighborhood a very Third World feel, like a coup had just taken place.

Bourbon bounces back — There was something sad about walking down Bourbon Street in February. It was like people were trying too hard to have a good time. Now, that part of the Quarter seems back to normal — after about five minutes on it, my brother and I fled a few blocks for the comfort of a neighborhood bar.

The exodus is not over — Many people in the city are still on the fence, not sure how long they will stay. And who can blame them? I found even strangers very willing to talk about how they might move to Dallas or Atlanta or somewhere else if a job comes through or if they can find a place to stay. People are open about how stressful life in NOLA is and how they wish they could live somewhere more stable. This is the true "Katrina fatigue."

The pioneers — In the words of the NOLAfugees folks, "faith is optional," but some young couples and families are moving into shotgun homes, fixing them up and trying to start anew in the city. I saw this in the Upper Ninth and Marigny especially. These are people who are scraping by with several jobs in some cases, but for one reason or another have decided to stay and stick it out.

So no, New Orleans is not alright. It needs a lot of help. Traveling outside of New Orleans, I found plenty of people with goodwill toward the city, but I also ran across more than a few conservative types who see the city as a den of inquity that needs blotting out. A fellow at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge greeted us with, "New Orleans ... you can have it." That attitude is all too apparent. And so, we'll just have to take it and fix it and let the folks who would prefer to live downwind of an oil refinery do just that.