New Orleans escaped disaster this time—just—but once again “Is the city worth it?” stories are circulating. Only politics and weather will determine that. For now, a lot of folks seem committed to staying, whatever the future brings. Still, even long time residents are having doubts—and who can blame them? I’ve read a lot of great stuff on NOLA, one of my favorite places, but this piece by LA Times journalist Richard Fausset, a native, is incredibly touching. American newspapers don’t often let their reporters ruminate in the first person, but Fausset’s meditations on his parents, NOLA diehards, say a lot about what it means to live on in this wonderful, troubled city.