As a relocated Katrina survivor I have had the vantage point of insider and outsider as the city struggles to rebuild. You have seen the photos and videos of the Ninth Ward. You have seen people partying in the French Quarter. So which view is the real New Orleans. Both and neither.

While the Ninth Ward gives the media dramatic content, too much of the coverage neglects to mention that 80% of the city was damaged. That's rich and poor, black and white, homes and businesses. Think of 80% of YOUR town being damaged. Or you could drive very slowly around your city for 45 minutes.

The other misleading view of New Orleans is that its a Third World kind of city; a racist city. New Orleans is not a rich city, but it has always been rich in culture going back to the Opera House in the 1700's. French, Spanish, Native American and African cultures mixed and married from the start giving New Orleans a unique tolerance that is lacking in the rest of the Deep South. The Cajun/ Creole cusine is cooked by both blacks and whites and great food can be found throughout the city.

The cultural mix flowed into Congo Square where slaves sang and danced; into Storyville where Jazz fired up the nights; into Gospel and the soaring voice of Mahalia Jackson and on into the 60's when New Orleans was a veritable factory cranking out dance songs by Irma Thomas, Fats Domino, Art Neville, Aaron Neville and more;and then to the haunting funk of the Meters. While the city seems to sprout musicians at every corner, the bayous cultivate the Cajun concertina and fiddle music.

Three years ago I drove across America searching for the perfect city to move to. I was shocked to discover that very little distinguishes one major city from another these days. They all look the same and are packed with the same franchises. It is a very unsettling feeling to drive for hundreds of miles and feel like you are arriving in the same town again. I wanted to move back to New Orleans, but I thought I should at least look at other cities. When I got to New Orleans, I ran into people I hadn't seen in 15 years, and it was like 15 days had passed. Friendships count in New Orleans, and that convinced me to move back in 2004.

There is no other city in America that contains its own culture, cuisine and music and even its own patios. You feel enchanted by the atmoshpere, the lovely houses and layers of scents in the air: Magnolia, Jasmine, Gardenia, Camelia and ginger blossoms dazzle you. People smile a lot and laugh a lot. Strangers include you in their conversation while you wait in line for a table. There is an ease of living. There is a joy, and thrill that you could be so lucky to walk down the street and hear the music that makes you want to dance in the street. Is it always like this? It used to be. And it can and should be again.