Katrina

I have been to all but two of the fifty United States: Mississippi and Louisiana. I have always though that some day I'd make a trip to New Orleans and while there just swing over the border to cross the final two states off of my list. But in the wake of Katrina and all the destruction left behind, I regret that I didn't get to these two states sooner.

In eighth grade I visited the Twin Towers and took in the view from the top floor. Though something magnificent will likely go up in their place, the New York skyline will never be the same.

The same goes for New Orleans and to a lesser extent all the small towns that were decimated by the recent storm. They will be rebuilt but will the Canjun flavor live on? Will they stay true to their Southern roots or will they put up fantastic but generic skyscrapers?

I also feel regret for my ignorance. I don't know what levees broke, where the French Quarter is located, what the Superdome looks like because I have never been there. I feel like I would understand the news better if I had had first-hand experience of the area.

Some day I'll get to these two states, but it won't be anytime soon. I only want to see these places when all this devastation is just a memory.