Sometimes it’s so useful to see your universe from an outsider’s perspective.

An old friend sent me some pages from the New York Review of Books that reviewed Richard Campanella’s Bourbon Street: A History and Sheri Fink’s Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital.

I’ve started reading the latter, but stopped about 50 pages in because I think my Katrina PTSD kicked in and the whole horror seemed to be resurrected in flashbacks. It’s a hard read, at least for me, but it’s still on my list.

Nathaniel Rich, the author of the two reviews, casts an outsider’s eye on the phenomenon of Bourbon Street, colored by Campanella’s historical and cultural perspective. I don’t intend to do a recap of Rich’s review, but I would urge you to read both his piece, and Campanella’s book as well.

Buffa’s is in battle gear these days, defending itself against the Sidney Torres law suit. Their court date is coming up on July 31, a week from today. Ethan Ellestad, a coordinator for the Music and Culture Coalition wrote a good summary of why the city needs to step up and support local music, using the Buffa’s law suit as the context of his argument. It too, is worth a read, as it sums up the real issue we have in New Orleans when it comes to entertaining lawsuits related to noise issues.

This week’s poll: When is the last time you were on Bourbon Street?