I guess there is no better way to kick off a blog than an introduction to the person behind it. I’m Loki. No, that’s not my given name but it is a nickname I’ve had since the early 1990’s. My given name is George Williams and I grew up in an old French Creole family in the Garden District.
Growing Up On Chestnut St.
As a child the Carnival parades passed a mere three blocks from my front door, which was magical. When my father would get tired of parades, they’re nonstop for weeks at that time of year, it was time for “The Magic TV”. He and my grandfather would tell me to sit exactly in the middle between the sofa and the tv. I would shout “throw me something, mister!” until beads would appear in mid-air, seemingly thrown by the parade riders on the tv. In reality is my father tossing them in the air from behind me. Even inside the house, it was magical.
I grew up steeped in family history, which was city history. A hearty interest in the darker 
stories and odd folklore of the area came to me early in life, after all there are few places with a better atmosphere for all things spooky.
Familiarity Breeds…Apathy?
Like many I took for granted the things that make New Orleans unique. Then I moved away. College in Baton Rouge, New York City in the late 90s, and a good bit of jumping around in western Europe. No matter where I was it would only take a few weeks before I started to really miss the food, the overhanging live oaks, and even the miserable heat. I always came home. Never lasted more than three years anywhere else.
A Brief Hiatus Due to Rising Water
The Levee Failure that followed Hurricane Katrina, often referred to locally as The Federal Flood, made me start learning a lot more of our history. When you’re fighting to preserve something you have to become very familiar with it on an academic level as well as from a cultural standpoint.
Not long ago I realized, thanks to my lovely wife’s acute observations, that the combination of my background, my research, and my natural storytelling impulse would make me a pretty good guide. So I went out and did the federal background check, took the history test, and got my Tour Guide License. (Many thanks to Grey Sweeney-Perkins for being my mentor and my cheering section as I got things in order!)
So that’s a little about me. Cheers! I hope to see you soon!
Loki