FORT COLLINS, Colo. – I believed.  

Even though it was a head-scratcher, I somehow thought a 6-year-old boy really had stowed himself away on a flying saucer. I was as fascinated by it all, as I was embarrassed that I couldn't turn away.

And then, there was that landing, straight out of a sci-fi movie. It was "War of the Worlds" meets "Close Encounters." A muffled cheer even went up in our newsroom. It looked like it was all going to be OK.

But of course, it wasn't. And maybe that's why the so-called "balloon boy" saga drew such a visceral reaction.  

VIDEO: 911 tapes from 'balloon boy' saga emerge

While the world was worried about the fate of Falcon Heene floating across the Colorado plains, he was hiding in his family's garage.

If what investigators say is true, the Heene family had barged into our living rooms, and then stole from us the happy ending we thought we all deserved. Accusations were quickly made that Falcon was just a pawn in his parents attempt to get publicity for a reality TV show.

But that wasn't the end of the deception. The man with the white hat was the Larimer County sheriff. Surely he'd make it all right.

But from day one, Sheriff Jim Alderdan told most of the media (the ones he didn't know) that he actually believed the family. He said their story was credible, and even hinted that the case was closed.

So I started to believe again. Maybe we were rushing to judgment. Maybe this family that took pride in being different was just that: different, but not criminal.

Problem is, the sheriff never really believed a word he was saying. He spent two days fibbing in front of the cameras (ours included) just as convincingly as Falcon's father, Richard Heene, had done. A hoax used to out a hoax.

The difference of course is the end. Richard Heene is accused of lying to become famous. The sheriff admitted to misleading the public to get justice.

But lost in it all was trust. The "balloon boy" story will be remembered for all its lunacy and its hype. It was a good yarn, trivial by almost every measure that started with those fantastic pictures, and ended with a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

I believed. My bad.

NEW ORLEANS – President Barack Obama will be in New Orleans for less than 3 hours and 45 minutes. In this town known for its spicy gourmet food, some dinners last longer than that. 

Many New Orleans residents – still weary from the effects of Katrina four years on – are grateful that the presidential spotlight will shine in the city, however briefly.

During his short time here, Obama will visit the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School. It's the only school to reopen in New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward, an area inundated with water and black mud when the Industrial Canal failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Judi Bottoni / AP

Two neighboring homes in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward are shown in a photo taken on Wednesday, a day before Obama's visit.Â

The school is a gleaming example of some of the recovery under way, but if the president were to walk a few blocks from the school, he might meet Antonio Green, who was one of the first residents to rebuild in the Ninth Ward.

Green would tell the president that not much has changed on his street since he took office.

"They're not helping people around here. As you can see, the neighborhood is still bad," Green said, pointing to an empty, rotting house across the street.

He said his neighborhood is devoid of everyday life. "We just have abandoned houses and vacant lots. It's like we're stuck at the bottom with no help." 

And if the president was there just a little longer, he might pass some time sitting on the front porch of Yvonne Johnson's home, just down the street from the MLK school. "The Lower Ninth Ward seems to be like another country," said Johnson, a 73-year-old retiree. "[Obama] would have to stay here a month or so to really see enough. He can't possibly stay down here long enough to see everything that we would want him to see."

After a short town-hall style meeting with a pre-selected audience at the University of New Orleans, the president will step aboard Air Force One to head out to San Francisco for a fundraising trip. He won't even have time to stop for a relaxing meal in New Orleans.