 |
I'm so excited! My husband and I are going to New Orleans for the weekend. After Katrina, I said I never wanted to go back, but we want to get away for the weekend and New Orleans is fairly close, so we decided to go. I'm going to take my camera and hope to get lots of pictures to share with you.
Today I bought a Fodor's 2008 New Orleans guide book which outlines some pretty amazing facts about the recovery of the city:
Nearly 80% of the city was flooded
Almost 200,000 homes (71%) were damaged by flooding
90% of businesses have reopened in downtown New Orleans
There are now 812 restaurants in Orleans Parish -- more than before Katrina
Almost all of New Orleans' major hotels have reopened
The French Quarter did not flood and damage to its collection of historic buildings was relatively mild. Shops, clubs, restaurants, and museums have reopened.
Is it safe to go? The tourist areas and populated neighborhoods are generally considered safe, but the city has seen rising crime rates, and looting continues in some of its underpopulated neighborhoods (which we will avoid).
We're going to stay at our favorite New Orleans hotel, Windsor Court, and our plans include a lunch cruise down the Mississippi River on the Steamboat Natchez, the city's only authentic steamboat stern-wheeler, and a visit to the Aquarium of the Americas. I get "seasick" fishing off of a pier, so I'm a little apprehensive about the steamboat cruise. I just hope I won't embarrass myself.
I also hope to visit some of the antique galleries and shops in the French Quarter, if my feet (and my sweet husband) don't give out on me.
Of course, any trip to New Orleans usually revolves around "Where do you want to eat?" ... and one of our favorite places is Cafe' du Monde, located on the river in the French Quarter. There's nothing like sitting on a bench at 6:00 a.m., sharing a bag of "melt-in-your-mouth" beignets and cafe' au lait, and listening to the sounds of the river and enjoying the sights and sounds of the French Quarter awakening. At least Katrina didn't take that pleasure away from us, and I can't wait.
I'll look forward to sharing our trip with you next week. Until then ... take care.
