The French Quarter has recovered nicely but evidence of the storm remains out around Lake Pontchartrain. An area where the shrimp boats would dock that contained a number of fun, casual restaurants is just plain gone. A lot of houses out there remain boarded up and the foliage around the city - particularly in the Garden District - is not what it used to be. (Obviously, we did not venture into the "lower 9th Ward" where the devastation was the worst.)
But, back to the Quarter... all the high-end hotels and our favorite restaurants are back to normal and the Hurricanes at Pat O'Brian's are as potent as ever. (We can fully attest to that!) Unfortunately, the sleaze factor is also back to what it was but that can be avoided simply by staying off Bourbon Street.
The "Big Easy" is a great city... but, like Las Vegas, a couple days is enough.
More on our New Orleans stay later.
Dick
