J_Correa

Thanks for the report - and everyone else's comments. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in NOLA and we were planning to go back for our 5th anniversary (this coming May). After Katrina my husband was unsure about whether we should go. Everyone's comments and an article in our Sunday travel section about NOLA have convinced him that it is still a good idea. YAY!!! So NOLA, here we come!!! Ok - not for quite a few months, but we will be there and we will spend our money (I never had any doubts about going myself)

Randyforgt

SanParis...I did educate myself on NO....It's called listening to Nagin on WWL 870AM late night during Katrina! The Mississipi Gulf Coast will get my tourism money.....

SAnParis

topping for cathy

JanaG

Just got back from a great 3 days in NOLA. Loved it! Stayed at the Monteleone (spelling?), and loved the hotel! Perfect location in the French Quarter, nice and quiet, even haunted, but didn't see any ghosts! The most basic room was so luxurious! Great Bar! Everyone was very nice!

westiedogs

I am leaving for New Orleans tomorrow. Can't wait...most posts are very positive so will put in my 2 cents worth next week - if not too brain-damaged from alcohol or lethargic from overeating!!

judyinar

DH and I are leaving in 10 days to spend one night in NO and three nights in Mississippi on a brief trip. It's a 10 hour drive one-way for us, but it's something we want to do, so here we go.

judy

BayouGal

Hope you have a wonderful trip, Judy! Please post a trip report when you get back. I know many would like to hear about how Mississippi is fairing these days.

bethmac

I am considering a trip to NOLA with my mom and son in Oct. and found a deal at the Hotel Le Cirque...problem is that while the photos on the web site look fabulous, a review of the hotel I read was less than stellar. Anyone able to speak to the condition there? We are planning to take the train from Memphis to NO because my son loves trains, and I have never been to NO...seems like a sentimental journey that it's time to take.

Dan

Le Cirque has a beautiful "light show" on the front of the hotel at night. The entire building is illuminated.

I have also read the bad reviews, unfortunately. I wouldn't stay there because of it. The hotel isn't very well-located either and I think you should consider staying closer to the French Quarter.

SAnParis

Being a frequent visitor to NOLA I can only say I've never even heard of this Hotel...I'd keep looking.

Floridafran

SurferTom and I live close enough to zip over to New Orleans for a long weekend and I've been thinking we might do that come November. If anyone knows anything about a culinary walking tour like margyb mentioned I'd love to know more. Tom does all our cooking and loves good food. We both throughly enjoyed the many restaurants we visited in N.O. in April of 2005.

Also, have the street musicians begun to return. We bought some blues CDs from some of the ones we heard there. When I listen to them now the memories are bittersweet because I know so much has changed.

Fran

BayouGal

Fran have you two done the New Orleans cooking school yet? A lot of people love it.

uptowngirl2418

I have a brochure for New Orleans Culinary History Tours.
Tour is 2 1/2 hours and depart from 711 St. Louis next to Antoine's Restaurant. $15 for adults and $5 under 12.
Telephone (504) 427-9595 or email [email protected]
Reservations are required.

Floridafran

uptowngirl,

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out this evening when I have more time. (I'm home to grab some friut for lunch.)

BayouGal, (I thought you were in Yellowstone)

No, we haven't. If you have links or any other info I'd love to have it. Or can I just Google for it? I know my husband would enjoy that.

I believe we hurricane ravaged areas have to stick together and help each other out any way we can. I know how much seeing the tourists begin to return to Pensacola Beach has meant to the businesses here.

Got to run. I'll check out all of this later.

Thanks,
Fran

wellstnj

I've been writing to this website for help with our Alaska trip next summer, but want to take a minute to reply to this message. I live in New Orleans and we were among the very fortunate residents to have been on the Westbank of the Mississippi River, so we suffered only heavy wind damage as opposed to the flooding that many of our friends had. Many of our friends and neighbors have moved away post Katrina for various reasons, transfer of jobs a major reason. Algiers, where we live, was up and running very quickly, since we have our own water system, and it was a staging area for first responders, National Guard, and President Bush spoke from the college adjacent to our neighborhood. Dillards Department Store just reopened at our Oakwood Mall, after the mall was looted and burned after Katrina. The rest of the mall will reopen in 2007.(Sears was the only other store in the mall to reopen.) The French Quarter is open, Superdome repaired, a good number of restaurants on St Charles are open. A good number of residents in the Lakeview Area are rebuilding, but St Bernard, New Orleans East and Lower 9th Ward are slow in coming back. Lower Plaquemines parish is questionable as to how many will ulitimately return. Schools have reopened in many areas (some have become charter schools). So progress is slowly being made, yet so much remains to be done. Our church has been hosting groups from all over the country who come to gut houses, and we have groups coming through the end of this year and beyond. It is so heartwarming to see college kids and teens giving up their breaks and adults taking time off from work to come and serve and help. Our kids live on the North Shore in Slidell. That community suffered heavy flooding from the storm surge and many businesses are still closed. Yet that community is pulling together helping one another, the hospitals are reopened, library offering their programs for the kids, our granddaughter's flooded elementary school has reopened thanks to many schools across the country adopting it and sending books, supplies,computers, etc. Thanks to so many wonderful people across our great nation for all they have done to help our devasted region, from New Orleans to Gulfport and Biloxi MS.

BayouGal

wellstnj, all this time working on your trip to Alaska and I had no idea you were a fellow New Orleanian! So glad you posted!

wellstnj

Bayou Gal, do you live in New Orleans, if so, what area?

BayouGal

Yes, we are in the uptown area.

We're leaving on vacation tomorrow - we'll have to "talk" when we get back.

wellstnj

We're leaving for vacation tomorrow too. Going to Hawaii.