Houmom, UNO starts back Jan 30. Lakefront Drive was still closed near UNO last time I was out there, but most every other street was open and passable. I wouldn't rely on cabs that far out at this point unless you call cab companies and verify. I don't know the condition of Kiefer Stadium but you may find more on UNO's website.

What's open in NO:
http://www.nola.com/openforbusiness/

pghpasta, I really think you'd get more good advice if you'd post your questions on a separate thread. Please see link above for more local info on NO. In the meantime, I'm going to go to that same site and see what is open so I can make some recommendations to you.

United Cabs of NO: Phone: (504) 522-9771

This may sound negative, but how is the crime down there? When I first visited three years ago, the tourbooks made a point to warn tourists about dangerous areas.

My experience in South Carolina in the wake of Hugo is that an area gets safer after a disaster like this, so I was speculating that NO would become a safer city for tourists. Is this correct?

So far, it has been extremely safe. However, as the population increases, there is always going to be more crime. Let's hope it'll stay very safe for a very long time.

Crime is indeed increasing but it's nowhere near what it was before Katrina. The drug trade fuels much of the N.O. crime rate and this is, luckily, diminished. Our mayor seems eager to get as many people back as possible, though, so I expect it to zoom back up soon as people return and can't find employment, housing, etc.

ChristieP and BayouGal, thanks for your replies. Bayou, forgive my ignorance, but please tell me how to post a separate thread and, if you found a good place to do so, tell me where, Thanks again and I am soooooooo excited to see you fair city again.I've only been there once and I'm gonna plan much better this time around so I can cram in everything I want to do.

On the Fodor's forum page, under on the words "United States" on the left upper side, you'll see the option for posting a new thread. After clicking on that, you will be taken to a dialog box where you can enter a new title. Be sure to highlight "Louisiana" at that time so it will come up on the Louisiana titles when searched.

Hope that makes sense! =)

Good luck!