Was in New Orleans Tues. 12/6 and Wed. 12/7 for business. Stayed at the J.W. Marriott on Canal St. and things seemed to be up and running there.

Surprisingly, there was a lot of traffic on the freeways, although the downtown still has a quiet, closed down feel to it. Didn't see many signs of flood damage other than a lot of random debris piles, but a lot of wind damage was evident---about 50% of the roofs looked like they had damage, lots of blown out windows on buildings were boarded up, broken tree limbs, and knocked down fences---still a lot of cleaning up to do.

I went into the French Quarter for dinner and it was in pretty good shape but much quieter and more deserted than usual, although K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen was hopping and still serving great Cajun and Creole dishes. Paul Prudhomme himself was there and moved through the restaurant with a small Zydeco band greeting everyone.

It's good to see the city starting to come to life again. While the atmosphere is subdued, the next few months might be a nice time to visit to take advantage of the cooler weather and smaller crowds and help inject some needed $$ into the city's economy.

I flew in and out of New Orleans this week and I wanted to say that the airport is up and running in good shape. Not all the vendors are open yet, but everything went smoothly. It's not crowded yet.

We went for lunch on Saturday. Had similar experience to MRand's. Had lunch at Masparros--they were full but no line out the door. They told everyone how pleased they were for the business. ACME Oyster and Felix's closed and didn't look like they've been opened. Jax Brewery parking lot now a staging area for the catering trailers and tents that are feeding relief workers. Some stores that are open are on limited hours, others business as usual. The French Market area open, but didn't see much activity in the Farmer's market area. Lovely to get a cup of coffee at Cafe DuMonde. Greyline Tours has now announced they will be having "disaster tours" through the city--I believe some of the money will go to disaster relief. Not sure how I feel about this...like touring Pompeii? I do know someone who has been on one of these tours last week. Garden District cleaning up and getting businesses back up and running. The rest of the city another story--we drove through Lakeview and the destruction was heart rending and almost incomprehensable when you consider there are hundreds of square miles in the same shape.

Thanks folks for the first hand information. Having been through the devastation of four bad hurricanes in NC in recent years, I can't imagine the idea of "disaster tours." It breaks your heart to see your house all torn up and the property around barely recognizable. Having someone gawking, even with the kindest wishes, is unwelcome. And in the case of Katrina, much more than property was lost - lives, pets and our sense of human dignity under terrible duress.

Just a quick comment. We had a lovely day in New Orleans today despite the rain and cold. We spent most of our time on Magazine Street - so nice to see most of the businesses open and eager for customers. Don't forget them if you live close and want to do some holiday shopping.