Silly question regarding New Orleans

Im sorry if I sound completely ignorant, and I really dont mean to offend anyone by asking, but, I was looking through photos posted of New Orleans and there are some gorgeous houses and street-scapes in different areas. And here%26#39;s where I may sound quite stupid, but, are these places still standing and in that condition after Hurrican Katrina? They are so beautiful but I have no idea just what was destroyed at that time and what has been rebuilt. I have always wanted to visit New Orleans and we just missed out on our last trip, 10 years ago. Has it changed a lot since Katrina? My brother went there about 10 years ago and he loved it, would we get the same experience now? When is Mardi Gras?

Thanks

Linda

Silly question regarding New Orleans

Most of the areas you%26#39;re mentioning are not only still standing but were relatively unscathed by Katrina. This includes the French Quarter, the Garden District, and several other historic neighborhoods.

Heavier damage was inflicted upon the ';newer'; neighborhoods built primarily in the 20th century.

From a tourist perspective, I really think New Orleans may be ';better than ever.'; From a rebuilding perspective, some neighborhoods still have a ways to go.

Silly question regarding New Orleans

Linda, you would have a very similar experience as your brother had. You really should go. You%26#39;ll fall in love with the city as many people on this site can attest.

More reason for you to come down here and see New Orleans for yourself. I also feel the city is safer and in some ways, more vibrant in this post-Katrina time. In other ways, there is still much left to be done.

Mardi Gras 2010 is in February. Mardi Gras Day is February 16, 2010.

I just got back from my 1st trip to NO and I can tell you, GO!!!!!

The only Katrina damage I saw was while I was on my City/Katrina tour. The French Quarter had not been that much affected by the storm anyway, everything is beautiful.

If you%26#39;ve always wanted to go, definitely start planning your trip. I just loved my vacation, and will return one day..... hopefully soon. :)

New Orleans is a ';must go'; place, at least once in ones life.

Depending what your in to and how old you are you may want to consider French Quarter Fest or Jazz Fest as a couple other times to go.

I just came back from French Quarter Fest and I have also been to Mardi Gras a few years ago. French Quarter Fest was not as crazy as Mardi Gras and tended to be a little older crowd. Bourbon St was still packed on Saturday but half as crazy. I liked Mardi Gras back in my early 20s but I don%26#39;t think I would like it as much now, FQF was much more my speed.

Definitely go! I was there before Katrina, then recently for the French Quarter Fest - I actually felt safer this past time. The people of New Orleans are friendly and helpful. The Garden District has amazing mansions. The French Quarter is gorgeous with the wrought iron work and hanging gardens- I miss it already! The city needs us to visit, they have a story to tell, and you can only know it if you experience it.

Lindann - I saw your earlier post about spending time in America after Disney. While in Orlando you should consider an Airboat ride on the St. Johns River -- it is exciting and memorable and you will see dozens of alligators. go to www.airboatridesatmidway.com If you are into airplanes just west of Disney is a place called ';Fantasy of Flight'; that has lots of old airplanes on display. You could also drive to Tampa and St. Pete in an hour to go to the beach and see Florida%26#39;s west coast.

I also have kids -- 10 - 15 yrs. old now and would not consider New Orleans for my family - lots of drinking, dirty streets and strip clubs - i%26#39;m sure others will disagree. I enjoyed it when I was single.

If you are going to drive 10-12 hours consider driving north on I-95 - stop in Jacksonville, Savannah GA, Charleston, SC and then head to Washington DC/Baltimore - tons to do. From there you can drive to Philadelphia and then to NYC. If you still have time it would be worth going to Boston (Martha%26#39;s Vineyard, etc.) Much of America%26#39;s pop culture and history revolves around those cities.

Just a little farter north is New England which is quaint and beautiful as well.

Have fun.

we were in no recently and totally enjoyed the trip- the people were very friendly, the sites were worth seeing, the food amazing abnd the architecture outstanding.

nevertheless we did drive through the 9th ward and couldn%26#39;t believe some of the blocks- boarded up houses and no sign of any people- especially desire st. hard to believe that this is almost 4 years later.

we also drove through lakefront which is in the process of rebuilding.

we felt very good to leave some of our tourist dollars in new orleans and expect to come back.

Absolutely you should go. New Orleans is my favorite city in the US and remains so after Katrina. We had a trip planned (airline tickets, hotel, etc.) for the Columbus Day after Katrina. Obviously couldn%26#39;t go then, but we rescheduled our flights for the following Veteran%26#39;s Day weekend (a year and a month later for those unfamiliar with our holidays). French Quarter and Garden District were at least as beautiful than when we%26#39;d been there six years earlier. (Took a tour through the hurricane-ravaged areas, and it was heartbreaking, but at least I felt I was helping by spending my money in New Orleans.) People were so gracious and appreciative of us being there. We%26#39;re leaving in two days for JazzFest, and I couldn%26#39;t be more excited. Besides our usual tourist haunts in the French Quarter, we%26#39;re going with friends from Colorado who are from Houma and have family there and in the Garden District, so we%26#39;re looking forward to a little more local color (plus meeting some eccentric family we feel like we%26#39;ve known for nearly 10 years).

Hi Lindann, yes definitely you should visit New Orleans! It is still wonderful after Katrina, after 30+ trips it is still my favorite place in the world to visit. I%26#39;d live there if I could convince my husband to move.

Your question doesn%26#39;t indicate that you have kids traveling with you, but another poster apparently thinks that you do. I have to respectfully disagree with him/her that you should not bring kids to New Orleans. There are many, many things for kids to do in New Orleans. Yes Bourbon Street has a lot of drinking and strip clubs, but Bourbon Street is just one street in New Orleans. If you are traveling with kids, I am sure that you can get many ideas from myself and others here on things to do, places to visit, etc. My husband and I took our 3 granddaughters to New Orleans in December of 2007 and they absolutely loved it and can%26#39;t wait to go back. However, I don%26#39;t think that I would take young kids to Mardi Gras.