Too soon to visit New Orleans?

amynicole21 wrote: My friend and I are trying to find a vacation package to somewhere neither of us have been, and New Orleans has landed on the list. I know that the city has made a great effort to attract tourism again, but I'm still wondering if it is too soon to visit? We were planning on staying in the French Quarter which was not damaged as far as I know. What do you think? Has anyone visited since Katrina? Any suggestions for places to stay there?

holley79 replied: Shawn does his reserve training in New Orleans. They have also been there for some shows. Check with the Ramada on La Rue. That's a great place to stay and I think it's fine. I'll ask Shawn to check if you want.

MomToJade&Jordan replied: I say go for it Amy. I love New Orleans and am anxious to go back myself. There's just something about that city. If you do go I suggest you look to see if Crepe Nanou is there. It's a fantastic resturant and one of my favortites in the city. It's got great food and the nicest atmosphere.

Brias3 replied: I think it would still be nice to go at this time. They really are trying to get back to where they used to be, tourism wise. We've visited the French Quarter there and stayed at the loveliest hotel. I'll run and look up the name for you.

Cece00 replied: My husband works in N.O. and I visit him there every now & again.

Not sure if I would suggest going. Its PROBABLY OK, but I'd watch VERY carefully where I stayed & went. esp @ night. The national guard is still there, they were having some problems with violence, despite the fact that a lot of ppl still have not moved back.

Boys r us replied: I don't know..but I think it would be fabulous to go and visit and support their need for a return to normalcy!!!!!! I'm sure the people there would appreciate your support!

DH and I were just mentioning the other day how we really wished we had gone to New Orleans before Katrina, it was something we always talked about but never did. We'll definitely be going now that "they're open for business again"

Maddie&EthansMom replied: I bet you have a great time there.

coasterqueen replied: I bet the French Quarter is still hopping with fun! DH and I LOVED it when we went. I say go for it.

Our Lil' Family replied: That's a hard one. I live 50 miles from N.O. and I have still not gone. We do plan on taking a day trip in a couple of weeks when DH is out for semester break though. It's still pretty bad in some areas, meaning it hasn't been cleaned up like we had hoped. Probably all the touristy things are fine though. I know the aquarium has just re-opened...not sure about the zoo. The French Quarter wasn't really damaged so it would be your best bet as far as where to stay.

When are you planning your trip for? I'll probably be going the week of the 21st if you want me to let you know what it looks like I can.

ashtonsmama replied: I haven't, but I know they're working really hard to rebuild, and many things are back to normal, so I'd say it would probably be a fun place to go, just my ! Good luck!

ETA the last semi-colon on the 2 cents smiley...

amynicole21 replied: I think we are going to try it. We'll go the week before you are there, Naomi. There is a beautiful 4 star hotel in the French Quarter that has $59/night specials. Just keep your fingers crossed that we have a good trip please!

NikkiM replied: I live near NO. I think it's a good time to go. A lot of places are up and running again.

MomToJade&Jordan replied:
That's great Amy. I hope you have a good time.

siblingtooolivia replied: Wasn't it just on the news that 5 people got shot there in like 2 days??? Not that there isn't crime everywhere but I thought it was in the Quarter but could be wrong about where it was?

Kaitlin'smom replied: hope you have a great time and let us know ho wit was. I have never been there, and not sure I want to, but I would like to know how they are doing.

Bamamom replied: We were actually in NO last weekend for our 2 year anniversary. Things are pretty normal except for some weird hours. The whole city is shut down on Monday - the aquarium, the zoo, the D-day museum. It was weird for it to be that quiet.

I recommend Le Pavillion. It's a bit a of a walk from the French Quarter but a very nice hotel that is very reasonable right now due to staffing problems - oh yeah - that seemed to be a bit of a problem everywhere. Several resturants has special hours due to staffing issues, but the hours where quite reasonable. Like opening at 11:30 instead of 11 - that sort of thing.

HTH!!!