NOLA Rising

We just got back from a week in New Orleans, and I’m happy to report that the Crescent City is down but definitely not out. Right now the city is a strange gumbo of contractors, federal officials, military, tourists, and diehard citizens. We found wonderful food, welcoming people, are more reasons than ever to visit the most exotic town in America.Here are a few reasons:

• The American Library Association held the first big post-Katrina convention in the city while we were there. Their “thumbs up” will encourage others to spend much-needed tourist dollars there.
  
• I was accosted by FEMA-contracted security personnel for shooting a photograph. It’s good to know Blackwater’s finest is keeping the city safe from tourist snapshots at the city library — now commandeered as state FEMA headquarter.
  
• There is reconstruction going on in many parts of the city. Federal assistance and insurance dollars are going into re-roofing, remodeling, and rebuilding.
  
• Tourism is still only one-third pre-Katrina levels. Click here for tips on how you can plan your next vacation or weekend getaway in America’s most unique and exotic city.
  
• The big question in the city is whether the levee system will hold for another year. The many locals I talked to seemed to have doubts about the strength and soundness of the Army Corps system that failed in many locations during Katrina, causing massive flooding.
  
• Everyone I spoke to had had their lives damaged in some way, from losing personal property to one woman who lost her home, all her belongings, and her husband to a post-Katrina heart attack. We need too continue to show our love and support for all areas impacted by hurricane and flood damage.