The two of us flew from Houston to New Orleans for a long weekend to celebrate my birthday. We took a taxi from the Airport to The French Quarter and was surprised we did not see much Katrina damage along the way. We later took a Katrina Tour and can testify that we saw more devastation than I could have ever imagined. More on our tour later. We stayed for three nights at Hotel Monteleone on Royal St. and had a great time. This hotel is so centrally located to everywhere we wanted to go. Check in was smooth and the Front Desk Personnel were cordial. Our room was tiny and the bathroom was made for only one person at a time but the decor was nice, the bed comfortable and the linens were crisp. We went down to The Carousel Bar for drinks and enjoyed the moving bar but thought the Lounge had a musty, stinky smell to it so decided to have future drinks elsewhere. We explored the Pool Area on the roof and found this to be a quite relaxing place with views of the City and a Pool Bar to accomodate our thirsts. Before dinner we went to The Chateau Sonesta%26#39;s Clock Bar and enjoyed a couple of martinis. Had a coupon for buy one get one free and had to use it. The Bar was quiet and very nice, and the drinks were potent. A good way to relax before our dinner at Irene%26#39;s Cuisine on St. Philip St. Our meal there was wonderful and the service excellent. The restaurant used to not take reservations but do now. Walking back down Bourbon St. towards our Hotel, we decided to go into one of the Strip Clubs and it was typical raunchy. Luckily I had downloaded off the Internet free door passes so all we had to do was pay for our over-priced beer at $7.13 per Corona. We stayed there a short while and went back to The Chateau Sonesta%26#39;s Clock Bar and enjoyed another martini before calling it a night. The next morning we had breakfast at Brennan%26#39;s on Royal St. Outstanding service and good food, even though very expensive. Many of the items on the Prix Fix Menu had an additional surcharge so our breakfast for two ended up around $140. We knew it would be expensive but certainly couldn%26#39;t do it every day. We left Brennan%26#39;s and walked to Harrah%26#39;s for some Video Poker. We have found if you want to drink as much as you gamble that you should find machines at the bars rather than out on the floor. Sitting comfortably at the bar, playing quarter Video Poker and having the bartender taking care of your drinking needs for free as long as you are playing is a great way to spend a few hours. Tips for each round kept the drinks coming. After Harrah%26#39;s we went to Acme Seafood for our raw oysters and Corona%26#39;s and we also ordered their char-grilled oysters which were tasty. The place was crowded and loud but we did not have to wait for a table. In the afternoon we layed by the pool with more drinks and went out to Broussard%26#39;s on Conti for dinner. Another excellent New Orleans restaurant; food and service were great. On Saturday we had booked a Katrina Tour with Tours by Isabelle. It was from 8:30 to around 12:30 and we were picked up at our hotel in an over-sized van. Our group consisted of 11 people and I would recommend this small size tour over the competitor Greyhound bus tour. We had a wonderful guide named Diane and she gave a very thorough tour and narration of the affected areas. We went to where the levees broke, were driven through areas from the rich, middle-class and the poor, to show how things are today. It was very sad but interesting. I am so glad we took this tour. I had seen all that the news media had shown of the destruction but could not believe my eyes. If you go to New Orleans and just go to The French Quarter you would never know anything had happened to New Orleans but it you get out to the surrounding areas you will see that even though some improvements have been made that there is still so much to do. On our tour we saw so many homeless people living in parks, we saw big shopping malls, Walmarts, restaurants, grocery stores, schools, churches and hospitals abandoned, gutted or torn down. Subdivisions of nothing but rumble and maybe one or two houses in the area that decided to re-build. These people are living next door to abandoned properties which could not be saved. On the TV coverage they concentrated so much on the 9th Ward which is still in such sad shape but we saw so many middle-class people struggling to survive with a tiny Fema Trailer in their driveways to live in. I can%26#39;t imagine how they are handling it. Anyhow, these people are still struggling and have to be very strong willed to be able to get through this tragedy. They still need our help. After our tour we went to Central Grocery on Decatur to get Muffalatas, chips and beer and sat out on the river front. Good, as always. From there we went to Pat O%26#39;Briens to get a Hurricane and this time were disappointed in the surly wait staff we experienced and the drink seemed nothing but tooty-fruity, no alcohol taste. We relaxed the rest of the afternoon in our room, and had our last night%26#39;s dinner at Bacco%26#39;s on Chartres St. They were not very busy and we had good service and tasty food. Sunday morning we had breakfast on recommendation of our door man at Mena%26#39;s which is a local diner type cafe around the corner from The Monteleone. Standard breakfast fare, great Bloody Marys and at cheap prices. At check- out from the hotel we rented a car at Budget Rent a Car on Canal St. and drove to Biloxi to check out the area and to stay one night at The Beau Rivage. We took Highway 90 from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi and saw how badly these people were hit by Katrina. Most of everything was just gone. Some homeowners were rebuilding those old, historical homes but not that many. It is going to take a long time before these folks can get back to normal and the businesses can re-build again. The area in Biloxi around the casinos looks fairly good but you can still see a lot of destruction. here and there. The Beau Rivage was as nice as ever and The Hard Rock Hotel next door was beautiful and sophisticated looking. We checked out the Isle of Capri but were not impressed. Our stay was nice at the Beau, had dinner at BR Prime, (one of the most expensive meals we have every had), and had room service for breakfast the next day before we were off on our leisurely drive to the New Orleans Airport to drop off the rental car and fly home. Ate at Acme Seafood in the Airport. The food was good but the rudest service people we have ever met. All in all our trip was so much fun. We were glad we could give some money to an area that truly needed it. Don%26#39;t be timid in deciding to go to The French Quarter. It%26#39;s back, and you will have a great time!
Sherry
Trip Report 9/20-9/24
Thank you for your trip report. It quite an experience to see the devastation and how much more help is needed. Volunteers are needed desparately as it will take a decade to come back.
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