In a few minutes I will be off to New Orleans for a "hotel lottery." I've done this twice before, once in Miami, and once in Boston. The last time I was in New Orleans was just a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina. I remember clearly that my hotel in NO cost $249/night back then. This week I'm pay $70/night, including taxes. Life is definitely still not the same in the Big Easy. We will be the guests of the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and be given a tour of all the hotels and special events spaces available to our group when we return there in the fall. I'm curious to see how "real" this tour will be. Will we see any of the damaged areas? Or will we be kept to the cleaned up and revitalized areas? I noticed our assigned hotel isn't on Bourbon St, but instead off of Tchoupitoulas, over in the Warehouse District. Makes me wonder if they have something to hide?
Granted, we all know the damage is there. But a city trying to bring in big dollars in a convention may want us to see the shiny happy areas, and less of the continuing damage. Either way, I'm curious to see how this all goes. And no matter what, but 6 pm tonight I will have endulged in the most important of all activities in New Orleans- a big fat bowl of red beans and rice- Cajun style. Oh yeah baby! If there is one thing I truly loved about the Big Easy it was the food. (While there before I got compliments and kudos from restaurant staff for my ability to eat their Cajun goodness without breaking a sweat. All that time spent in Mississippi and Houston has done me well.)
And on that happy thought, I am off!
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