N'awlins, part one

First off, y'all, if you are wanting a vacation this year . . . seriously consider New Orleans. They miss you.

This was possibly the 12th or 13th trip I've made to New Orleans. If not for the t-shirts in the shops, the less seasoned visitor would never know there had been untold devastation - at least in the French Quarter. There are some businesses that have gone under. There have been cut backs in staff . . . but, for the most part it's much the same.

It seemed to us that people all over the tourist areas were truly grateful to host tourists again. On more than one occasion people took the time to pause and thank us for coming back. By the end of our week, we knew the names and stories of wait staff at our favorite places. Our last night, at least four of the wait staff at Pat OBrien's stopped by our tables to wish us well on our trip home and express thanks for our coming.

It is almost as if more than their livelihoods depend on tourists . . . it as if hosting people in their home is what makes them live.

If you can't visit, how about buying something from this web site . . . your purchases will support rebuilding the city. (And, the charities they support are good ones, like Habitat for Humanity) And, frankly, the country would be much worse off if New Orleans or the gulf coast doesn't recover.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about the way I caused more than one waiter stop and take a deep breath before continuing on.