February 17, 2006
We went to New Orleans again today. We want to see how things are in the Big Easy these days during the week. When we were there last on the weekend it we found it quite busy with people and open businesses. We also found out later on that there was a Mardi Gras parade the evening we were there which would explain some of the business we saw. Today we went first to the River Walk Shopping Center. Many businesses were completely closed, some were open only weekends and there were very few people. We walked over to the French Quarter and French Outdoor Market. Again, there were very few people and not nearly the activity that we saw there last year. It is going to take tourists coming to the Big Easy to bring New Orleans back. Come on down when you get a chance. There are 2 cruise ships docked at the River Walk. Policemen and firemen plus some workers live on board. However it is getting close to the season for cruise ships to bring in tourists so those now living aboard must find other arrangements for places to live. This will begin to bring some income into the city. For now they are just hanging on and very hopeful. Many of the residence have not returned yet so there are not enough people to fill the positions. This is why many businesses have not opened. Our niece who lives there says more businesses are opening every day and things are getting back to normal in some areas.