spkmyer

My wife and I are trying to decide on wether to go to Key West or New Orleans for a small vacation. We are looking for a party atmosphere, I hear the Keys are great and I have been to Bourbon Street before the storm. I am just unsure how the night life is doing in New Orleans since the storm. New Orleans offers cheaper hotels so we could take a longer vacation, were with the prices in the Keys we could only stary a couple of days. Any opinions? Ideas?

Sender

New Orleans by all means. Much better night life and Bourbon St. is back in full party mode. No worries mate!!

Barry6289

South Louisiana and Florida are BOTH very hot & humid in summer, but August is tourism low season in New Orleans and that is why the hotels cost less. NOLA is a fairly big city with lots to do, including many indoor attractions (museums, aquaium,etc.), but it is not on the ocean so FL would be better ifyou want a beach.New Orleans is one of the world's special places with an ambience unique in North America, and remains so even after Katrina devastated it in 2005.Katrina flooded about 80% of New Orleans with salt water, and the water stayed for almost a month. Much of the city is still struggling to recover and all you have to do to see devastation is drive around. It will take years for NOLA to fully recover from Katrina.However, the parts of the city that tourists usually visit were not flooded. It's not a coincidence - the French Quarter and other old parts of the city were built on relatively high ground and only suffered wind damage from Katrina. Almost all of the damage has been repaired and you have to look closely in the FQ and city center to see that Katrina happened at all. Note that the City of New Orleans is only part of the greater New Orleans area. The GNO area had a population of about 1,400,000 before Katrina and is estimated at about 1,200,000 now (July, 2007). The absent 200,000 are mostly from the City of New Orleans and the parishes of Plaquemines and Saint Bernard, which were the worst-flooded parts of the metro area. Jefferson Parish - just to the west of the City - suffered only minor flooding and has fully recovered. You can drink the water, the electricity & phones work, and services like the post office, hospitals, schools, police/fire/EMS, and stores & shopping centers are operating. Municipal services like street cleaning & trash collection collapsed after Katrina. Those services were fully restored in late 2006 and it is no longer an issue.IYou don't need a car to get around in the French Quarter, Central Business District, or Warehouse District. Also, the parking regulations are Byzantine and there are lots of Parking Control Agents. If you drive or rent a car, leave it in a lot or garage unless you are traveling away from downtown. The regional transit authority (www.norta.com) sells 1 and 3 day passes that offer unlimited use of buses and streetcars for the day(s) you select. There are also lots of taxicabs.Regarding crime, use the same common sense necessary in every major city in the world and there is little chance you will be a victim of anything except a need to visit the gym: Pay attention to your surroundings. Stay away from anywhere dark & deserted. Pay attention to your feelings - if anyone or anywhere gives you a bad feeling, leave the area. Don't leave something like a camera-bag or backpack unattended on a park bench while you wander off to take photos. Etc.You should visit and see for yourself!