Thank You New Orleans (Jackson, Many: best city, sales, 2009)

[Woodlands]

I had the pleasure of attending the Essense Music Festival in NO over the fourth of July weekend and continue to be impressed with how the City recieves this event and visitors into the City. Though I did not have the opportunity to venture outside of the French Quarter to some of the residential districts.. the downtown seemed to be moving forward in terms of revitalization and development. Had a great time.. Mother's was excellent.... lost money at Harrahs... hope to come back in 2009.

[Lioncourt]

Sorry for digging up an old thread.. but one of my best new orleans memories was getting swarmed by 5 security guards for trying to go into harrah's with my parents, I was only 12 though. I never did get to see that damn pirate ship.

[imaterry78259]

I was really impressed with NOLA

[Woodlands]

Just returned from Nawlins and another 4th of July/ Essence Weekend. Again the City showed true hospitality and I hope to continue to support the local economy in the area.

Visited a friend whose family lived in I guess what is considered the "upper" 9th Ward... and looked at some of the neighborhoods. Many of his family members shared various opinions about the rebuilding efforts. One example I thought was interesting was a hospital that was in this area, that was not going to reopen...in part because the large shift in population from the area...now apparently the response time for ambulances in this are has greatly increased since the nearest hospital was downtown or somewhere in that vicinity. THere were still many homes and stores boarded up and vacant..so though I imagine things are moving, though maybe slower than some would like... I hope the City continues to make progress and that my few hundred dollars in sales and accomodation taxes along with others provides a little towards that effort. I did hear while I was down there on the news that NO was the fastest growing "big" city in America?

[imaterry78259]

NOLA the best city in the South based on my travels

[NOEM1226]

I also owe NOLA a big thanks. I got married in Jackson Square in March 2009. The general public, resturaunt owners, bartenders, hotel staff, cab driver, carriage drivers, and even the courthouse staff (despite being overwhelmed) could not have been more gracious and welcoming. They made our wedding/ honeymoon more wonderful than I could have eve pictured it.

I know there are dark sides of NOLA- the crime, poverty, and the fact that parts of the city are dirty and ran down. But all of the things leave me even more MORE impressed that despite the city's challanges- there are some great souls there!

[jacq63]

Y'all are making me jealous, but I'm glad you love NOLA. Every city has it's dark side, and NOLA doesn't do too badly, all things considered.
Only a few months until I'm back there too!

[jacksonian]

Originally Posted by NOEM1226

I also owe NOLA a big thanks. I got married in Jackson Square in March 2009. The general public, resturaunt owners, bartenders, hotel staff, cab driver, carriage drivers, and even the courthouse staff (despite being overwhelmed) could not have been more gracious and welcoming. They made our wedding/ honeymoon more wonderful than I could have eve pictured it.

I know there are dark sides of NOLA- the crime, poverty, and the fact that parts of the city are dirty and ran down. But all of the things leave me even more MORE impressed that despite the city's challanges- there are some great souls there!

I proposed to my wife at the Steamer monument overlooking Jackson Square and the Mississippi River. We also spent a day there on our honeymoon before flying to the the Bahamas. NOLA - truly a remarkable place.

[EricStacey]

I agree with so much of what is written in this thread. I'm originally from the east coast but went to Tulane in the early 1990s and everwhere I went after graduation always felt 2nd best in comparison. My husband and I just returned from a week of vacation in New Olreans (last week in June) and I have never felt such a pull to a city in my entire life. I practically cried while running around Audubon Park every day. I mean, the water in the water fountains even tastes better and doesn't even smell compared to the way it did in the 1990s. When did this happen? The po'boys on Magazine, the beautiful homes in the Garden District and on the Avenue, the energy of the French Quarter, running through the M.Triange in the mornings, watching the hubby play golf at TPC Louisiana and at Audubon and not freezing his ass off (we live in the miserable, frozen midwest now)... To anyone who lives in NOLA and is reading this right now -- I truly envy you. I truly do. We have lived in 6 of the 15 largest cities in the U.S. but I just wish I could land a job in NOLA. The closest I can get is BR. Yes, NOLA is truly a remarkable place.