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Will Tourists Return to New Orleans? (Without them, city businesses face bleak future)
Washington Post ^ | 10/11/2005 | Ben White and Keith L. Alexander

Posted on 10/11/2005 6:21:27 AM PDT by drt1

NEW ORLEANS - On Bourbon Street, Red Cross workers are taking a break with a night out. There are firefighters, police officers, National Guard troops, construction workers and contractors of every stripe. But there aren't any tourists or conventioneers, the twin engines that make this city, home to just one Fortune 500 company, economically viable.

And many of the Hurricane Katrina rescue and relief workers are heading home. Bars and restaurants that were full a week ago are often close to empty. This is making local business owners wonder whether early stirrings of life in the French Quarter were real -- or a heartbreaking mirage.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: corruption; katrina; nola; tourism
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To: jeffers
An accurate and well written synopsis of the situation.

IMO rebuilding this pre-Katrina sewer behind even higher levees only prolongs the folly of ever having built there in the first place. The reinforced levees will be again ignored for the sake of other more glamorous and corrupt expenditures and the floods will come again. I say let all residential land that is below sea level go back to that state and only permit future building out of the flood plain. There is plenty of land not so far out and not so costly and risky to inhabit.

21 posted on 10/11/2005 9:01:06 AM PDT by drt1
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To: drt1

You have brought up a good point. Perhaps a land swap by the state whereby they take the submersible land and give high ground on an acre for acre basis would work.


22 posted on 10/11/2005 11:00:49 AM PDT by sgtbono2002
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To: sgtbono2002

Yeah. In fact there are millions of acres that the Gov't occupies that are suitable and in the area not to mention fallow farmland and the like yet these idiots persist in rebuilding this historical accident in the name of 'Cultural Treasure'? This is no treasure as the escapades of Katrina have exposed for all to see.


23 posted on 10/11/2005 11:06:54 AM PDT by drt1
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To: drt1

Will Tourists Return to New Orleans?

---Probably a few every now and then.

Will I ever visit again?

---No. But I wasn't impressed the first time.


24 posted on 10/11/2005 12:37:51 PM PDT by WasDougsLamb (Just my opinion.Go easy on me........)
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To: drt1
I have been to most of the states in the USA and over 50 countries around the world.

I ALWAYS wanted to visit New Orleans.
Not anymore.

I still want to visit India though.

25 posted on 10/11/2005 12:41:35 PM PDT by Bon mots
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To: highball
I also have always loved the music (and the food) in New Orleans, have friends who live there and in the surrounding areas, and will go back someday. Have you heard any news about how Preservation Hall came through the storm and flooding? Not to joke, but if the building wasn't leveled and considering the condition of the place before Katrina, how bad can it be?
26 posted on 10/11/2005 12:46:12 PM PDT by katana
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To: katana

Sad but true.

The French Quarter was largely untouched - Preservation Hall reportedly suffered very little damage. But maybe some of that rebuilding money can go into PH anyway....


27 posted on 10/11/2005 1:01:53 PM PDT by highball ("I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." -- Thomas Jefferson)
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To: drt1

More a cultural trash heap than a treasure.


28 posted on 10/11/2005 1:15:29 PM PDT by sgtbono2002
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To: highball

People mostly went to see the French Quarter anyway which didn't flood at all. The restaurants, the architecture, the music are all good. I'd heard recently (pre-Katrina) it had started getting seedy. It's possible it could be built back better.

Whoever owns the large buildings and hotels downtown are not going to walk away from them. It will probably come back slowly and maybe not as big, like Galveston did after the 1900 hurricane.

Or, maybe I'm too much of an optimist.


29 posted on 10/11/2005 1:15:43 PM PDT by TX Bluebonnet
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To: Roux

Oh no Roux, I wouldn't do that. Lord knows I've dealt with many a LA hunter, fisherman and shrimper and have been treated great by those hearty souls over the many years I enforced game, fish and commercial fishing laws since we have quite a large number of LA folks hunting, fishing, shrimping in TX.

I'm weary of the attitudes primarily of the N.O. folks, disgusting. And my heart goes out to MS and AL because they seem totally forgotten, which I know they are not in the real sense by the real folks.


30 posted on 10/11/2005 6:41:14 PM PDT by brushcop (We lift up our military serving in harm's way and pray for total victory and a safe return.)
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To: drt1

Make it into an All American amusement park with looter rides, sniper rides, etc.


31 posted on 10/11/2005 6:46:13 PM PDT by Revolting cat! ("In the end, nothing explains anything!")
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To: drt1

Our local radio talk show hosts daughter just returned from NO. She went to rescue lost pets at the expense of a private donor who rented a private jet for that purpose. She was on her dad's show today and said that NO is "gone dad, it is no more." She said hearing about it on the news didn't prepare her for the fact that it is just destroyed.


32 posted on 10/11/2005 6:47:22 PM PDT by ladyinred (It is all my fault okay?)
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To: Bon mots
I still want to visit India though.

Try Silicon Valley! And Pakistan right across the Bay in Fremont (I think it is.)

33 posted on 10/11/2005 6:48:22 PM PDT by Revolting cat! ("In the end, nothing explains anything!")
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To: brushcop

" I've had it with those whiners and miscreants. MS and AL are STILL virtually off the screen, my money and support goes to THOSE folks"

We live in the SA area and agree 100%~~ !! They have been bumped ahead of locals who are in need of housing, medical assistance, jobs.... you name it. And they're still crying and carrying on that not enough has been done.

I've just complete 2 quilts...(not a grand contribution, but one of a lot of time and caring)...and they will be sent to MS for those folks.

NO proves that the squeeking wheel gets the oil!

Nana


34 posted on 10/11/2005 6:51:21 PM PDT by Texas Termite (Please pray for Texas Cowboy & Simcha7)
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To: drt1

I've spent a little time in NOLA. Liked the place and hope the best for it.


35 posted on 10/11/2005 6:58:42 PM PDT by Sam Cree (absolute reality)
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To: drt1

That video of the old man getting beaten to a bloody pulp by the NO cops certainly doesn't promote the idea of going to that hellhole for a vacation.


36 posted on 10/11/2005 7:00:44 PM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: drt1

No. Don't think so. I spent three years stationed at the Customhouse on Canal Street back in the '70s. From what I hear and read politicians and law enforcement has not changed.


37 posted on 10/11/2005 7:03:40 PM PDT by Luke (CPO, USCG (Ret))
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To: highball

At one time NOLA was ny favorite city in the U.S. That was before the degenerates took over the Quarter and the crime rate went off the charts.
Hopefully, it can get back to that state of affairs but I doubt it. It's really sad - it was a great place.


38 posted on 10/11/2005 7:14:21 PM PDT by BnBlFlag (Deo Vindice/Semper Fidelis)
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To: michaelbfree

ditto...i live fairly close to NO....no desire to ever go back and spend a dime in that city...i'm done with it.


39 posted on 10/11/2005 7:17:32 PM PDT by chasio649 (No Bushbot here..)
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To: drt1
Will Tourists Return to New Orleans?

Ah right...I'm making my travel plans now...Can't wait.

40 posted on 10/11/2005 7:19:53 PM PDT by Black Tooth (The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.)
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