Amazing...The areas where the oil companies, shrimp boats, and delta folk live and work are back on their feet and moving forward...yes there are signs of hurricane damage, but the overwhelming sense of the place is of one that is hell bent on rebuilding...It like they completely accept that there will be hurricanes and you just need to learn to live with them.

Drive across the city line into New Orleans and suddenly its like you entered a war zone...there is some rebuilding going on, but there are whole neighborhoods that look like they would be best delt with via bull-dozer.

It was seriously like night and day...There was a very obvious distinction between the areas that are "self-reliant" and those area's that are waiting for some sort of hand out. And it was especially obvious when you went past a sign the said "New Orleans City Limits" or "New Orleans Corporate Line".

With that all said however, given the choice of spending a week in Vegas vs. the French Quarter, I'd head for New Orleans...Just don't stray too far from downtown...Most of New Orleans lookes like a 3rd world country.