I live 70 miles North of New Orleans in Baton Rouge. It looks like you picked the best time to come down. Everyone should come for Mardi Gras at least once in their life. But the best time is in March and April when the flowers are out and it isn't 95 degrees and 85 percent humidity.New Orleans has to be one of the worse locations for a major city in the world. It is right at sea level. Because of the levee system, it literally sits in a bowl. The buildings in New Orleans float on mud. Even the tombs are above ground and many of them were filled by the yellow fever.
One little tidbit most folks don't know is that the French Quarter isn't French. Those building burned down long ago. You actually found one of the few that didn't. Most of them are from the 40 years Spain owned Louisiana. Where the French were horrible administrators, the Spanish created order from chaos. The culture was French (and a lot of ways still is), but the church, economy, and a working (but woefully corrupt)government were created by Spain.
Eve, I hope you enjoyed your time in South Louisiana and will come often. I love to check on your website every year or so just to see what exciting things you have been doing.
Robert Bailey
-- (September 18, 2003) on New Orleans