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Such a darned shame. When I was young--read: many moons ago--New Orleans was a favorite destination: it's close enough to Houston to make a weekend of it; decades ago Jackson Square was well-maintained, and an early morning beignet at Cafe Du Monde was a must-do; an evening in the French Quarter to listen to jazz was also a must-do; and it was one of my favorite restaurant cities, with inestimable places like the original Brennan's, Commander's Palace, Antoine's, Arnaud's, and K-Paul's.

I attended a business conference in N.O. a year after Katrina and decided that the former luster of the French Quarter was likely gone forever. No longer a travel destination for me. Sigh.