Off to New Orleans

Should you go?

Oh, yes.

Go, because everything in life is fragile and precarious, and we can take nothing for granted, and some day, it really will be all gone. Go, because it's not gone, not at all. Go, because the things you wanted-the beautiful architecture, the majestic oaks, the river wind, the quality of the light that gives even the most mundane just a little big of magic-all remain. Go because people are there, and as long as they are, there will be music, and food, and it will be some of the best of your life. Go, because perhaps you've wanted to help in any way you can, and now the best way you can is to help a historic city regain its economic feet. Go, because every brick in the French Quarter has a story to tell, and so does the damaged ground of the 9th Ward, and you should bear witness. Go because there is so much to celebrate, and this is still the best place there is to do so.

-- Frommer's Portable New Orleans, 7th Edition (Post-Katrina Update)