There seems to be a misconception about this trip among people back in Tampa.
My editors seem to think the trip would digress into drunken revelry the moment we hit New Orleans.
I got the sense last night they were surprised we could speak cogently on the phone, or that our stories and images would be at all usable.
My editor last night singed off our phone conversation by saying, “Don’t have too much fun.”
She seemed stunned when I said we’d been working too hard and too many hours to literally have more than a couple beers.
That said, is it my fault that most of the only hotels and restaurants that are fully functional are glitzy French Quarter landmarks?
I think not.
Our money people should just be darn glad rooms are going much less than they did before the storm. Beer, of course, is about the same price.
To be sure, the French Quarter is running at less than a quarter of the mojo it had before the storm. Normally late-night restaurants that should be overflowing with people are empty at 8 p.m. and often close early. Last night we were turned away from a Creole cafe I enjoyed a few years ago, the owner or explaining they are running with a tiny percent of the usual staff. He invited us back for breakfast.
Most stores remain closed, though it appears those shirt shops you find everywhere from New Orleans to Key west were among the first to reopen.
If a quarter of the French Quarter is sputtering back to life, the rest of New Orleans is running at a tiny fraction of that.

Video from New Orleans

The city warrants much more exploration, which photographer Kathy Moore and I will do in coming days.
But first we are off to spend the morning at Arnaud’s, perhaps the most storied restaurant in New Orleans.