Good publicity needed desperatley

Just returned yesterday from 15 nights in the US. Six of them being in New Orleans (wil do a post when I get over my jet lag- we also drove 1,600 miles) Anyway I cannot believe how little the rest of the USA knows about the condition N.O. is in. We were is Alabama and several people were asking if it was ok to visit and thats only a 3-4 hour drive away. We also spent time in St. Augustine (north east Florida ) Most peeple we spoke to think it is destroyed - anyway my point being, if people who live not far away think it is still devastated probably most of the rest of the US do. Its about time it got some GOOD coverage on National TV. People need to know its alive and kicking and SAFE

Good publicity needed desperatley

The #1 rule of news producers; Bad news gets better ratings. Good news is boring.

Good publicity needed desperatley

people can be so ignorant. Do they honestly think people would still live there if it really is as bad as people think it is?

On another note, how did you like St Augustine? My high school bf went to Embry Riddle in Daytona and we went to St Augustine one weekend and I thought it was so beautiful. Definitely on my list as one of the most beautiful cities I%26#39;ve been to (behind NO and Savannah, respectively).

The local convention and tourism folks are spending lots of money on advertising but it will take years to undo the imagery of Katrina, I%26#39;m afraid. The best thing New Orleans has going for her are folks like you, paulinen, who%26#39;ve actually BEEN here and can attest to anyone who%26#39;ll listen that the city is ALIVE and kicking!

:-) Thanks!

paulinen, you are so right! Please realize that by driving 1600 miles and travelling to several different cities, you have seen more of this country than perhaps many of our fellow Americans. What a shame.

The country is suffering from ';Katrina fatigue';...we are yesterday%26#39;s news, the media can only show so much shocking footage and follow-up with a few heart-warming stories about the recovery, and then people start changing the channels to see the latest about Paris, Lindsey, or Britney.

The upside to all of this is that living here allows us the opportunity to participate in the day-to-day rebuilding of our homes, schools, and businesses. It is an emotional rollercoaster, often frustrating, but also rewarding. I have to believe that my kids, despite seeing the homes of their family and friends destroyed, are learning life lessons that only this experience could teach them. They have learned about living upstairs while the bottom floor of their home is being repaired (they actually complained about returning downstairs when we had a working kitchen...it was nice rolling out of bed, grabbing breakfast and watching TV all in a space of ten steps!), they have attended schools other than their own, and welcomed students from other schools when their own reopened. They realize that ';stuff'; can be replaced, but people cannot. They sense that they are part of an historic undertaking, but will not fully comprehend it until they are older.

However, this is a ';travel forum'; so my ultimate response is that YES, New Orleans is a great place to visit! The food and attractions are open, as good or better than before, and it is safe!

I have been to New Orleans twice since Katrina and will be coming again in December. Most of my acquaintances can%26#39;t imagine why as they think New Orleans was destroyed. I agree 100 percent, what New Orleans needs is good tv coverage, not internet coverage. Internet coverage is great for people who are searching for the information but people who think that New Orleans is destroyed are not going to be searching out info on the net about a place that they believe is destroyed. New Orleans needs a major television advertising campaign, commercials that come right into our living rooms every night, like the Geico commercials, or the Verizon commericals, etc...showing Bourbon Street alive and kicking, and the Garden District in all its beauty, etc. Television commercials can reach millions of people who are not actively searching for information and it might plant an idea in their mind that wow, maybe New Orleans is still a great place to visit.

It is a sad thing when people just a few hours from New Orleans don%26#39;t know that New Orleans is ready for visitors, as one poster mentioned. I had a similar thing happen on my last visit. I was waiting in the lobby of the Royal Sonesta Hotel while my husband went to get our car and I struck up a conversation with a woman who was waiting while her husband registered for their room. She looked kind of dazed, she said she was so surprised, her husband was sent to New Orleans on business, and she hadn%26#39;t realized that New Orleans was %26#39;open%26#39;. She was amazed to see hotels, shops, restaurants, etc, open. This woman was from Lafayetta, Louisiana, just a few hours away. If fellow Louisianians don%26#39;t know that New Orleans is recovering, how can the rest of the world be expected to know?

Recently I read that Mayor Nagin turned down $25 million grant from the government saying that New Orleans didn%26#39;t need it (I don%26#39;t remember the specifics). In my opinion, that $25 million could have gone a long way in developing a television campaign encouraging people to come and visit this beautiful city that so desperately needs tourists.

For those of us who ALREADY know and love New Orleans, we will make the effort to visit post-Katrina, but for those who have never been there and haven%26#39;t already fallen in love with this wonderful place, without some incentive to get them to visit, they think it is a city %26#39;gone with the wind%26#39;.

Tanya,

I think St. Augustine is a beautiful city we had a great time. I also have been to Savannah %26amp; Charleston, but I am sure you will agree as lovely as they are New Orleans is something very special and you cannot explaint to people, they have to go to understand.

Does anyone have any pictures they can post? We will be down there in July (13th) and we will post our pictures, along with a report.

www.tripadvisor.com/MemberProfile…

Look under contributions and then photos. I have posted some photos.

good pictures, you learn something new every day. I did not know you could do that. Thanks