Love the city (thanks for the tips by the way) being from LA/Orange County in California it is a very nice change of pace. Little bit slower, more relaxed, and obviously very green. Just the whole vibe and attitude of the people in the area really is nice. It's much different than most people out here. Also the food is unique. While I could get gumbo and oysters here in Cali, as JoMaL knows, it just is not the same. The flavoring is just not right. It's like comparing Taco Bell to some authentic street tacos in Mexico.
As for the damage from Katrina, I think they did a great job cleaning up so far. At the same time last time I ventured out to Baton Rogue there was still plenty of clean up going on. A lot of trash, a lot of structural damage. A number of homes had trees still laying on their garages or on their property. When I asked one of the locals why the trees had not been cleared out and structures repaired I was told that they had to wait for someone from the federal government to come out to inspect before they could get their money. The reasoning being is that they had to make sure the damage was done by Katrina and not done by the owner themselves cutting down trees in their property. I was up at LSU conducting training classes for the department of transportation in LA and there was still a large number of clean up crews even north of NO. The hotel I stayed at was pretty much packed with clean up crews. That teamed up with a lot of areas in NO being vacated was a bit sad to see. The poorer areas in New Orleans were pretty much vacated and no one had returned. Just abandoned, messed up housing projects and apartment complexes scattered.
One thing I really didn't understand until I got down to the area is just how big college football and the SEC is. USC is pretty popular in LA but mannn, it doesn't compare to being down in that area. Baton Rogue, on a Friday before a big game, is INSANE!
