Little had changed on Canal Street.  We found the same liquor stores, camera and tee shirt shops.  When we looked at some of the tee shirts for sale, we realized the citizens of the Big Easy had not lost their sense of humor.  One shirt had a picture of Mayor Nagin that said, "Willy Nagin and the Chocolate City," an irreverent reference to the Mayor's verbal faux pas.  Another said, "FEMA - Fix Everything My Ass!".  My favorite was, "FEMA Evacuation Plan, Run motherfucker run!!"

We soon found that Bourbon Street was up and running, and we were far from the only tourists.  Hungry, we stopped for lunch at the Desire Oyster Bar.  My gumbo and bread pudding were delicious and I helped Marilyn eat a dozen raw oysters (also outstanding).  By the time I had finished my second Abita, I was starting to feel better about the venerable old city.

The Quarter teemed with tourists, and every restaurant and shop seemed open.  As I remembered things before Hurricane Katrina, artists, musicians and mimes abounded in Jackson Square.  We decided to take a buggy ride through the Quarter.  http://www.ericwilder.com  http://energyissues.blogharbor.com