My fiance and I are planning to be married in New Orleans this fall. My parents are saying that they feel it is still too dangerous there. Has anyone heard any recent news stories, or anything about NOLA? I have friends there with small children and they say things seem almost back to normal.

Of course I want to have a happy and relaxed week while there, however I do not want to get there and have a bad time due to locals causing violence or things of that nature. (Personally I do not think anything bad would happen, but my mother seems to think we could possibly get killed going there. lol)

Any information would be much appreciated!!
Thanks
Lynette

Nothing is back to normal in New Orleans. The French Quarter had no real damage, so partying goes on there 24 hrs a day. Nothing has changed there. Most hotels are up and running, so that is not a problem. Most of the time the water is drinkable, electricity and gas are up and running. Public transportation has not returned, but for a few bus routes. Of course, the dome is OK because everyone wants football. The outskirts of the city still look like a war zone, although the city is beginning to bulldoze some of the abandoned buildings/houses. Crime is through the roof. Murders happen daily, but as the PTB say, it is druggies killing druggies, so dont' worry about it. We didn't want those folks around anyway.
If you stay in tourist areas and don't venture out of them, you should be fine.

Is there enough to see and do in the tourist areas to make a honeymoon enjoyable and memorable?

Last time I was actually there, I noticed many places were still closing early or they weren't open as many days as they used to be. That was in addition to not offering as many services or sights as they used to.

My husband was there this weekend but I didn't ask him if things had improved drastically.

Angel Eyes,

Living in a disaster zone area, I want to share an observation...

None of the cities that were hit hard by Katrina will ever go back to what they were. They are changed, therefore perceptions of what is normal has adjusted to that.

Blue roof tarps,travel trailers as homes, large stretches of streets barren or even with debris are things many of us live with and have gotten used to. We are without the stretches of homes and buildings just wiped away but you can't drive a half a mile here without seeing a home under repair, two blue roofs and two travel trailers..I tell people we are pretty much back to normal.

Be sure your friends' idea of normal is on the same page as yours.

I would be more concerned about the weather because I believe that October is close to the hurricane season. Why did you choose New Orleans? Is it too late to make changes?

thanks.
www.thehoneymoonvacationregistry.com

The hurricane season ends Nov 1, so I wouldn't worry much about October. And the weather is usually starting to get passable by October's end. The main thing to think about is if you can handle what New Orleans is now compared to what it used to be and never will be again. There are still plenty of tourist attractions, so don't worry about that. Hotels are back to where they were pretty much. Our main industry is tourism, so we had to get that operating ASAP. Lots of stores didn't make it and closed, but that should not make any difference either. I would carry on with your plans and return to where you are going to live and tell them what you think. Or stay and help with the rebuilding that still needs to be done.

Oh, I forgot. Check nola.com to read the daily paper and also to see what is going on.

Oh, I forgot. Check nola.com to read the daily paper and also to see what is going on.

Shannon Hurst Lane wrote an article for "Romantic Getaways" about New Orleans:BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

Kara -
Thanks for the link. The crime in NOLA is as pondlady stated:Druggies on druggies. It is true in any large city in the US and you can't completely get rid of it. If you watch the news, you will mostly see the horrible happenings. News hardly ever reports the good things going on.

NOLA will be fine for you wedding, barring any major hurricanes this season. St. Louis Cathedral has so many weddings scheduled that there are always brides coming out with smiles and grooms grinning ear to ear. It is still romantic and has retained its charm in the French Quarter.

Your wedding will be beautiful and wonderful. New Orleans had horrible crime before Katrina and was the murder capital of the US before the Hurricanes. It has fallen significantly on the list, so you can tell your parents that. The touristy places that most visitors go to are just fine.