No surrender

Made it back safe and sound. FYI for anyone going, Fiorella's for fried chicken - real hole in the wall - but best I've had anywhere. Muffeletta at Central Grocery - touristy - but if ya haven't eaten one - ya gotta try it. Awesome really. Take the ferry across the Mississippi to Algiers (free and gives a really nice view of the city and a chance to ride on the river - and have a drink at the Dry Dock bar. Feels like you went back a century or so. Any meal at Palace Cafe. We had Sunday brunch. Tremedous food at reasonable prices. Had dinner at Commander's Palace. A bit more pricey - but the food and service were also tremendous. Just choosing what to eat from the menu was a welcome challenge. Also ate at Bayona. Food was good, but a little too small and pretty for my tastes and budget. Dropped a few bucks at Harrah's. A huge casino by any standard - but no challenge to anything in Vegas as far as feel and gaming. Did the Bourbon St. thing - Jazz at Filedehs and Donna's was great. Late night at a dive called Tropical Isle for a sing along type band was fun. Ate a lot of oysters and went to a crawfish and shrimp boil one evening. Took the streetcar through the garden district and experienced a really cool thunder and lightning show with local flooding for about an hour. All and all a great experience. Caffe du Mond was also fun. Saw Tujagues but opted for the fried chicken instead. Next time! I can see the security concerns voiced above, and appreciated the advance warning. Took a cautious approach and I can see the need to be careful. Considered the tours but just couldn't get there. The people of New Orleans are overall very kind to tourists and happy to engage in conversation. I met a lot of interesting and nice folks each day - each person eager to talk, listen and help. Four nights was just about the right length of time.