I am absolutely in LOVE with New Orleans. I always had heard about it, and knew that if I were to ever visit there I would fall in love. Boy did I ever. It is MY city. I need to move there right now!
I think this really surprised my mom and dad. In many ways. Firstly, we were there for the surgery. I didn't really get to sight-see and surgeries are always full of anxiety, so even if I did sight-see, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it. Also, all of the post-Katrina scars are still very visible and very real. Most people would want to shy away from this. Understandably so. But there was so much character in the city and in the people, that I don't think a hundred hurricanes would have destroyed their charm. Even though we were out-of-towners, everyone treated us as though we were lifetime buddies. And of course, compared to the Milwaukee Tundra, the weather was especially enjoyable. Oh yea, and the surgery was (actually!) a success! A grand trip indeed.
Here's my dad's take.