What’s the same:  Blue skies, palms lazily moving in the breeze, unrelenting heat.
What’s different:    No crowded corners on Bourbon Street.  No live music wafting out of the clubs on Frenchmen Street.  No aroma of lamb at the GreekFest that is not happening.

New Orleans looks a lot different right now, on Memorial Day weekend in 2020.

But there is still beauty right now and hope just around the corner.

It’s actually a great time to be in New Orleans.   The car and foot traffic is low, so it’s a nice stroll and bike ride through every neighborhood in the city, in the Garden District, in Lakeview, down through Mid-City, Treme, Marigny, the French Quarter, the Bywater, and over the West (Best) Bank.  There is a lot to appreciate right now.   There are pop-up sno-ball stands in the Bywater, porch concerts in the Marigny and at the Jazz Museum and wherever your ears lead you.    There are neighborhood restaurants offering fantastic take-out and dine-in options.   Classic old favorite restaurants are coming back, too, little by little.

Parks are open, offering their own classic beauty by strolling through the old oaks and around the peaceful lakes.

It’s a good time to try New Orleans for a visit, for the first time, or for the tenth.   It’s a good time to be able to look down streets in the French Quarter or St. Charles Avenue and appreciate the history and the architecture.

Come on over.  Put on your fun face mask.  Enjoy New Orleans.  We’re here for you.