Emeril's is opening today!

[cajunmommy]

Heard on the radio this am. Looks like NOLA should be open on Tuesday, Dec 13th. Step by step it's getting better!

 

[agnes!]

Good Morning America(ABC-TV) had an extensive segment on the re-opening this morning. Emeril was in the foreground of the video shot and many of the returning employees and their families were clustered around him. He said that (I think) about 100 Emeril's employees were coming back to work & normally he has around 400.
They also mentioned Robin Roberts & the auction that GMA is having for Pass Christien, Roberts' hometown. (There was some really neat stuff on the auction...hmmm, do I have an extra $10,000 for that autographed Carlos Santana guitar?...)

agnes!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Cool

 

[Planogirl]

That's super! I promise, if I can ever get my act together we're going to New Orleans. I want to be there.

 

[Zurealsoon]

Good news



However today the Baton Rouge paper reported that the 3 month grace period has ended & evacuees now have to start paying their mortgages, most on homes that are uninhabitable, some lenders are demanding the back 3 months in a lump sum! Many of these people are residing in motels or trailers & are unemployed-how in the world will they keep their homes?

In Mississippi all the 14,000 Casino workers were recieving paychecks and health insurance...that ended at the end of November.


So while the re-opening of an expensive restaurant seems like good news...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Does any bit of good news need to be blasphemed with the overwhelming amount of bad?

Or should the employees of that restaurant join the crowds of the rest of them who are still unemployed?

I don't get it. Anything that opens is good b/c then it is less people stressing the system.

Any baby step is still a step forward.

 

[Zurealsoon]

I'm more impressed with Harry Connick teaming up with Habitat to get homeless jazz muscicians a home to live in, or the ExPresidents aide to La& MS to rebuild.

Sorry, but Emiril's NOLA (a small expensive eatery)reopening is a mere spec in the rebuilding of New Orleans-he got the press because he's got a TV show.

 

[cajunmommy]

Yes, Emeril's may be a "small expensive eatery", but I see it as one of the building blocks that's helping New Orleans come back.

Not only is that "spec" going to directly benefit restaurant employees & their families, it's going to provide business for several restaurant support services. That, I happen to know, is a substantial industry in the city.

Sounds like there's some issues with Emeril & his celebrity. I'm thinking it's a good thing he's using his fame for good. He's helped raise over a million $ in fund-raising efforts in Vegas & New York, and he's redirecting funds from his children's charity to relief efforts.

I realize housing is going to be an issue for a long time. I just wanted to relate one bright spot in what's hopefully going to be a string of many more.

BTW, Ruth's Chris on Vets is opening as well! Guess I shouldn't give them credit since they pulled operations to Orlando. But you know what, the restaurant industry is big $$$$ for the NO region. They all need to be give credit.

Heard Emeril on local radio repeating a similar plea from Guiliani's 9/11 recovery efforts.....Want to help us? Buy a plane ticket, come visit, eat some beignets, dine at your favorite restaurant, do some shopping on Magazine or Royal, hail a cab, etc. They may not be grandiose gestures, but every little bit helps.

 

[mill4023]

I'm more impressed with Harry Connick teaming up with Habitat to get homeless jazz muscicians a home to live in, or the ExPresidents aide to La& MS to rebuild.

Sorry, but Emiril's NOLA (a small expensive eatery)reopening is a mere spec in the rebuilding of New Orleans-he got the press because he's got a TV show.

So start a thread about Harry Connick's efforts.

I'm not sure why you have to be negative about something that, however big or small, is clearly a good thing.

 

[Zurealsoon]

Want to help us? Buy a plane ticket, come visit, eat some beignets, dine at your favorite restaurant, do some shopping on Magazine or Royal, hail a cab, etc. They may not be grandiose gestures, but every little bit helps.

I live in La and every year DH & I go do a day trip in the Quarter....walk through the Monteleone to see that magnificent place decked out, each lunch somewhere grand. But frankly, I can't even imagine doing that now.I'm not trying to be negaTIVE- Are there really Hotels open for tourism? Nothing I see in the Baton Rouge paper indicates that Downtown is open for tourism.

 

[Alison Wonderland]

Yes, it is open for tourism.

 

[cajunmommy]

Do you read The Advocate? Do you listen to local radio? I know there's always been an uneven competition between Baton Rouge and NO, but you don't have to look very far to see signs of NO opening for business.

There have been ads in the Sunday "Magazine" section of The Advocate for hotels, articles about the Audubon Zoo, D-Day Museum and restaurants re-opening. Even the two local "news" stations are reporting positive happenings. Friends of ours stayed overnight in the Quarter just this past Friday after a Christmas party.

Rather than depending on biased Baton Rouge sources, here's a website from the NO Visitors & Convention bureau that should help (http://www.neworleansinfo.com. It's supposed to be updated regularly with news of tourist-related openings.

BTW, I heard some official on the radio stating now was the time for locals to go back to the Quarter to visit the restaurants/venues they loved, but had stayed away from because of parking issues. The tourist crowds are down, so it's easier to manuever through those areas.

 

[Zurealsoon]

Do you read The Advocate? .

Yep, sure do...did you see it today? Cover story About the abundance of homeless street people populating Baton Rouge that used to be in NO.

 

[arminnie]

Yes, it is open for tourism.

I brought my 84 year old father and 13 year old dog to New Orleans on Sunday. My dad had not been here in about 3-4 years.

Sunday night we ate at Cannon's on St. Charles. We had about a 5 minute wait. Last night we ate at ByBlos on Magazine with a reservation.

Today we are going to Cafe Du Monde and the D-Day Museum. My dog is at the groomers. I had my nails done yesterday.

I know this is way more information than anyone probably wants, but I am trying to show that it is possible to go on with life almost as usual in parts of the city.

I am not minimizing the horrendous damage to so much of the city, but from St. Charles to the river things are really progressing. The Walgreen's on Tchoup is now open until midnight.

 

[lulu71]

Are there really Hotels open for tourism? Nothing I see in the Baton Rouge paper indicates that Downtown is open for tourism.

Yes! DH and I played tourist in our own town and stayed at the Monteleone and had dinner at Restaurant August for our anniversary. And that was almost 2 months ago. You should come down!

 

[Planogirl]

I'm not trying to be negaTIVE- Are there really Hotels open for tourism? Nothing I see in the Baton Rouge paper indicates that Downtown is open for tourism.

Check Expedia if you get a chance. You'll see that there are hotels open and besides these, there are many trying to get back on their feet ASAP. The New Orleans economy depends so much on businesses such as NOLA and Emeril's so all of these steps deserve to be celebrated IMO and will hopefully help lure tourists. Check it out for next week, six pages of hotels employing plenty of people while either the hotel is open or is being reburbished in most cases: http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dl...=12/25/2005&cadu1=2&crom=1&&zz=1134679943140&

By the way, Delmonico's opened too. That's a lot of employees who have their jobs back even though I understand that the staff was much reduced. Like Emeril or not (I do!), he got his restaurants in working order quickly.

 

[arminnie]

Not only are there hotels that are open, you might get a fabulous rate as they are really trying to get tourists back. Windsor Court which is a 5 star top of the line hotel is offering rates about half of their regular best rate.

 

[Planogirl]

Did you notice the Royal Sonesta for $129? This is of course a slow period anyway but I love the location of the Sonesta!