Hey ya'll, thanks for your concerns and thoughts. I'm from New Orleans, recently moved to Baton Rouge, and it is a great thought to see that the cafe has opened. You know, that place had been open for over 150 years, and it was the first time it had been closed for that long.
The city is decimated. Over 50,000 homes must be destroyed because of water damage and mold, and we more than likely will lose the Saints and the Hornets to San Antonio and Oklahoma City (respectively). It will be hard to get the city back the way it was, because there is so much garbage, and filth. They say that anywhere from 100 to 400 thousand people will not return to New Orleans, and as of recently, the state of Louisiana has reported over 460,000 new cases of unemployment in a state that had only 9 million people.
Luckily, I have a good computer with me where I am, so I can happily play FFXI to bide my time.
Oh, and by the way, if you are able to get back to NOLA (as we like to call it), check out Mother's and Commander's Palace on Tchopitoulas (in the CBD, or Central Business District).