Thank you America!

Several great things happened last night. First, just as the bottom of my pot of jambalya was showing, a family member showed up with a new batch. 30 to 40 hungry parade goers can make an ugly crowd.;) Second, our tourists are coming. When I walked to the corner for the first parade I saw unfamiliar faces. It was great!! I talked to people from Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania. Some come often, but several had never been here before. They came to support New Orleans' recovery. I heard last night on the news that we are expecting 400,000 tourists for this Mardi Gras. That's less than half the norm, but still a very good number. Thank you America. Read more Mardi Gras stories.