Lovely, lovely French Quarter in New Orleans--where walking down the street is like taking a trip through the looking glass. One of the very few neighborhoods in New Orleans built above sea level--which was either a stroke of blind good luck or really, really good planning--the Quarter survived Hurricane Katrina relatively unscathed. Aside from a few closed businesses here and there, it's as gorgeous as it always was.

Everyone wants to know what the city looks like; as for the Quarter, it's great. The tourist crowds are smaller than normal, but people are definitely returning--and you can get fantastic deals on hotels, tables at the best restaurants, all that good stuff. A few tips:

• Don't bother with anything on Canal Street, which is a wasteland of post-flooding garbage and vacant lots. Fret not, there are lots of hotels in the French Quarter, both chains and independent bed-and-breadfast places.

• Ask for a room away from the street, since the buildings are right up to the sidewalk, and front rooms are noisy.

• The smaller crowds right now means parking on the street is easy to find. So feel free to rent a car, a choice you would never make otherwise. Enjoy it while it lasts.

• Walking with your friends won't protect you from getting mugged. A gun can point at 5 people just as easy as it can point at one. Don't walk down dark streets at night. Ever. Take cabs, even if just a few blocks; everyone I spoke to had a mugging story of some sort.