Going to New Orleans in January

Does anyone know what the status of Harrah's poker room is? I'll check their site for the games spread, but given traffic is down so much, any insight into what games are actually going would be helpful.

Thanks.

[4_2_it]

I don't think the casino will reopen by January. Maybe someone who lives there can give a more accurate estimate.

www.harrahs.com (http://www.harrahs.com) for updates

I heard that they want to open Harrahs in time for Mardi Gras in mid-February

[LittleOldLady]

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Does anyone know what the status of Harrah's poker room is? I'll check their site for the games spread, but given traffic is down so much, any insight into what games are actually going would be helpful.

Thanks.

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New Orleans is still far from her usual self. The French Quarter has some life--some of the stores, restaurants, and bars are open (indeed, it being the French Quarter, one or two bars never closed, even during the worst). For example, there are no land-line phones and there won't be for a while. There is no sewage treatment on the east bank--the plumbing works in some areas of the city, but don't think about what is going where in what condition. One of the principal problems with getting even the unflooded part of the city up and running is the labor shortage. Many people would like to come home and work (and wages have shot up), but there is no place for them to live. So, if you come to New Orleans in January, you are going to find that the city is very much a work in progress (and, alas, not all that much progress). You will be able to eat some good food and get drunk and hear live music, but you are not going to be able to go to a casino. The Gulf Coast casinos are all closed all the way to Lake Charles. New Orleans is planning to have an abbreviated carnival season. We'll see how that goes. But 80% of the city in uninhabitable and will be for quite a while.

[wstaffor]

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Does anyone know what the status of Harrah's poker room is? I'll check their site for the games spread, but given traffic is down so much, any insight into what games are actually going would be helpful.

Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

New Orleans is still far from her usual self. The French Quarter has some life--some of the stores, restaurants, and bars are open (indeed, it being the French Quarter, one or two bars never closed, even during the worst). For example, there are no land-line phones and there won't be for a while. There is no sewage treatment on the east bank--the plumbing works in some areas of the city, but don't think about what is going where in what condition. One of the principal problems with getting even the unflooded part of the city up and running is the labor shortage. Many people would like to come home and work (and wages have shot up), but there is no place for them to live. So, if you come to New Orleans in January, you are going to find that the city is very much a work in progress (and, alas, not all that much progress). You will be able to eat some good food and get drunk and hear live music, but you are not going to be able to go to a casino. The Gulf Coast casinos are all closed all the way to Lake Charles. New Orleans is planning to have an abbreviated carnival season. We'll see how that goes. But 80% of the city in uninhabitable and will be for quite a while.

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Most of what you just said is untrue, but that's ok. And Boomtown is open on the Westbank, and their poker room is booming with all the business from Harrahs. Harrahs plans to open Feb. at the earliest, but I wouldn't bet on it. I've been back to the city 3 times since the storm, and I would estimate that it's more like 80% of the city is inhibitable, while 20% remains a wasteland. Pretty much anyplace a tourist would go is fine, but like I said Harrahs still isnt open (mostly due to labor shortage, I would imagine).