Gay & Lesbian Travel: New Orleans, LA

Even after the devastating destructions of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, you will have a hard time finding a place with more energy than New Orleans, one of America's most dynamic, and gay-friendly, cities. New Orleans has always offered an open and easy atmosphere for gays and lesbians.

The parts of New Orleans you're probably most familiar with are the parts now in the best shape. When I visited New Orleans in December 2005, I still noticed plenty of moderate to mild hurricane damage in the French Quarter, Uptown, and other prominent tourist-oriented areas, but most of the worst messes had been cleaned up. Indeed, at that point the city still had planned a scaled-down but still ambitious Mardi Gras celebration for the last week of February 2006.

And hundreds of new establishments re-opens or opens every week so New Orleans is getting back to being as vibrant, daring, and exciting, as it ever has been.