The history of New Orleans is so very different from that of the rest of America, so exotic and -- to some people -- so weird, that it provides a unique travel experience. Its culture is a crazy amalgam of the French, Spanish, Creole, Cajun, African, Pagan and Gay; it was, prior to the Civil War, one of the richest cities in America; it developed a cuisine that's a pure joy, a form of music that excites the senses. And it now possesses several outstanding museums, including one -- the Museum of World War II -- that compares favorably with anything the Smithsonian offers.

And it's back. Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina (late August, 2005), it has finally recovered to such an extent that the visitor scarcely notices any decline in its ability to entertain. My daughter Pauline was there last week for several days, and responded as follows to questions I put to her:

Q. What was your overall impression?

Pauline: The recovery of the touristic districts is all but complete. What's notable is how many elements have finally been restored. Everywhere I went, I was hearing about businesses finally reopening and people starting to return in large numbers. Convention business is back. And just last week the St. Charles streetcar, a major tourist attraction, went back into action.

And though it seems foolish to say it, the city is dry. Because most of the coverage of New Orleans continues to focus on its problems, I heard over and over from locals that people visiting from other parts of the country are often surprised that the floodwaters have receded. In fact, in the main areas where tourists go, the French Quarter and the Garden District, streets are cleaner than they were before the floods, thanks to a new system of garbage collection. And Bourbon Street is just as rowdy as it's always been. I walked through on Monday night, typically the slowest time of the week, and it was jumping with live music and people toting drinks.

Q. So what has changed in the tourist's experience of New Orleans?

Pauline: Visiting the outlying, residential areas of the city affected by Hurricane Katrina has become a must-do activity. I took one such tour on Monday. And it didn't feel like a voyeuristic experience. The folks giving them are all locals who were personally affected by Katrina, and they see this as a way for outsiders to learn about what's still going on in the city, and to help them lobby Congress to fund the still-needed restoration. You get the feeling the folks living in this area all share the same goals. They wave at the vans, and even come over and talk. It's important to pick the right tour. Some tours visit all the levee break areas, and it's just overkill (I took one that ended up lasting 4.5 hours).

The most moving sight is the Ninth Ward, because it's at one and the same time the one with the most promising projects (Habitat for Humanity's Musician's Village, Brad Pitt's project) and the most totally unreconstructed areas, with huge plants growing up the side of battered, half-demolished houses, or simply a set of stairs standing on a lot, the rest of the building swept away by the tidal surge. Probably the best tours are being run by GrayLine, or if you want a more intimate experience, Cajun Country.

Q: Beyond the Katrina tour and the French Quarter, what are Nola's other lures?

Pauline: Well, New Orleans isn't usually thought of as a top museum city, but it has become just that. Its National World War II Museum has been designated by Congress as the official WW2 museum for the nation, and it's truly one of the most remarkable museums anywhere. I've now spent a total of seven hours there (including several hours on another visit) and I feel like I've just scratched the surface. Through a mix of newsreels, interactive exhibitions, oral histories and more, you learn about the War both from a very personal standpoint, and from a strategic perspective. Most moving: many of the volunteer docents are sprightly but elderly World War II veterans, and they enthusiastically lead you through the exhibits.

Along with this is a terrific art museum and in a couple of weeks a new Cocktail Museum, appropriate for the city that invented the Sazerac and the Hurricane, will open.

Q: Is it an appropriate place for children?

Pauline: Absolutely. Believe it or not, the school-age kids I saw were absolutely entranced by the WWII museum, and by the French Quarter, the Zoo and Aquarium. They also have a wonderful new museum, which just opened up in the last month, called the Audubon Insectarium. I'll be honest, I was dragged to it, and ended up loving it (I stroked a remarkably soft silk worm, learned all about the mosquitoes that spread yellow fever in NOLA in the nineteenth century, and could have tasted fried grasshoppers if I'd have had the nerve).

Q: And I have to ask, since it is New Orleans: How did you eat?

Pauline: Spectacularly! New Orleans remains one of the top three restaurant cities in the nation (along with NYC and San Francisco) and I think I've probably gained five pounds since I last saw you. The nice thing about NOLA is that, for all its fine dining, the tabs aren't as high as they are in the other foodie cities. I went to a restaurant called Couchon, which Frank Bruni, the restaurant critic of the New York Times just named one of the top ten restaurants in the nation, and the top entree was $22, with many in the teens. In New York and San Francisco, that's often where the entree prices start, peaking at $36. But you don't just eat well in the high end places; I gorged on pralines, and gumbo, and oysters, and fried alligator at little no-name hole-in-the-walls and never had a bad meal. Rumors were swirling when I was there that the next season of Top Chef was going to be filmed in NOLA.

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