Would the destruction from Hurricane Katrina be overwhelming? And would the French Quarter, with its topless clubs and 24-hour bars, be inappropriate for her three young daughters?

"I was pleasantly surprised. Places seemed to be in full swing," Pines says, excitement building in her voice as she recalls her first visit to the Big Easy.

"My kids are real foodies, and they loved it. They liked the spicy food; they liked everything - the po'boys, jambalaya, gumbo, and those things with all the sugar, the beignets."

And the French Quarter, where they stayed at the Royal Sonesta in April, was fine, says Pines, who grew up in Livingston, N.J., and considers herself a New Yorker. "We just avoided a few spots. My husband and I loved the music on the street and in the clubs."

Pines, her husband, and their daughters, ages 17, 15 and 9, strolled and rode the streetcar along the Riverwalk, visiting the Audubon Zoo, shops and restaurants overlooking the Mississippi.

"It was such a change from what we're accustomed to," says Pines, who lives in Boca Raton, Fla. "The culture, food, music, seeing the Mississippi River. It was unbelievable to see the Superdome - we saw it on the news" during Katrina.

Pines regrets that she didn't take a Katrina tour. "You have a lot more compassion being there, seeing places that are still destroyed."

She and her family didn't have any problems as they explored the city, but safety was a concern. Police Superintendent Warren Riley says coverage of the French Quarter is up more than 50 percent from before Katrina, with 124 undercover, mounted, and patrol-car officers. And the force, which was down 400 officers after Katrina, should be back to full staff in about a year, he says.

That's good news for the Pines, whose oldest daughter, Dani, wants to attend Tulane in fall 2009. The family tried to time their campus tour with the 39th Jazz & Heritage Festival, but the flights and hotels were booked.

Which gives them a reason to return to the Crescent City.

- Bill Reed