For New Orleans, A 6th Final Four Is Bounce-Back Moment
Apr 1, 2022, 2:06 PM
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - MARCH 19: A detailed view of the Final Four logo is seen on a basketball during the second half in the second round game between the Richmond Spiders and the Providence Friars during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 19, 2022 in Buffalo, New York.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A seat at the 182-year-old French Quarter restaurant that invented Oysters Rockefeller and mastered Baked Alaska is virtually impossible to get this week.
The first NCAA men’s Final Four without pandemic restrictions in three years is being held in New Orleans.
New Orleans’ own Caleb Daniels is back in his hometown for the Final Four. pic.twitter.com/Ugohsn6GuM
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 31, 2022
And the tourism-dependent city needed it after seeing the hospitality industry devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic for much of the past two years.
New Orleans suffered the cancellation of the 2020 women’s Final Four but 70,000-plus fans are expected at the Superdome for games on Saturday and Monday nights.
Downtown hotels and restaurants are booked solid and city officials hope it marks the resumption of New Orleans as a big-event destination.
