Small Signs Of New Orleans Rebound

(CBS)  In some parts of New Orleans, locals seem unabashedly optimistic about the city's future, despite the bashing it took from Hurricane Katrina, reports The Early Show National Correspondent Tracy Smith.

And there are some signs of progress. Among them: the Crescent City's port and airport both partially reopened Tuesday.

Smith was on the first commercial flight into New Orleans since Katrina.

The pilot said on the plane's speakers, "Calm winds clear skies; pretty much a nice day if it wasn't a flooded city down there."

It was, Smith says, a trip both routine and remarkable.

On board were relief workers, and residents determined to return.

The plane holds 148, but on that first flight back, only 37 seats were filled.

But the small group got a huge welcome, in a city clinging to any sign of recovery.

Then Smith was taken on a mini-tour by New Orleans City Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson.

They began on the famed Bourbon Street.

Clarkson proudly showed off downtown, where once-flooded streets have become streets again.

"It's one of the most classical cities of the world, and it has a spirit second to none," Clarkson proclaimed. "We've lived through many things. Yellow fever. The rising tide. We've been here before. We've never quit, and we're not gonna quit now."

Her district includes the French Quarter, considered the heart of New Orleans, and known for both sinners and saints.

Clarkson pointed to the historic St. Louis Cathedral, which she called "the statement of the city." It remains intact.

She promises the Quarter will be open in 90 days.

Asked what she thinks it will take to fill the area with people again, she quickly responded, "Nothing. Nothing. Open the door and say, 'Come home,' and, I promise you, it'll fill up overnight."

"You don't think you're just a little bit optimistic?" Smith inquired.

"No," Clarkson said. "Watch. Come back in three months."

Clarkson says she gets calls from restaurateurs every day, asking how soon they can return.

"We wanna keep the spirit of the French Quarter, and New Orleans, alive," says Larry Hirst, who tends bar in an eatery that never closed. "The tourists that have been here will come back again. And the ones that haven't will be curious."

While there's still a mandatory evacuation, customers keep coming in, Smith points out.

"Everybody actually loves this city," says French Quarter resident Terry Leonard. "They love this city. And they'll do anything to keep it going.

Spirits of all sorts survived, Smith notes. A voodoo shop is still in one piece, waiting to reopen and, thanks to a generator, a gentlemen's club downtown is still doing business.

Mardi Gras is still a long way off but, in the spirit of New Orleans, the party planning has already begun.