It's about a 15-minute drive to the Saints' practice facility from the center of New Orleans, which is why most players live in the suburbs. Brees lives in Uptown. We're still in the process of renovating, just because old homes need a lot of TLC. You look around, and everybody is rebuilding. Some people [rebuild] out of necessity, because their homes were destroyed, some just for the same reason as us - old houses need work. So everybody is doing their part in upkeep for the city and trying to revitalize it and make sure it keeps that same charm that it always has had.

Sure, it's hot sometimes in New Orleans, but you can't stay indoors every day. So go where Brees goes. We live less than a block away from Audubon Park. So during the off-season, we're out there walking around almost every day. It's a great place for people to visit. There's a hike-and-bike trail we like. They've got a great executive golf course there. There's a great zoo there.

It all has a real community feel. You've got Tulane University right there, and Loyola, so you've got students studying in the park. And sometimes we're just out walking the dog or sitting, lounging, relaxing, and maybe getting a SnoBall. You know snow cones? They call them SnoBalls down here. There's a guy out there who pulls up with a SnoBall machine. They'll cool you off.

Oh yeah. New Orleans has other kinds of food too. This city has the best restaurants in the country. You could go to a different restaurant every night of the week and get a great meal, and you still would not hit the same place in a year. There are that many great places. My top five are Emeril's Delmonico, Commander's Palace, K-Paul's, Drago's, and Clancy's.