New Orleans City Park is better than ever

"The 2005 flood reduced City Park to a saltwater swamp. Most of the attractions in the 1,300-acre, 156-year-old green space remained closed for months while work crews removed fallen tree trunks as the golf courses and softball fields reverted to prairie.

But just look at it now."

Click here for more on this restored gem of a park.

Recipe for Rebuilding a City: Judy Walker and 'Exchange Alley'

"Hurricane Katrina took lives, homes and possessions. In New Orleans, where traditional food is a vital part of the lifestyle, the loss of family recipes to flood waters struck an additional painful blow. For many New Orleanians, that loss became a lasting reminder of the things taken away by the storm.

Judy Walker, Food Editor of the New Orleans Times Picayune newspaper, saw a way to help in the recovery process."

Click here for more on Judy Walker and "Exchange Alley."

A new show on State Street: Restored cast-iron at Louis Sullivan's former Carson Pirie Scott & Co. store dazzles anew

“'Jersey Boys' is no longer playing the Loop theater district, but there’s another show on State Street, and it lets you see one of Chicago’s architectural masterworks as you’ve never seen it before."


Click here for more on this stunning restoration.

South Side beaches going back to nature: Chicago begins 2 South Side restoration projects

"In the late 1990s, the Chicago Park District stopped grooming 11 acres of the man-made Montrose Beach -- and something incredible began to happen.

A dune was formed naturally, and six state-listed rare plant species suddenly began to grow. Migrating birds began flocking to the site, and over time, more than 150 species have been observed, including the federally endangered piping plover."

Click here for more on how mankind and nature can coexist.

Saenger Theatre renaissance is under way

"The crowd that gathers Thursday at Canal and Rampart streets, just outside the boarded front doors of New Orleans' iconic Saenger Theatre, will witness a renaissance moment.

Out of the darkness that has prevailed since Hurricane Katrina, the bulbs of the Saenger's giant marquee are expected to blink on to mark the coming return of the landmark playhouse that for years anchored the performing arts district along the city's signature commercial boulevard."

Click here to read more about this historic restoration.