'Like a ghost town': Tourists find New Orleans empty Published on May 18, 2020 at 05:46AM by David Montgomery and Richard A. Webster, The Washington Post NEW ORLEANS - On a typical Saturday night, snagging a coveted balcony table overlooking Bourbon Street in the French Quarter would be nearly impossible. But here were Mariah Castille and Tyler Labiche, sharing chips and dip, somewhat stunned by almost everything about this evening. It was Day 1 of Phase 1 - when the stay-home order was lifted and New Orleans was supposed to begin coming back to life. For the first time in two months, most businesses were allowed to open. Restaurants and food-serving bars could seat customers at 25% capacity. After a miserable season of canceled music festivals, social isolation, sickness and death, it was time to get the party started again. Labiche, 30, and Castille, had made a weekend getaway from their Lafayette, Louisiana, home a two-hour drive away. "We thought the first day bac