At an update on the recovery at City Park, the question was an appropriate one: Would anyone in the room live to see the majestic canopy of live oaks restored over Lelong Avenue that greeted visitors for generations before the storm?

"How old are you?" deadpanned Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, drawing laughter from the park boosters gathered inside the antique carousel, still under repair.

Gallows humor comes naturally to officials entrusted with reviving the crown jewel of local parks, a 1,300-acre tract that sustained an estimated $43 million in damage from Katrina's winds and floodwaters.

At 1,500 acres, New Orleans City Park stretches two miles from Mid-City to Lake Pontchartrain. From its inception in 1881, this expanse of urban forest and wetland provided the city’s residents with a wide variety of recreational activities, including golf, tennis and fishing. One of the 10 largest urban parks in the United States, City Park features 110 acres of lagoons and 105 acres of water in the adjoining Bayou St. John with 11 miles of shoreline.