New Orleans

I went to a conference/expo for work this week. As the title suggests, it was in New Orleans. The conference/expo was good, but that's not what I'm writing about (although I could probably go on and on about how much of the incredibly huge convention center the show took up). You'd think that after so long , the hotels would be somewhat back to normal, but the one I stayed in... ...was across the street from this office building under renovation. The hotel was actually pretty nice for a H.I. Express, considering it was a block from Bourbon Street. I didn't question the stains in the carpets--I just never walked around barefoot.

I did'nt see any of the Katrina devastation personally while I was there, but I was told it was still evident in other parts of town. I've never been to New Orleans before, so I don't know what it was like before Katrina. I do know that that the French Quarter is a pretty dirty place. It's the kind of place were the three-second-rule doesn't exist, where you wouldn't even think of sitting on a street curb (unless you were drunk), or you have to wash the sticky stuff off your hands every time you touch a door handle or a sign post or chair back. This may be related to the fact that most of the idea of behind the French Quarter is that it's no fun unless you've gotten drunk at one of the more than 50 bars in 10 square blocks or visited any of the numerous strip joints (where you also can get drunk). And I only saw one rat the 3 nights I was there. However, most of the food was great, so I supoose it's really not all that bad. I would maybe go back sometime, but not to visit the French Quarter (and I definitely won't be taking my daughter there until she's, like, 30--unlike the other parents I saw with small children).

Anyway, here's my favorite part. I had a sunny and warm day to myself and I spent the majority of it next to the Mississippi. I didn't get out of town to see more of the river like I had hoped, but it was still a good day. Especially when a teenager walked by and asked me "I have a really dump question. Is this the Mississippi River?" No joke. It was a dumb question.


And if you ever find that you're in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport terminal without your IPod, they've got you covered...