I just got back from my bachelor party and feel obligated to do a New Orleans-related post. Actually I got back yesterday but needed a day to recover. I have a vague recollection of Mike buying me tequilla shots around 6am and it gets blurry after that. Great party.

We had a day of rain, a day of Jazz Fest, and I had a day of lying in bed with a hangover. My dad showed up as did numerous friends. Yes, the picture above is a store with a foot of water *in* the store.

Jazz Fest was more crowed than I remember but the French Quarter hadn’t changed a bit. There some houses being gutted/leveled and rebuilt near the Jazz Fest area.

We did drive by some rows of FEMA-condemned houses on the way back from Jazz Fest. We had been planning on driving through the ninth ward but couldn’t work it into the schedule.

New Orleans’ murder rate is 10x the national average and I expected to see signs of it in the back alleys of the French Quarter. But that wasn’t the case. I was comfortable walking around everywhere and never felt threatened. For anybody planning conferences, I’d recommend taking a close look at New Orleans. I know Schwab had a conference planned years ago pre-Katrina and canceled it due to safety concerns. Take a second look guys.

Last shot: Me with my dad and brother.