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Back from the Big Easy…

I just returned from Bouchercon in New Orleans. I hadn’t been to New Orleans in years, not since I turned 30 and went on a cross-country train expedition with another friend named Lisa. We took skateboards with us and called it the “Old Boyfriends Tour” because one of the things we did was meet a couple guys who had been significant in our lives. That part didn’t work out well, but it was overall a grand adventure.
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And we had amazing luck. In New Orleans, we had a 24 hour layover. Being young, dumb and with not a lot of money, we decided we would stay up all night. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it really wasn’t. The crime rate in New Orleans was sky high at the time.

 

 

We hung out in the French Quarter, went img_7636to the Absinthe House, to Cafe DuMond for coffee and beignets, but there wasn’t enough caffeine in the world to keep us awake.

 
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So we foolishly decided we would sit on a park bench in Jackson Square facing the cathedral. We’d take turns staying awake.

This, not surprisingly, did not go well. While Lisa slept, I struggled to stay awake. Finally, a young Black security guard came over. I will never forget what he said and how kindly he said it: “Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure no one messes with you.”

 
And no one did.

 

 

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Thanks to all my friends and colleagues who made Bouchercon, and New Orleans, such a wonderful, memorable experience.

New Orleans, I’ll see you again, soon, I hope.

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2 Responses to “Back from the Big Easy…”

  1. Ellen Byron says:

    That’s my second home. NOLA.

    • Lisa says:

      It really is wonderful. I get it now. Funny because I don’t know if I’d feel that way if I’d stayed downtown and in the French Quarter, but the other neighborhoods I visited have me hooked!

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