We have outlets galore, and yes, Last Call and Saks' Off Fifth right across from each other. In Downtown.

Ghosts! At night when it's cool(er)!

St. Paul - Gangster Tours

Not much if you're outdoorsy and humidity sensitive, you mean?

Maybe I should have said NSM. I had good times at Audubon Zoo, though I wouldn't recommend anyone go to NOLA just for it. There are also river and bayou boat rides.

And I should probably stop posing as an expert when my first-hand info is 20 years out of date.

FWIW, I just checked flights from Philly and I can get to either NOLA or Minneapolis on a non-stop flight. Of course, Philly itself is a hub for US Airways, which presumably helps.

Also in New Orleans, O'Flaherty's Irish Pub! Listen to music! Drink Guinness!

And Camellia Grill! Best omelettes in the world (seriously -- you think, "It's just an omelette, how much better can it be?" but, it really is), and really fun atmosphere.

But I didn't really think anyone was planning on doing anything that would piss the cops off. It's not like Mardi Gras, where they're constantly on the street.

Well, it wasn't Mardi Gras. Nowhere near it. I wasn't drunk (I don't drink). I wasn't pissing in the street. (Wouldn't occur to me.)

There was a music festival in town, and what I was apparently doing to attract the notice of the four who surrounded me and suggested I come play with them nice so they wouldn't have to shoot me (patting holsters suggestively all the while and smiling), was walking while having nice legs and wearing a short skirt. The fact that I was walking with a female friend of a different ethnicity may have had something to do with it.

It's a mark of how much I loved damned near everything else about NOLA that even that experience couldn't sour me on it. It's a superb city. But wanting to know if the cops still pull that shit on a regular basis is, I think, a fair question.

I didn't say it wasn't a fair question. I'm just not really in a position to answer it.

There was a music festival in town, and what I was apparently doing to attract the notice of the four who surrounded me and suggested I come play with them nice so they wouldn't have to shoot me (patting holsters suggestively all the while and smiling), was walking while having nice legs and wearing a short skirt. The fact that I was walking with a female friend of a different ethnicity may have had something to do with it.

It's a mark of how much I loved damned near everything else about NOLA that even that experience couldn't sour me on it. It's a superb city. But wanting to know if the cops still pull that shit on a regular basis is, I think, a fair question.

I didn't hear about anything like that in the four years I was there. There were periodically reports of police brutality. (One somewhat-related story that that just reminded me of was when two female friends of mine were in the Quarter. One of them had just gotten off work, and they were both 19 and both holding drinks. A cop car pulled up, and friend 1 started to get nervous. As the cops were walking over, friend 2 turned to friend 1 and said, "Kiss me." Friend 1 said, "What?" and friend 2 said, "Just do it." Knowing them, they probably made this into quite a production. When they finish, the cop says, "Ladies, we were going to ask you for ID, but really, you just made our night," and left.)

Wow. Deb. No I don't think you'd have that problem now.

OK. I do know that they did a humongous overhaul of the NOPD a few years back, and the primary goal was to get rid of the kind of old-timers who pulled that (and worse) on a daily basis.

I was just hoping there's been some major publicity on how well it worked.

But in any case, I was mentioning the cop situation as a personally experienced con, since that was the question. And hell, the city could be swarming with clones of the guys I tangled with; it still wouldn't keep me from going back at some point. NOLA just plain rocks.

Besides - food. Really really good food.

edit:

As the cops were walking over, friend 2 turned to friend 1 and said, "Kiss me." Friend 1 said, "What?" and friend 2 said, "Just do it." Knowing them, they probably made this into quite a production. When they finish, the cop says, "Ladies, we were going to ask you for ID, but really, you just made our night," and left.)

SNERK. I do love NOLA, damnit.