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.

City: Austin/San Antonio areas (we would have to pick one or the other as a location, but they share many of the same pros and cons)

Local Point Person for City: Astarte

Possible hotels in City: Almost every major chain and a fair smattering of indepent ones. These are big convention cities.

Possible hotel rates in City: Wide range of hotel rates- as low as $50 per night up to $250. We can find something in the mid range pretty easily in one of the cities (Austin/San Antonio)

Pros and Cons for City:

1. Flight accessibility: Preliminary search shows frequent NS or 1 stop flights from LAX, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis and DC. 1 stop from Seattle. Boston and NY not so much, mostly 2 stops between here and there.

2. Downtown area fair public transportation. (Austin more so than San Antonio) Further out from the center the less that can be said.

3. Many activities/nightlife/theatre opportunities available. “Live Music Capital of the World” is one of Austin’s claims to fame. Sea World/Fiesta Texas and San Antonio Zoo at the other end of the I-35 corridor. Museums, shopping (include outlet mall about halfway between Austin and SA) are available in both cities for those who want it.

One plus in particular is Book People (conveniently across from Waterloo icehouse for libations and live music in a Buffista Trifecta). It's the largest independent bookstore (two stories worth) in Texas, but there are lots of others in Austin as well. Austin's unofficial anti-chain motto should appeal to Buffistas. It's "Keep Austin Weird".

4. Proximity to Hill Country and Lake resorts if we opt to take that option-transport from area airports will be an additional cost, but the rates seem to include food in a lot of cases as well.

5. Main con will be the heat. Air Conditioning and or a lake side venue will mitigate that, but there's no getting around it completely for daytime activities.

Normal May temps are in the mid 80s-90s. A disclaimer because Texas weather is wackaloon. Today it’s in the 80s because the storm that ran through here yesterday cooled everything off.

6. One other con will be public transportation. Particularly if we are not sticking to either the downtown area or a self-contained resort.

7. I forgot to mention, the BATS!!!! No caped crusaders, but the largest urban colony of bats in North America.

Ok, I knew it would come to this. Again, I state my #1 preference is NOLA, because love, love, love it. BUT I’m pimping Kansas City, too.

City – Kansas City

Local Point Person for City – Me, Erin! AND I organized the Chicago F2F, so I have prior exp. AND ND knows KC, too, and he is Lt. Pimp for this F2F, right. And you really can’t get more central than KC.

Possible hotels in City – Embassy Suites

Sheraton Suites Best Western Seville

Possible hotel rates in City – I’m looking at Plaza/Westport area hotels, because they are close to restaurants, shopping, bars, and are in the middle of the city (And in the prettiest part of the city, IMHO) and I am getting prices from $70 -- $225, with about $110 the median.

Pros and Cons for City

Pros:
Onsite convention planner who lives 1-5 minutes away from hotels
Centrally located city
Average temp in late May is 70 to 90degrees
It’s a friendly city
Excellent BBQ
Assortment of wide, excellent restaurant (that aren’t BBQ)
Amazing jazz and blues
Kansas City is a pretty cheap town! An expensive martini in a swank bar is $7
More fountains than any city in the world except Rome
Nelson-Atkin Museum will be newly renovated in May, and super cool!

Cons:
It IS the Bible belt
It’s a driving city (which is why I chose Plaza hotels).
The Plaza is not at all gritty and real.
Allergies are high, and it can get humid.
There are no interesting sex shops.
Gay bars are boring here.

This said, I have lots of contact in the city, and could put together a whiz-bang F2F. And I could have early peeps over to my apartment, and you could walk home. (Hell, if we stayed at the Sheraton, it’s 1 block from my place – we could use my pad as a hosp. suite, prolly.)