What juliana said. In a vanilla bean syrup, served with coconut sorbet in half a shell.

edit: in re the prices, isn't most of the hotel pricing we're able to get this far ahead an actual booking usable only for comparison purposes, in any case? After all, there's no way of knowing what the economy will be doing at this time next year; hell, last year at this time, I could afford a F2F without grief, and this year I was totally dependent on the kindness of friends.

¹: Bread pudding, with bourbon sauce, natch

Huh. You should just come to the Bronzers Do NOLA party in May.

We will not get that in New Orleans (or LA, DC or Chicago fwiw). We may get it in Minneapolis or St. Louis or Cleveland or some other smaller cities that a) have some very nice things to do b) will bend over backwards to get our money.

This is what twigged me- that another city would bend over backward and NO wouldn't. I don't know what the city itself would do, but as far as hotels and expenses, it's not as bad as you think.

I haven't been able to attend any because of expenses (which is fine, that's just the way it is), and I find NO very reasonable pricewise in a way that Minneapolis, and St. Louis aren't (I think Cleveland might be a little less expensive for me).

It may be partly a gut response, but there it is.

Many tourist places do bend over backwards -- tourists are their lifeblood. NOLA was the cheapest place I ever lived. First choice of cities to be broke in.

What. Ita. Said.

Best Western in the French Quarter is $129 per night corporate rate for the weekend of the 21st, May 2005. That's prior to negotiation for a double occupancy.

ETA, which is cheaper than the rate for the Century Plaza in LA, or the Renaissance in LA. But about 40 more than the Safari, IIRC.

Bet it could be had for $110, is what I'm saying. If that matters.

The full stay isn't 127x2 though, it's around 250. That's without discounts and deals.

I remember with pleasure going to the paleontology museum in Chicago, and to the Santa Monica Pier in L.A. It was fun to do touristy things with Buffistas. It seems to me strange to deliberately choose a city based on its unattractiveness to tourists; after all, many of us are tourists.

So Minneapolis, sure, but not Richmond, Indiana.