Ooh, riverboat ride between the zoo and the aquarium! That's sounds lovely.

On the water will definitely be cooler.

I wonder if they do cemetary tours at night? That might be fun -- isn't NO all crypts and sarcophaguses due to the low elevation?

Betsy, there's an excellent zoo in New Orleans. It's right on the St. Charles Streetcar line, which means you get to trundle past the mansions in the Garden District to get there.

You'd probably also enjoy taking a plantation tour. There are several with different slants.

I'll just note again - we were in New Orleans on our honeymoon and took a sidetrip to DC for the F2F this year. DC was much hotter and less comfortable than New Orleans was.

1. Accept that NO is the city, it was chosen.

I passionately support this. We bullshit-consensed that we'd do a non-ranked vote, then we voted. Time to go with it.

Completely agree with this.

In fact, I didn't vote. My Boston wishful thinking was the reason I didn't vote at all. It's really difficult for me to travel during the school year, without disrupting many, many lives. I always figure that some year, there'll happen to be a F2F when I can travel, in a place I can get to. I would love to do N.O. Sorry for contributing to the mellow harshing.

Oh, don't think for a minute that I won't be waking up to eat during daylight hours. I may be adding Second Breakfast and Elevenses to take advantage of the location.

I was wrong ... Matt's way is totally my way!

The food. I really can't wait for the food. Even the simple stuff like a big helping of red beans and rice sounds like heaven right now.

I wonder if they do cemetary tours at night?

Yes, they definitely do. ALso during the day. Lots of cemeteries, lots of tours.

For all you NO haters:

I don't think anybody hates NO. It's a great place. But it's more expensive and hot and even bars that are paragons of history are still bars and if you don't enjoy bars they aren't exactly the biggest draw on the earth nor being trashed the best way to survive the heat. And it was a close vote.

Count me among thinking a run-off vote makes sense to see what the most Buffistas would prefer.

JZ and I loved lunch at Bacco's where we had the lobster ravioli in butter/champagne sauce with caviar, and 10 cent martinis.

The Mardi Gras Museum right on Jefferson Square was excellent. You'd love it Betsy - they have tons of vintage gowns, crowns, accessories, the full feather Indian suits, old programs. Great stuff for any history buff.

They have some excellent night time tours of the Quarter as well. I'd recommend that over a daytime historical tour.

Count me among thinking a run-off vote makes sense to see what the most Buffistas would prefer.

Trudy, why didn't you raise this issue before the vote?

I wonder if they do cemetary tours at night?

I'm really hoping for a chance for a cemetry tour, I've wanted to go to NOLA and see the cemetries for ever!