Out In The “Real” World

Odd flight schedules have some benefits. It’s a bright blue day and I’m sitting in a bustling coffee shop on New Orleans’ funky Magazine Street watching crowds gather for a pre-St. Patrick’s Day parade. My guess — the parade won’t hold a candle to the pre-parade performance art. People are barbecuing in the medians, partying on balconies, wearing bright green wigs or eye-catching hats, walking in the middle of the street with green beer … a typical New Orleans “block party.” Very little obvious cell phone usage; far more traditional cameras than camera phones so far. Inside, Puccino’s — the coffee shop — has free wifi, plenty of outlets and reading lamps at sturdy tables along with a good menu; it’s easy to see why so many laptops are in use. There are even a couple of pay-as-you-go internet kiosks with printers. All in all, a pretty good way to store up some memories of the outside world before disappearing into the Morial Convention Center for three days. Now if only I can figure out a way into that sold-out Elvis Costello concert at HOB tonight …

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