The longer I go without writing about PotLuckCon (still not so happy with that name but I can't think of a better one - not that that's my job) the less likely it is that I will write about it. So here are some more thoughts or things I noticed:
Almost everybody at the conference had an iPhone. It makes sense. These folks live for gear.
In reference to my last post about the modesty of recording engineers, I talked to so many people who clearly had no idea how interesting and accomplished they are. I guess that's sort of a good thing. People who think they're big shots can be insufferable. But then maybe those people are just faking. Maybe if you know you're important you don't have to go lording it over everybody. Anyway, modesty didn't prevent those engineers from talking to their heroes or otherwise socializing as far as I could tell.
The Sheraton was a fine place to stay. The lobby was achitecturally strange but not uncomfortable. That's the closest thing I have to a complaint about the Sheraton. The views from the hotel were definitely better than at the Fairmont. In fact, Pete and I could see the Fairmont and its (empty) pool from our room. The bar at the Fairmont was better but possibly more expensive.
I heard from a local that The Four Seasons has purchased the Fairmont and intends to renovate it. As for the hotel and bar next door to the Fairmont and the Picadilly Lounge, things were looking rather dismal. The Picadilly Lounge does have a MySpace page though. I'll have to look into that.
If you stick to the French Quarter things seem pretty much back to normal in New Orleans. It might be a little less crowded now. Also, when you get to talking with the oyster shucker behind the bar or your taxi driver they all tell you emphatically how much they LOVE living in New Orleans in such a way that you know they went through hell to be there and they couldn't be more serious. They may tell you how they got through Katrina or they may not but it's always at least a subtext. I didn't know whether to ask or not so I kept my mouth shut.
To me as an outsider, Katrina has left another layer of grim beauty on New Orleans, already a place with a complex history and feeling. Obviously there's so much more to it than that. Katrina was nothing but a tragedy. Everybody knows people died, neighborhoods are destroyed, probably thousands of other people won't be coming back. The beauty part is the determination of the people who are committed to the city and the lives they love. They work moment by moment to grab ahold of the place and keep it there for the future. They have restored the fantastic bands playing in the street and the amazing food and the "life is a pain in the ass but lets enjoy the hell out of it if we can" attitude. They keep going. They're heroic.
Most of my favorite places to go were still there, like Felix's Oyster House, Cafe Du Monde and my favorite wig store, Fifi Mahony's. I contributed to the economy a bit - I bought three wigs. I'm sure you'll see them here later. I would have contributed more if I'd had time to go to the yarn store.
Another great place to go if you're headed for New Orleans is the Ernie K-Doe Mother-In-Law Lounge. It feels like the real thing and they have a great oudoor space to enjoy a New Orleans summer night. Take a cab. On the way you will see hundreds of people living in a tent city under the freeway.
Those were the burning issues I wanted to cover. Something else might pop up later, maybe when my new wigs appear.
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