I just returned from Bouchercon in New Orleans. I hadn’t been to New Orleans in years, not since I turned 30 and went on a cross-country train expedition with another friend named Lisa. We took skateboards with us and called it the “Old Boyfriends Tour” because one of the things we did was meet a couple guys who had been significant in our lives. That part didn’t work out well, but it was overall a grand adventure.
And we had amazing luck. In New Orleans, we had a 24 hour layover. Being young, dumb and with not a lot of money, we decided we would stay up all night. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it really wasn’t. The crime rate in New Orleans was sky high at the time.
We hung out in the French Quarter, went 
to the Absinthe House, to Cafe DuMond for coffee and beignets, but there wasn’t enough caffeine in the world to keep us awake.
So we foolishly decided we would sit on a park bench in Jackson Square facing the cathedral. We’d take turns staying awake.
This, not surprisingly, did not go well. While Lisa slept, I struggled to stay awake. Finally, a young Black security guard came over. I will never forget what he said and how kindly he said it: “Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure no one messes with you.”
And no one did.
Thanks to all my friends and colleagues who made Bouchercon, and New Orleans, such a wonderful, memorable experience.
New Orleans, I’ll see you again, soon, I hope.
That’s my second home. NOLA.
It really is wonderful. I get it now. Funny because I don’t know if I’d feel that way if I’d stayed downtown and in the French Quarter, but the other neighborhoods I visited have me hooked!