New Orleans

Last weekend, Carey and I flew down to New Orleans for the American Alliance of Museums conference. Neither of us had ever been, and I admit I was kind of more interested in the opportunity to visit than in the conference itself (though I did get many good ideas from the sessions I attended).

The day we arrived was really the one day we had free time, so after checking in we got an Uber to take us to one of the famous cemeteries in the Garden District. Alas, we arrived at 4pm, just as visitors were being shuffled out! I wasn't too bothered; if you've seen one above-ground cemetery (Pere LaChaise, anyone?) you've seen them all. From there we wandered around the neighborhood for a while. The architecture was beautiful, but I've never encountered less walkable public pavements in my life! You could hardly look up because you had to keep your eyes on the ground--gaping holes, upthrusting cement, jagged breaks in the sidewalk. I assume this had something to do with the swampiness of the ground combined with the roots of the many lovely trees that lined the streets. However, the roads themselves weren't much better; there had been a huge storm right before we arrived, and there were potholes that looked about two feet deep full of water. It was like the worst of Rome and Naples combined, and honestly shocking to me to see in an American city--but that tells you something about New Orleans' financial situation, even in a neighborhood that is home (according to our Uber driver) to the likes of John Goodman and Beyonce. The latter tidbit inspired us to Google where the latter's home might be, but we wound up at a deconsecrated church that she and Solange may or may not have purchased last year (some Googling has just told me that we missed her actual gigantic house by a few blocks).

The weather was hot and humid, but honestly not quite as bad as I was expecting. There were no bugs, for one thing, which was a blessing. It was strange to come from the still-chilly north and find that we'd already missed the peak flower season. We did get to sniff some lovely gardenias from a huge bush, and some of the magnolia trees still had a massive flower or two clinging amid the branches. From the Garden District, we took another cab to the French Quarter, and stopped at Cafe du Monde for beignets. Now, I was planning to try one of these in Linda's honor, since they're her favorite, even though I'm not a dessert person, but I must say: damn they were good! The pastry itself wasn't overly sweet, which is probably why I liked it. I could have dunked it in maple syrup, honestly. Sadly, we learned later that having your first beignet at Cafe du Monde means you're only going downward from there; there were beignets available at the conference the next day and they were distinctly inferior.

From Cafe du Monde, we strolled around the French Quarter, and neither of us were impressed. Even on a Sunday evening, Bourbon Street and its surroundings were full of people doing what they came to New Orleans to do (be drunk and loud), there was the constant smell of beer, and a lot of street people. We had a drink at a bar with an interior courtyard garden that reminded me a bit of Venice, killing time until the "shippers party" we had scored an invite to. This was a private pre-conference party sponsored by all the major art-handling and art-transit companies that museums use; technically Megan is our registrar now, so Carey and I shouldn't have qualified, but she got us on the list. A good thing, too, because one of the passed hors-d'ouevres was this fried crab cake ball thing that was one of the best things I put in my mouth during the whole trip! I also tried a charbroiled oyster at Drago's (tasty, but then you could hardly tell it was an oyster you were eating) and had a po'boy fail (roast beef + juice + weak French bread = collapse). The local brand of kettle chips, Knapps, was also thoroughly sampled; decent, but not the equal of Cape Cod.

The AAM conference is huge, about 5,000 attendees, and costs about $550 just for the ticket. I was not particularly impressed with how they spent this money, honestly. Did we need an elegantly-printed "passport" to all the neighborhoods in New Orleans? Probably not. Did we need to be greeted by a brass band and Carnival dancers at the opening remarks on Monday? Nope. Did we need to be subjected to a gospel choir on Tuesday? Nah. Did we need the drum line that opened on Wednesday? Again, no. What I would have liked, at either of the two evening parties that stretched across multiple museums, was a "free drink ticket" that actually applied to beer or wine, and not water, soda, or a signature cocktail no one wanted. I said as much on my conference evaluation.

All in all, I'm happy I saw New Orleans, but Carey and I both agreed that we'd feel little interest in going back. Next year the meeting is in San Francisco (way to pick the most expensive city in the US, guys!) and neither Carey nor I are particularly interested in attending. What I am excited for is the AAMG meeting in June, even though it's in Minnesota; this is for academic museums and galleries, so it's museums that, like us, are focused on teaching and don't charge for entrance or programs. We'll be among friends!