Why People Should Visit New Orleans Again

I am waiting at the Louis Armstrong International Airport. That's one reason to visit New Orleans; where else do you get an airport named after a music, make that a jazz, legend? I have to get to my gate, now. So while I run to catch my plane, consider these other reasons:

Kermit Ruffins

The Rock and Bowl.

Rebirth and hope.

City Park.

NOMA.

Streetcars (sculpture). and, of course,

Lucky Dogs!

Visit for a few days, anytime. You are bound to hear some great music, eat some great food, and meet some new friends

The Coat Ceremony

At the college I went to, SUNY at Binghamton, now Binghamton Unitversity, there was an annual rite of the passing of winter and the start of spring. The Stepping on Coat Ceremony started in 1962 by members of the Off Campus College and continues to this day. As I recall, it was pretty simple: at the appointed hour on the appointed day, students gathered outside the Student Union and someone threw a winter coat on the ground and it got stomped. End of ceremony, start of party. A few years ago, I was saddened when I learned that the person who started the tradition passed away.

While working at United Way in Boston, I kept a sport coat available just in case. One never knew when you needed to make an impression or keep warm. I had an old Arnold Palmer vintage 1984 herringbone jacket with the proverbial patches on the elbows that I kept in the closet at 51 Sleeper St. At a certain point, I along, with any number of other folks, some more successful than others, began to test the waters and looked for new jobs. So, when necessary, I would sneak over to the closet, grab the jacket and head off to my interview. When I got back, I usually had the jacket folded up and replaced it in the closet. At a certain point in time, I began to joke with my good friend and cube-mate, Liz, that when I finally got a new job, I would toss the jacket in the Channel outside the office and next to the Children's Museum as my own take on the above mentioned coat ceremony. Of course, all of this was before I headed to Florida in February 2007. I did, however, leave the coat there, in the closet at 51 Sleeper St. I've gone back to visit a couple of time to see my friends and colleagues and to check on the coat.

Now that I have a new job and have picked up some consulting work, I have a dilemma. Should I indeed go through with the ceremony or get the coat? It's really not a bad coat and in my new office, it would be nice to have something just in case. If I have the ceremony, I will need to put some planning into it, invite a few friends, get it on video, take photos, maybe even a press release. Also, if it is illegal to throw things in the Channel, I will have to get bailed out of jail or pay a fine. I'm not sure which direction to go in.