Doubts on New Orleans

Hi,

I'm trying to decide about going to sww this year. I must say I'm not
thrilled about the location. New Orleans doesn't sound like a fun
place to visit these days - or is that my mis-perception? What do you
think? Or, maybe you live in New Orleans and can provide the Lo-down?

Thanks,

Zander

 

Beats the Vegas Strip. The part of town where the conference is held
was pretty much high and dry (well at least not submerged as deep.) And
if Nagin is true to form all the money for rebuilding people's homes
was funnelled into fixing downtown.

 

I'm going to SWW but I have to agree that New Orleans wouldn't be my
first choice. This really has nothing to do with the "state" of things
there. I have never really had a desire to visit the BIG Easy.

There was an earlier post stating how crime is pretty bad but the area
around the convention should be in good shape.

We'll see in February.

 

I've heard that by the time SWW rolls around, there will have been 4-5
large scale conferences in New Orleans, which should pump some money
into the local businesses. Anyway, if you're inside for most of the
conference, you won't be able to tell if its New Orleans or Seattle.

The Superdome has opened again, which can't be a bad sign, and I read
somewhere that they sold out the season already. I'd bet some government
agency has a lot of Saints tickets to give away.

I'm sure SW Corp got a pretty attractive deal. I would have thought that
the hotels would have been a bit more reasonable to attract more people,
though.

I do wish they would come up with some place other than the three
locations they seem to cycle between (Vegas, Orlando, N.O.). I'll admit
I had one helluva time in Vegas last year, and I fully intend to check
out some music in N.O., but seeing a range of places is good too.

How about San Diego, Galveston, Miami, Puerto Rico, even a Mexican
resort town would be very cool. Or maybe a civilized winter location
like Denver or Reno (Boston in February is too brutal). St Louis is a
fantastic city as well, without the reputation of the others. Nashville
would be a great place for a conference too.

 

PS - forgot, don't use this gmail address. My actual email is

 

Uh, Matt...

Have you ever been to Nashville during January?

Good Luck - Bo

 

You must be from So Cal.

I live one state over from TN (central Virginia), WNW from Nashville,
and the winters are a little nicer there than here.

I grew up in northern NY near Lake Placid. 45 degrees in January is
unthinkably warm.

 

I do wish they would come up with some place other than the three

I agree that it would be nice if they shook it up a bit.

However, as I understand it (through conversations with SWx employees
involved with planning) as SWx World gets bigger and bigger they are
limited in locations that can actually handle a SWx World. Boston was
an anomoly, because that was the year they attempted the regional SWx
Worlds (and the economy was in an ugly state so not a lot of folks
could go). For a regular year, like this upcoming one, I was told that
there are only a few places in the country that can handle the event. I
do not wish to engage on the 'truthiness' of that statement - I have no
energy to research-around or second guess someone who finds venues for
a living. Just thought I would pass it along.

On a personal note, the liberal in me was very pleased to hear it was
in New Orleans - if it has to be somewhere, let us go to a community
that can REALLY use the money. I am not sure what actually drove the
decision, but am pleased to think that deciding on New Orleans showed
some real class on SolidWorks part.

Ed

 

I met my wife on a February trip to the high peaks region of Adirondack
park.
We climbed Phelps and skied Avalanche pass out to Avalanche lake.
One of the most beautiful places I have been.

Muggs

 

Muggs,

That's really cool!

Phelps is right in the middle of it all. I've been to both places, but
never in February. It takes a hardy soul to xc ski/telemark all of that.
I was at Avalanche Lake once, and a big WWII era bomber came low around
the mountain and buzzed the lake, then disappeared just as quickly.
Really surreal experience, out there in the middle of nowhere. I really
miss the Adirondacks. I've done other winter trips, ski-packing. Even
having done it, I'm not sure why people choose to go into the mountains
when you're sleeping out in below zero weather.

Now I live near the mts in VA, but they don't have as much water as the
Adirondacks, and the character is a little different, less rugged, I think.

 

I've gone through Nashville every time SWW was in Orlando or New
Orleans. I think it was rainy once and generally mild most other times.
They did get a skiff of sleet or snow last time and everyone went
bonkers like it was a blizzard.

 

I can agree in that NO obviously needs something.

I suspect it is more than money, though.

3 decades + of talk and some money that got diverted from levee work
and the politicians who keep getting reelected who never seem to change
things gives me little confidence in NO.

When I listen to Ray Nagin, I have to imagine that the electorate who
brought him back are going to get more of the same, meaning no changes
that make a difference and 10 years from now Nagin will be gone and NO
may again be under water.

Building homes below sea level in NO is something only a boatbuilder
like Noah would do, so he could survive the flood.

Bo

 

Bo, and others,

As far as Ray Nagin is concerned, all I can say is his family is now
permanently residing in Atlanta. This should tell you all you need to
know.

When Hurricane Betsy came through in 1967 (yes nearly 40 years ago) it
was recognized that there was a great deal of exposure regarding
flooding due to the geography of the area.

If you look at a map, the mouth of the river combined with the
Mississippi Gulf Coast form a "funnel" at which the mouth is Lake
Pontchartrain. Every time we have prevailing easterly winds for any
period of time an inordinate amount of water is pumped into the lake,
which normally has a mean depth of about 10 feet. 4-5 foot rises in
water levels are not uncommon over a couple of day period.

Now multiply this with a hurricane (or tropical storm) and the effect
is much more exacerbated. The level in the lake rose some 8' in the
days preceding the storm. When the storm went over the area, the
water sloshed to the northshore of the lake first (yes my house was
flooded and I'm at 11'-7" ABL) and then sloshed back to the southshore
when the wind changed directions with the passing of the storm. You
saw the result. Once the water was in the city, getting it out took 3
weeks BECAUSE of the levee systems. What keeps something out also
keeps something in. The water on the northshore of the lake receeded
in about an hour.

What was proposed after Betsy was a floodwall to be erected at the
mouth of Lake Pontchartrain at Rigolet Pass which could be closed in
the event of these prevailing easterlies to minimize the amount of
water allowed in the lake. Money was allocated by the FED and the
corp had the contracts let. Then the environmental groups filed suit
to keep it from happening. This went on for 10 years until the FED
rescinded the money and went about "strengthening" the levees.

The problem with levees here is the soil in the New Orleans area is
largely comprised on organic matter. Clay, the cornerstone of good
levee design, is extremely hard to find in the area. So, the
specifications were "adjusted" and the spoils of the dredging of the
Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MR GO) were used to build the levees.
This was swamp/marsh materials not in any way suitable for building
levees.

MR GO was dug to allow ships a shorter path to the Gulf from the port.
All it's done is destroy the marsh, which used to provide protection
from storm surge, and allow an unfettered path of water flow into St.
Bernard parish which was flooded in it's ENTIRETY. Imagine an entire
county getting flooded in your city. You don't here much about this
on the national news.

So the situation is a result of nearly 40 years of ineptitude
incompetence and sheer apathy.

It's going to take a LONG time to get it fixed. I've lived here all
my life and I'm getting out. I just finished the rehab of my house
and I'm headed for Atlanta or Raleigh Durham, or Nashville, the first
place I can find a suitable job.

Now, the French Quarter and surrounding areas were left dry because
they are built upon the spoils that used to be left when the river
flooded. It's called the "sliver by the river". Until the invention
of the large scale drainage pumps in the late 1800's, this was the
only area of the city that was populated. The main damage to the
quarter and the convention center were as a result of the mindless
looting. The convention center was a mess (much like the Superdome
was) after the storm.

It's all been cleaned up fairly well and by February all the traffic
lights "should" be functional again, so it's likely you wouldn't even
know about the damage unless you went looking for it.

Take care


===========================================================================
Chris

 

Ok, I bit the bullet and decided to go - it will be my second time (in
a row) and it's a tough decision to make when you run your own
business. It amounts to a significant expense. However, I had a good
time in Las Vegas, met many people and learned many things. Hopefully
New Orleans will deliver as well.

See you there!

Zander

 

You might want to plan on attending the user group meeting on Monday
afternoon. You can learn more about the groups and what's going on, and
also meet some of us there.

WT