BONUS: Not the New Year's Eve I ever expected on Bourbon Street
Front Page submits questions from readers to Sen. Dan Stec
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My son was visiting his girlfriend in Atlanta.
My brother had returned Sunday to Connecticut.
I was on my own in New Orleans for New Year's Eve in one of the great party cities in the world.
I was looking forward to seeing the "Fleur de Lis" - New Orleans' version of the ball in Times Square - drop in Jackson Square at midnight and the fireworks over the Mississippi River.
And I knew I would have to take a walk down the legendary Bourbon Street.
I left from the Warehouse District at about 8:30 p.m. and walked along the riverfront, watching party-goers board the Creole King and Natchez paddle wheelers for their evening on the Mississippi River.
By 9 p.m. dozens of people had camped out along the riverfront to watch the midnight fireworks. From there, I walked over to the concert at Jackson Square. I was taking photos and posting them on Facebook all along the way. From there, I walked the three blocks up Saint Anne Street to Bourbon Street and turned left.
What you need to know about Bourbon Street - one of the most famous streets in the world - is that it is a narrow path that barely contains two-way traffic. Its entrance off Canal Street is totally nondescript and you would be easy to drive by it.
Bourbon Street is not legendary for its architecture as much as its reputation for unparalleled debauchery. It truly has to be seen to be believed.
By the time I reached Bourbon Street New Year's Eve, it was nearly 10 p.m.
Most people enter Bourbon Street off Canal Street - it's close to the midtown hotels - where your stroll will take you past a series of small cross-streets every 300 or 400 feet. There are a few hotels and restaurants, but mostly bars fill the route.
In New Orleans, there is no open-container law so your are allowed to purchase drinks at walk-up windows or take them "to go" from bars. More people are carrying drinks than not.
Walking from Canal Street onto Bourbon Street, you will first cross Iberville Street, then Bienville Street and five other streets before your each my entrance at Saint Ann Street.
Bourbon Street was as crowded as I had ever seen it New Year's Eve.
The crowds were shoulder to shoulder with little room to move.
By 10:15 or so, I had made it all the way down to Iberville Street and noticed Canal Street up ahead.
I ducked in to Big Easy Daiquiris to get a slice of pizza, sharing a table top with a man and two women.
My last photo on Bourbon Street was taken at 10:28 p.m. and shows Big Easy Daiquiris in the background.
Five hours later an alleged terrorist propelled an F-150 Ford pickup truck down Bourbon Street, past Iberville Street - where I snacked on pizza five hours earlier - and Bienville Street before crashing into a small construction crane that I remember walking around.
Fifteen are dead and dozens injured.
What I remember about walking back up Bourbon Street was it was even more crowded than when I walked down a half-hour earlier.
There were two police officers on horseback wading through the crowd.
More and more people were begging for beads from the people up on the balconies - a New Orleans tradition - and the crowd was moving slower.
I made my way back to Saint Ann Street at 11:05 and secured a spot in the crowd to watch the ball drop in Jackson Square. The woman next to me was carrying a small champagne bottle and two glasses.
There was unparalleled revelry, celebration and optimism that next year will be better than last.
As I walked home along the riverfront, several people wished me "Happy New Year."
There was goodwill in the air.
Even the man who complained about his car being towed seemed to be in good spirits.
I was home by 1 a.m.
It was a great experience, an adventure unlike anything I had done before on New Year's Eve.
I awoke at 7 a.m. New Year's Day with a text message from Will Doolittle wondering if I was OK.
I texted back and described what a great night I experienced.
I noticed other concerns for me on Facebook and then a bulletin about the attack in the French Quarter.
Despite my proximity to the events, I was not shocked.
It was another mass casualty event.
It did not surprise me.
It has become a way of life for our country.
Later that morning, Sophie and I walked the mile down to the French Quarter and joined the other gawkers.
The Quarter was eerily quiet.
All cars were banned from Canal Street.
There were few cars or people in the Quarter.
Bourbon Street was isolated by police tape and dark for the first time since Katrina.
As I retreated toward the river, a nicely dressed man in a jacket said, "It's always something, isn't it?"
He did not seem afraid or overly concerned.
"Heck of a way to start the new year," I said.
"Terrible start to the new year," he said.
And it's hard to imagine it will get much better.
Stec questions
After posting the questions that Front Page readers wanted Dan Stec to answer on Tuesday, I emailed Stec's communication guy, Jim Shahen, and asked him if he would grant us an interview.
Shahen wrote he would run the questions by Stec and see what he says.
Sugar Bowl canceled
My football weekend took a hit because of the tragedy in the French Quarter.
The cancelation of the playoff game is understandable considering the circumstances and the concerns for security.
When I was at the Saints game at the Superdome on Sunday I noticed a number of bomb-sniffing dogs checking cars as they entered the parking garages.
I never remember seeing that before.
My son wondered if they were practicing for the Super Bowl in February.
The Sugar Bowl game between Notre Dame and Georgia was scheduled less than 24 hours after the attack in the French Quarter.
It has been rescheduled for Thursday. Unfortunately, I fly home on Thursday evening.
Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.
Ken- thank you for this important outreach that could possibly be instrumental in getting Dan Stec to hold a town hall in our area amongst people he knows and has worked with in the past as Town Supervisor. A town hall could be helpful in signaling to him that should he win, we would need him to be, unlike Stefanik, accessible and transparent and working on behalf of all in District 21. And to question his partisanship because many of us do not support extreme Maga policies and plans; how will he represent those of us with whom, for example he knows and has worked with collaboratively and personally on local issues, and how will he protect all the people, even those who may disagree with some of his agenda? His roots and are local and regardless of political party should not be seen or treated as Trump calls the enemy within but as neighbors from the same town with common need and interest for our community health and safety.
So relieved you weren't near Bourbon Street at the time of the attack. Our country is infected with the scourge of selfishness and insanity and it has been getting worse for a long time. You are right, it is no longer surprising to fathom the loss of life in an instant of madness, to say to yourself, it's not safe, anywhere, at any time. I thought of our town and it's villages and city and its relative safety and for now, I'm very glad you are headed back home.