A Toast to the Big Easy

  Media coverage showing in vivid detail the effects of Hurricane Katrina really has brought home just how devastating the storm was, particularly for New Orleans. It still remains unknown to what extent the city can or will be rebuilt.
  The news section in this issue of C&P narrows the coverage a bit by identifying some of the implications the disaster has had on the payments and ATM industries in the affected Gulf Coast states.
  The Aug. 29 storm left hundreds of ATMs either damaged or unusable. And with thousands of merchant locations destroyed or still shuttered, payment activity has ground to a virtual standstill. The Red Cross and other organizations, meanwhile, were distributing prepaid debit cards to get relief funds to victims quickly.
  That said, like many people, I have fond memories of New Orleans, especially my first trip there a little over a decade ago.
  Before my initial visit, a neighbor who often traveled to New Orleans for the annual Jazz festival gave me a list of places to go while sightseeing. My first stop was at Pat O'Brien's, a popular pub in the French Quarter neighborhood.
  I was sitting at the bar outside and noticed a couple next to me perusing a city map. The woman was speaking with an English accent, so to strike up conversation
  I quipped, 'You're not from around here, are you?'
  She laughed and said she was from England and that her friend was from Ireland. They were on holiday and were looking for places to check out in the city.
  We talked for no more than maybe 20 minutes, but during that time I mentioned the list my neighbor gave me. I told them that the next night I planned to have dinner and then later visit Tipitina's, a popular concert hall and bar.
  After dinner that next night, I walked over to Tipitina's. It was still early, maybe 7 p.m., and there were only two people there. Yep, it was the couple I met the evening before, and they were eagerly awaiting my arrival. The three of us wound up hanging out and having fun together the next three nights.
  For maybe a year after that we exchanged postcards anytime we traveled.
  We've since lost touch, but that's OK. The fond memories they and the city of New Orleans left with me will last forever.
  I had no idea at the time, of course, that places we visited would one day suddenly be gone.
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