Once I got down to the baggage claim, it started sounding like New Orleans too: in front of the carousel was a four-man jazz band, advertising SIGGRAPH 2009.
So, after taking a cab to my hotel (which I learned later was a total waste of money, as there was an airport shuttle which stopped by my hotel), I spent most of the rest of the day wandering first around New Orleans, a few blocks from the convention center, and second around the convention center itself. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is large enough for SIGGRAPH, which by now is astonishingly large.
New Orleans -- at least the part where I am -- looks basically like any other city of my acquaintance, if a bit more obviously worn and suffering from urban decay. (Not hopelessly so, mind. There is clearly growth, and not in the 'mold' sense: there's a 24-floor building that'll be going up soon, not a mile from where I sit, and some buildings and shells are clearly undergoing construction and destruction.) The only restaurant I've eaten at so far -- the Sun Ray Grill -- is essentially a tourist trap; I may go back there the last day of the trip, but not sooner. (A tip for the management: sweet-potato crisps? Not so good when served lukewarm-to-cold.)
The setup phase of SIGGRAPH, at least, was in full swing; registration had already started, and I was able to get my badge and conference DVD relatively quickly. SIGGRAPH is no longer actually printing full programs, in order to
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