Red Hat Summit: Bringing the Heat to the Big Easy
by Greg DeKoenigsberg
Linux in the Heart of Town
There will be plenty of great reasons to join Red Hat at our
first annual Summit: great keynote speakers, previews of "the next
big thing," high-powered technical sessions, and the chance to chat with
community luminaries over
po-boys
and
Dixie.
It would be pretty foolish, though, to pretend that New Orleans itself
isn't one of the biggest stars of this show. Summit 2005 will be
held in the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, right in the heart of one of
the world's great tourist cities. When the day's sessions end, the
city has its own sessions for you, and you'll want to hit as many
of them as you can. Of course, there are a
truly
impressive
number of
online
resources
available to visitors who want to do their own tourist-y homework — but
the way we figure, it can't hurt to start people off in the right
direction.
Summit 2005 will be held in the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, right in
the heart of one of the world's great tourist cities.
Making Your Way in the Crescent City
First, a little bit of friendly advice. Fly into Louis Armstrong
airport (yes, that's Louis Armstrong) and take the cab ride into the city.
Don't bring your car, and don't rent one when you arrive. In New
Orleans, you walk. If you don't walk, you take the streetcar (and don't
call it a trolley). If you get caught Uptown after the streetcars stop
running, you can call a cab, of which there are plenty available at any
hour of the day or night. Just don't bring a car. Really.
Next, a basic primer on directions in New Orleans. One of the first
things a visitor learns about New Orleans is that the compass doesn't
matter, because in New Orleans, the river is all around you, and you're
either going towards it or you're not. New Orleans is also strongly
defined by its neighborhoods, and the Riverfront Hilton is at the nexus
of two of its brightest: the Central Business District and the French
Quarter. There are lots of other neighborhoods, some good and some
not so good, but the CBD and the Quarter are right outside the front
door, and the perfect places to start exploring. Go through the hotel
doors and head for Canal Street, which is the broadest street in the
United States. Looking up Canal Street, the CBD is to your left, and
the French Quarter is to your right.
Once you get a basic handle on where you are, it's time to start looking
for trouble. There are a handful of experiences in New Orleans that you
just shouldn't miss. When you say, "I went to the Red Hat Summit in New
Orleans," your friends will say "great, where did you go?" You should
have some good answers for them. Fortunately, we've got some ideas to
help you out.
Once you get a basic handle on where you are, it's time to start looking
for trouble.
The Original Music City
The nice folks of Nashville may call their hometown "The Music City,"
but the citizens of New Orleans
know better.
Any city that names its airport after a jazzman is serious about its
music. New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and the legends of jazz,
and people in the city take that identity to heart. There are
performances nightly in great venues all over town. If you leave New
Orleans without attending at least one live jazz performance,
you'll only have yourself to blame. Opportunities of particular note:
-
Preservation
Hall, 726 Saint Peter, 11 blocks from the Summit.
-
Up Canal, right on Royal, left on Saint Peter. This is the home of
serious, New Orleans-style jazz, and a visit here is akin to a
pilgrimage. Doors open nightly at 8 p.m., and the 35-minute sets
begin promptly at 8:15 p.m. No food, no drinks except bottled water,
no smoking. Get there at 7:30 and you might find a chair, but don't
count on it. Sit, or stand, and marvel at men who were playing jazz
music before your mother was born.
-
Funky Butt,
714 N. Rampart, 16 blocks from the Summit.
-
Up Canal, right on Rampart. (Pay attention as you make your way to
this club, as it's close to a rough neighborhood; crossing Rampart
is not such a good idea.) "It's tight... it's cozy... it's tucked
away." So the proprietors claim, and so it is. For those who like
more funk in their jazz, the shows here start later, run longer, and
shake harder. And you can actually drink here, which gives it an
immediate advantage over Preservation Hall in the eyes of some.
-
House
of Blues, 225 Decatur, 5 blocks from the Summit.
-
Up Canal, right on Decatur. Okay, so maybe it's not as "authentic"
as some other joints — but just because it was born in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, that doesn't mean that it doesn't swing.
Consistently excellent acts, good food, and plenty of space make
this a great venue for music fans who aren't all fussy about
history.
-
Tipitina's,
501 Napoleon, many blocks from the Summit.
-
Tell the cabbie "Tipitina's" and he'll get you there. If he asks
you which one, just snort and say "would I be asking for a cab ride
into the Quarter from here?" The original Tipitina's was built to
be Professor
Longhair's retirement home (it's named after one of his most
popular songs). It's been one of the best music venues in New
Orleans ever since.
"Eat as Much as You Possibly Can..."
"...and then go out and eat some more." That's Harry Connick Jr.'s
advice. It's good advice. If epicurean adventures are "your thing,"
then you'll be within blocks of some of the finest restaurants on
planet Earth. Or, if fancy dining rooms make you nervous, there's
an abundance of "lowbrow" fare that's still better than most of what
you'll eat at home, wherever that is. The fancy places are
well-documented, and if you want to go dine at
Emeril's or
Commander's Palace or
Brennan's,
you won't have any trouble finding them. If, however, you're saving
your money for that new flat panel, we've got a few tips for you.
Figure 1. Cajun Style Jambalaya
-
Acme Oyster House, 724 Iberville, 7 blocks from the summit.
-
Up Canal, right on Royal, left on Iberville. Like oysters? Acme's
got 'em. Not so sure? Have a shrimp po-boy instead. Acme Oyster
House is a Quarter fixture, the food is tasty, plentiful and cheap,
and it's close enough to the summit to make it worthwhile to stop by
for lunch. If you hustle, that is.
-
Central Grocery, 923 Decatur, 11 blocks from the Summit.
-
Up Canal, right on Decatur. Ever heard of a muffaletta? Take a
huge round loaf of seeded bread, almost a foot in diameter, and then
slice it like a gigantic hamburger bun, and then fill it with ham
and salami and cheese and olive paste. And then eat it — or
share it with six of your closest friends. It's one of tastiest
ways ever to eat yourself into a coma. They close the doors at
5:30 p.m., so you'll want to make this a special lunch trip.
-
Mother's, 401 Poydras, 4 blocks from the Summit.
-
Straight up Poydras. Po-boys are awesome, but you'll stand a little
while outside and wait to get in. That's all right, since they move
folks right along. Get in, get your food, get out. Perfect for a
midday break between sessions.
-
Croissant D'Or, 617 Ursulines, 15 blocks from the Summit.
-
Up Canal, right on Chartres, left on Ursulines. A French
patisserie, with a truly astounding combination of perfect pastries
and cheap prices. Eat breakfast here once and you'll never forget
it. It's too good to be believed — in fact, probably best to
forget we even mentioned it. Nothing to see here. Move along.
Late Nights and Early Mornings
Just about everyone who visits New Orleans makes their way to Bourbon
Street. It's simple to find; head up Canal Street and turn right when
it gets loud. Some people love the chaos that is Bourbon Street; others
make one trip down its length and never look back. Either way, the
open container law and the number of bars throughout the Quarter provide
lots of opportunities for late night revelry in New Orleans.
When the clubs and bars close, though, sometimes you don't want to head
back to the hotel right away. That's fine; there are plenty of great
places to spend your time (or money) while waiting for night to turn
back into day again. We'll look at a few of them.
-
Cafe Du Monde, 1039 Decatur, 11 blocks from the Summit.
-
Up Canal, right on Decatur. Even at 4 a.m. in the middle of winter,
people are sitting under the big green and white striped awning,
drinking coffee and eating the fried powdered sugar bombs also known
as beignets. How good are beignets? Ask Krispy Kreme; they tried
to set up shop across Jackson Square and closed their doors within a
year.
-
Huey's 24/7 Diner, 200 Magazine, 5 blocks from the Summit.
-
Up Poydras, right on Magazine. Hungry for some good diner food?
After drinking that much, you ought to be, and Huey's got what you
need. If you think that guy in that booth over there looks like
Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, that's probably because it's
Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails. Keep it to yourself, though;
he's just trying to enjoy his breakfast. Oh, and they also have
free wireless, if you can't resist the urge to play Half Life 2 in
the middle of the night.
-
Harrah's.
-
You can't possibly miss it, since it takes up the entire block
between the hotel and Canal Street. You'll be walking past it
several times a day, so you might as well go in once. It's open all
the time — as in, they don't put locks on the doors because
it's open all the time. If you want an all-night game of Texas
Hold'Em, this is the place for you. Just don't come crying when you
lose all your money.
So Much to Do, So Little Time
So, there it is. If the thought of technical, hands-on sessions with Red
Hat's finest, deep discussions about kernel optimizations, and chats on how
to shape the open source industry isn't enough to lure you to the Summit,
perhaps this article has at least inspired you to join us for some good,
old-fashioned, cajun style fun. Be sure to register for the Summit soon,
and as they say in the Big Easy, "Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler."
About the Author
Greg DeKoenigsberg is the Community Relations Manager for Red Hat.
He and his wife travel to New Orleans every chance they get, and still
haven't seen most of what they want to see.
