I feel like I’m flunking the New Orleans visit.

Yes, I’ve wandered around the French Quarter a few times, since it’s within walking distance of the conference hotel.

But I’m not in love with the somewhat tacky veneer of the Quarter, which reminds me of parts of Waikiki before the luxury shopping model and the Gucci and Tiffany’s of the international corporate world took over that experience. Since we’re not into the bar scene, and are too cheap to sample the better restaurants that people rave about, it’s hard to find quite the right niche for our visit.

Even my camera hasn’t been inspired yet, although I’ve faithfully carried it with me all week.

When we were here 20 years ago or so, we had friends who lived out in the Garden District. They showed us many of the city’s interesting and beautiful spots, most of which didn’t involve coming downtown. But they’ve moved, and we haven’t had time to track back to any of those places. Maybe today we’ll see more, with a little time to get on a streetcar and ride for a while.

But we’re on a plane very early Sunday morning, so time is short. And seeing a place under time pressure is not our best act.