2010 Reunion

-- Driving directions from the airport (and directions for those driving to NO) are

Hotel Parking (note - this corrects/amends info on the hotel's web site)

Parking within the Intercon building is by valet only. Cost is $29/day plus tax (total $32.48/day) added to your tab. This rate includes in-and-out privileges.

Self parking is available in the adjacent Pan Am building for $25 per day (no tax), which is pay-as-you-go and not added to your hotel tab. The self-parking option does not include in-and-out privileges. There is direct ground-level access to the hotel from the Pan Am building.

The rate for self parking of oversize vehicles, if space available, is $45.

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Sometimes you just get lucky. Our reunion is the same weekend as the French Quarter Festival kick off called the FQF by the locals: Here is the weblink: http://www.fqfi.org/ Once you have reviewed this, I think you will find it impossible not to be entertained. No city puts on betters gigs like this than Nawlins with lots of food, booze and music right on the street. I would suggest you print out those things in which you might be interested . When you get to the hotel, we will have a packet of brochures prepared by the concierge of the hotel. But the FQF sort of sews it up for me. I don't really have to go looking for fun.

Here is the other destination, I think many folks will want to hit, the fairly new WWII museum: http://www.ddaymuseum.org/. Here again, review now, and print out the times, and events you may want to attend there.

One of the nice things about NOLA is that you can drink legally on the street. So you can mix your favorite in the suite in a 16 oz. cup and traipse over to the French Quarter. Also, there are a bunch of daquiri shops, beer kiosks, etc. all over the French Quarter. As well as carry out drinks from any bar. As for me, I just can't do it like the old days. If I start out with a Bloody Mary in the morning, I'll be draggin' ass the rest of the day. But for you young at heart types (are there any left), you have at it. Combat naps start at 1600.

DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THE INVALUABLE INFO WE RECEIVED ON 26 MARCH FROM FORMER NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT GUY LEARY. FIND IT ON THE "REUNION ANNOUNCEMENTS" PAGE. SCROLL DOWN TO THE 26 MAR ENTRY. ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS RECEIVED 27 MARCH FROM DANNY MEYER.

Strange thing happened on Monday morning 12 Oct 2009. Ger & Kar Spaulding were at the San Diego Airport waiting to board their flight home to Colorado Springs following a brief vacation on the west coast. Lo and behold, who do they run into in the ticket counter area but Billy Bob Overend, who had just wrapped up some business in San Diego and was checking in for the flight to the next stop on his itinerary before heading home to Atlanta. About a half hour for coffee and a chat.

When you consider that Billy Bob and Ger are the two people in the world who have been ~~conspiring~~ collaborating regularly via email on the upcoming VP-17 Reunion in New Orleans and they run into each other in San Diego -- when neither knew the other was going to be there -- what an ironic coincidence. A one in a hundred million shot. Must be a really good omen for this reunion!

The following was provided by the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism (CRT).

Day 1: Dear Boudreaux, Thanks for de bird in de
Pear tree. I fix it las' night with dirty
rice. I doan tink de pear tree will grow in de
swamp, so I swap it for a Satsuma.

Day 2: Dear Boudreaux, You letter say you sent
two turtle doves, but all I got was two scrawny
pigeons. Anyway, I mixed dem with andouille an made some gumbo out of dem.

Day 3: Dear Boudreaux, Why doan you sent some
crawfish? I'm tired of eating dem darn birds. I
gave two of dose prissy French chickens to Marie
Trahan over at Grans Bayou an fed the tird one to my dog Phideaux.
Marie needed some sparing partners for her fighting rooster.

Day 4: dear Boudreaux, Mon Dieux! I tol you no
more friggin birds. Deez four, what you call dem
"calling birds" were so noisy you could hear dem
all de way to Napoleonville. I used dere necks
for my crab traps, an fed de rest of dem to de gators.

Day 5: Dear Boudreaux, You finally sen' somethin
useful. I like dem golden rings, me. I hocked
dem at da pawn shop in Thibodeaux and got enuf
money to fix da shaft on my shrimp boat an buy a
round for da boys at de Raisin' Cane Lounge. Merci Beaucoup!

Day 6: Dear Boudreaux, Couchon! Back to da birds, you coonass turkey!
Poor egg suckin' Phideaux is scared to death at
dem six gaeases. He tried to eat dems eggs and
dey peck de heck out ah his snout. Dey good at
eating cockroaches, though. I may stuff one of
dem wit erster dressing on Christmas day.

Day 7: Dear Boudreaux, I'm gonna wring your fool
neck next time I see you. Thibeau, da mailman,
is ready to kill ya. The merde from all dem
birds is stinkin' up his mailboat. He afraid
someone will slip on dat stuff and sue him
good. I let those seven swans loose to swim on
de bayou and some duck hunters from Mississippi
blasted dem out of de water. Talk to you tomorrow.

Day 8: Dear Boudreaux,! poor ole Thibeau, he had
to make tree trips on his mailboat to de liver dem
8 maids a milkin and their cows. One of dem cows
got spooked by da alligators and almost tipped
over da boat. I doan like dem shiftless maids,
me no. I tolt dem to get to work guttin fish and
sweepinq the shack but dey say it wasn't in dair
contract. Dey probably think dey too good ta skin nutrias I caught las night.

Day 9: Dear Boudreaux, What you trying to do
huh? Thibeau had to borrow the Lutcher ferry to
carry dem jumpin twits you call Lords-a-Leaping
across the bayou. As soon as dey gots here dey
wanted a tea break with crumpets. I doan know
what dat means but I says, "Well La Di Da. You
get Chicory coffee or nuttin." Mon Dieu,
Emile. What I'm gonna feed all dese bozos? Dey
too snooty for fried nutria, and de cows done eat my turnip greens.

Day 10: Dear Boudreaux, You got to be outs you
mind! If de mailman don't kill you, I will fo
sure. Today he deliver 10 half nikid floozies
fr! om Bourbon Street. Dey said dey be "Ladies
Dancin" but dey doan act like ladies in front of
dose Limey twits. Dey almos left after one of
dem got bit by a water moccasin over by da
out-house. I had to butcher 2 cows to feed toute
le monde an had to get toilet paper; The Sears
catalog wasn't good enuf fer dose hoity toity Lords' royal behin.

Day 11: Dear Boudreaux, where y'at? Cheerio an
pip pip. Your 11 pipers piping arrives today
from the House of Blues, second lining as dey got
off de boat. We fixed snuffed goose and beef
jambalaya, finished da whiskey and we having a
fais-do-do. Da new mailman he drink a bottle of
Jack Daniel an he having a good time yeah dancing with de floozies.
Thibeau he jump off de Sunshine Bridge yesterday, screaming your name.
If you get a mysterious, ticking package in de mail, doan open it.

Day 12: Dear Boudreaux, I sorry to tell ya but I
not your true love anymore, no. After da
fais-do-do, I spent de night with Jacque, de head
piper. We decide to open a restaurant and
gentleman's club on de bayou. The floozies,
pardon me, Ladies dancing can make $20 for a
table dance, and de Lords can be waiters an valet
park de boats. Since de maids doan have no more
cows ta milk, I trained dem ta set my crab traps,
watch my trotlines, an run my shrimping
business. We will probably gross a million clams nex year.