I was told that I could listen at a reasonable volume..

Attorney Stuart Smith may just yet inspire Jan Ramsey to set the building on fire.

But at Pat O’Brien’s and Court of Two Sisters? That’s taking it really far. Pat O’s says it plays music in its courtyard but at a low level so as not to interfere with customers’ conversations (it’s background music, apparently). I’ve been to the Court of Two Sisters many times, and the only music I’ve ever heard there is a jazz band. So what is this Yokum talking about? Jazz bands? Crowd noise? Is the crowd noise too much? Should Pat O’Brien’s go out of business because one guy is disturbed by music and events that have taken place there since 1933? Is this just another way for rich Quarterites to convert the neighborhood into a no-music, no-noise zone? Or is it another attempt by Stuart Smith to bully the rest of the city into doing things his way? We know he hates noise, and we know he probably makes some money from the lawsuits he files.

Smith has made his fortune from representing class action suits in the environmental field. Could it be that he sees music—read ”noise” in Smith’s legal brain—as a possible means to a class action lawsuit representing citizens who choose to live in the densest entertainment district in the south and then complain when the music (noise) is too loud for their old ears?

The noise wars are more complicated than a set of fuddy-duddies who "hate noise" vs the "free artists" they seek to oppress.  Ramsey is probably correct that Smith represents a particular cadre of "rich Quarterites" who want the kids off their lawns. But Quarter residents do struggle with maintaining their neighborhood in the face of encroachments from the film and tourism industries in various other ways.

Meanwhile the Landrieu administration continues to reinforce the notion that music and entertainment is permissible only in the Quarter and downtown through a series of stings and raids on neighborhood bars and music clubs frequented by more locals than visitors.  Maybe those of us who think neighborhoods and "entertainment districts" aren't' mutually exclusive propositions would be better off moving to the Quarter. 

If Mr. Smith would be willing to trade his condo for my Uptown apartment, I might make that deal. He should know, though, that the Downman mansion up the street gets pretty rowdy when it hosts its private Rex and Comus functions. Might be fun to see him try to sue them for a change.