Serpas Signal

Hope everyone in New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail has had an enjoyable time thus far. Hope you aren't having to do much driving between events.  Especially not tonight. 

The New Orleans Police Department’s Traffic Division will conduct a sobriety checkpoint, in Orleans Parish, on Thursday July 18, 2013, beginning at approximately 9:00 P.M. and will conclude at approximately 5:00 A.M.  Motorists will experience minimal delays and should have the proper documentation available if requested, i.e., proof of insurance, driver’s license, etc. 

Luckily, these days visitors to the newest and hippest downtown watering holes "street food" and craft cocktail driven "blogstaurants"  have all sorts of alternative transportation options. 

We regularly count the number of empty parking spots outside of Booty’s on busy nights. Even with a completely full house, 50 people eating and drinking inside, we consistently count between ten and as high as twenty spots open on the four blocks that Booty’s sits on the corner of. It turns out that the majority of our customers are coming to Booty’s on their feet, on their bikes, and by taxi (Especially astonishing to us, as taxis literally and uniformly refused to drive to Bywater for the year we spent building Booty’s.). Pedicabs and limousines (!!!) have even become frequent fixtures here, dropping off guests, but gridlocked traffic and a dearth of parking spots? Not so much.

Prior to the advent of Booty's (circa 2012) no cabs would ever go to Bywater! That is an amazing fact. Is there a way we can extend this development strategy to other neighborhoods?  What sort of social media based tapas and networking establishment could we build in Algiers that might encourage the next pedi-ferry start-up to go into business?  If I get to Booty's this weekend I'll be sure and ask.  I'm a little short on limo fare right now, unfortunately.  But, hey, free parking, right?