My 2 daughters and 20 friends from SF and LA rented an Airbnb mansion about 40 minutes from the French Quarter. Their NYE plans included spending time on Bourbon Street. When I woke up this morning at 9 a.m. EST and saw the news, I immediately tried to contact them and others in their group. I received no response initially, which was worrying. I thought of it as the lottery in reverse—what are the odds they were at that location at 3:15 a.m.? The news mentioned mostly locals were injured, but I still couldn’t shake the anxiety.
I also noticed early tweets about the perpetrator allegedly coming from the border, as reported by Newsmax, Fox News, and others, which turned out to be false. This serves as a reminder of the importance of following multiple news sources. It’s also why I regret seeing many good people leaving platforms like X (Twitter), which offer community notes and diverse viewpoints, despite the polarizing views about Elon Musk.
Finally, at 9:30 a.m., my oldest daughter texted to say everyone was okay. She mentioned they were on Bourbon Street when the incident happened, but the chaos of NYE meant they didn’t realize what had occurred until another friend in the group texted her. She told me she plans to be more cautious in public spaces, though she & some in their group are still going on a ghost tour tonight. Life, as they say, goes on.
Currently, I’m on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, where NYE preparations were robust. The street was closed for 10 blocks last night, with 3-foot-tall portable traffic barriers and police or security at every entrance. Miami Beach has clearly learned from challenges during spring break. By next week, I expect Ocean Drive will reopen to limited traffic as usual.
I've been posting in this thread. 
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