You Don't Say

Bartenders on Bourbon Street usually measure the success of Mardi Gras according to the number of square inches of exposed pavement outside the door. This year, they could measure the space in square feet.
"When you can see the pavement on Bourbon Street, it's not a good crowd," said Frank Downs, vice president of Cats Meow, a karaoke bar on Bourbon Street, where sales were down at least 40 percent. "This Mardi Gras, we saw the pavement."
"In a normal year, we sell 1 million Hurricanes," said Rupert Gwaltney, a manager at the French Quarter nightclub Pat O'Brien's, referring to the bar's famously potent cocktail. "This year, it's way lower than that. Instead of tourists, the crowds were mostly locals and they're busy spending on Sheetrock and insulation."