re: I walked around the Quarter on Saturday.....

They've been down there for years. I agree the gutter punk problem has worsened, but I don't mind themz kids clawing on the banjo and mandolin all day, as long as they're not harrassing tourists for beer money. If you spend time down there you'll notice who hangs with whom and which ones are mixed up in the hard dope. A few of the musically inclined groups are pretty impressive, especially some of the rouses supermarket hangers. The late night Frenchman dope heads are pretty obnoxious- or at least the side-show crew that bums the stoop with them. Love this city, even the transient train hoppers.