By Jim Seida and Mike Brunker, msnbc.com

The French Quarter after dark, the night after Hurricane Gustav crashed ashore. Neon signs beckon to departed tourists. Empty but stirring. A handful of bars open, several of them packed with locals and reporters. Police cruisers splash past in heavy rain, blue lights flashing on near deserted streets as the raindrops play Lee Young on the sidewalk. A curfew is not a curfew.