NOLO

New Orleans, Louisiana. They call it the Big Easy, in comparison to New York City, aka the Big Apple. While New Yorkers live a rather frantic life style, life in New Orleans is much more laid-back, according to New Orleans gossip columnist Betty Guillard, who coined the nickname in the sixties.

When I found out that Bill was being inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers at their banquet in New Orleans on October 2nd, I decided to go along to help him celebrate that great honor. Besides, I had never visited New Orleans, so I was excited to explore a new city.

The sunset view from our room on the 33rd floor of the downtown Marriott.

Bill attended a Cable Television conference at the convention center across town, so I was on my own most of the time during the day.  The first day we were there, though, after Bill registered for the conference, we were free to explore the French Quarter, and have a marvelous lunch and supper.

The food was amazing. We savored the duck gumbo, shrimp, crab cakes, and freshly caught fish.

Many balconies are used for dining.

Our view of the French Quarter from a balcony.

There was a noticeable police presence, especially after dark.

  

This window was obviously waiting for morning.

From the outside, looking in.

We joked that Bill was there for the "schmoozing" --making contact with friends and colleagues in his industry--while I came along for the food and architecture. Neither of us were disappointed.

I did join Bill for a poor boy lunch at the convention center on the first day, so I could meet some of the people he knows so well. Then, I took the shuttle back to the hotel for a much needed nap. (We had gotten up at 3:30 the morning before, to catch our 6:00 flight out of Scottsbluff, so I was still playing catch-up with my sleep.) 

We saw shops, and more shops, selling chandeliers and other antiques.

Victoria would have loved this shoe store, with its feathery creations.

This store was more Levi's speed: it sold nothing but hot sauce.

While Bill was otherwise occupied, I did a little shopping close to our hotel, walked along the mighty Mississippi, and toured the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

The Aquarium is located right on the Mississippi River. 
It reminded me of Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, but on a much smaller scale.

 

The walk-through parakeet exhibit was outstanding.

This is really just one alligator, mirrored by the water.

The seahorse exhibit was fascinating.

I loved these fish!

This sea turtle was my favorite.

Much of the aquarium had an under-sea feel.

  

A view of a paddle wheel boat and a tanker, on the river,
through an outdoor sculpture at the aquarium.

Bill and I enjoyed walking through the French Quarter together, listening to a variety of music, and we attended a couple of evening, vendor-sponsored, Mardi Gras parties. Our last night there, we finally got all dressed up for the black tie, Cable TV Pioneers dinner at the Ritz Carlton, a few blocks from our hotel.

At the Banquet.

For those of you who don't know, Bill chaired a CableLabs committee that came up with the Docsis protocol for cable television. It is because of their hard work that small cable TV systems, which make up 70% of all cable systems nationwide, can have high speed internet access. Everyone on that committee was recognized at the Cable Pioneers Banquet for their hard work and dedication to introducing new technology that has become a reality for so many of us throughout the US, and worldwide.

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New Orleans is a fascinating, very old city that is still rebuilding since Katrina and Ike ravaged it a few years ago. It doesn't really seem much like other American cities; instead, it reminds me of cities I've visited in other parts of the world. 

This beautiful, old hotel had amazing architectural details.

The French Quarter, which escaped most of the hurricane damage, is old, dirty, and utterly captivating. I tripped and fell, flat on my face, when the toe of my shoe caught the edge of an uneven, broken paver. No, I wasn't hurt at all, and I was immediately surrounded by natives who made sure I was alright.

And speaking of natives, as soon as the sun sets, countless shop doorways are occupied by the homeless, hopeless population, surrounded by all of their belongings, settling in for the night.

The shops sell anything imaginable, and some things I am too naive to really comprehend. There was definitely a Satanic influence, with Tarot card readings and Fortune Tellers hawking their services. There were numerous adult-only shops, and shops that sold only costumes or ornately feathered masks. In October, haunted house and cemetery tours are extremely popular.

As busy as the French Quarter was in early October, I know I would never be comfortable with the raucous crowds of Mardi Gras. I applaud my brother, Dan, who attends Mardi Gras often with No Greater Love Ministries, joining other street-corner performers in their effort to share the hope that is found in Jesus Christ.

If I ever get the chance to visit New Orleans again, I want to cruise the Mississippi on a paddle boat, take a trolley tour, and walk through the oldest cemetery--I love to read old tombstones.

The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.  Isaiah 57:1-2