New Orleans, LA

Dear all,

Melanie and I spent the day in New Orleans today. Afterward, we still have no idea why the place is called The Big Easy.

Here are some pictures:

We had breakfast at Surrey's Cafe, as featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" show. Interestingly enough, we both ordered beans and rice, which is what we have every day at home, but, hey, the orange-mango-pineapple juice was quite good. (It better have been good, since a glass cost as much as an entree.)

This isn't quite in the Garden District of New Orleans, but it's close enough to give you a taste. Isn't Melanie splendid?

We caught a 3D movie at the IMAX theater. The movie was about the sardine migration off the coast of Africa. Believe me, it was better than it sounds--the underwater footage of diving birds was pretty unbelievable.

We also went to the Audubon Aquarium. Back in Salt Lake City, we went to the Hogle Zoo and saw Antoine, a white alligator who'd been evacuated from New Orleans during a hurricane. I think this must be Antoine's brother.

Eels have to be the most evil looking creatures on earth.

I have no idea what this is supposed to be--coral? seaweed?--but Melanie looks cute in it.

Here we are in the French Quarter, an area of New Orleans named after a hamburger at Mimi's Cafe. It could be a postcard, don't you think?

Here we are having beignets at Cafe du Monde, a famous French Quarter coffee shop. They dump enormous quantities on powdered sugar on the beignets, and, as a result, the whole floor is speckled. Tradition holds that, if it's your first time here, someone's supposed to blow powdered sugar in your face. I kept quiet.

Here we are in front of the famous Antoine's Restaurant, deep in the French Quarter. If you are in any way family-oriented, this is not where you want to be after dark during Mardi Gras. (Well, actually, the French Quarter is a little sketchy any time after dark.) Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" in French, and it is the Tuesday before the start of Lent, when Catholics deprive themselves of something they love in order to show respect and devotion to their faith. I hear that, this year, many Catholic kids are going without text-messaging.

So there you have it. Laissez les bon temps roulez!