NOLA

So this year I got to spend Mardi Gras from a float. It was the best time of my life. I got pictures that I really wanted to get for a long time but never had the opportunity to get them until now. It was amazingly fun. I cannot wait to do it again next year. I was walking through the French Quarter yesterday and went down one of the busy streets listening to the music being played on Royal. I realized how lucky I am to live near this wonderful city. We have our own special way of life down here with food and music that rings almost all through the Quarter. I never get tired of going there. It could be cold and cloudy and threatening to rain (and actually rain) but you still have fun. I got to thinking while I was walking around taking in all the sights, I want to research more on the history of New Orleans. I mean think about it, we have our own soundtrack track to the history behind every building, a soundtrack that I didn't hear in school. There's a history that I missed out on and I want to know it and share with the rest of the world. This will take me a while to get together since I plan on writing the posts like a research paper...with pictures. So this will be interesting but I will do my best to be as informative as possible without being boring. Have a great day!

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras was fabulous. I spent the day with family (friends considered family) in Fat City. I took plenty of pictures and some video. I have a great video for those who have never Second Lined it on Mardi Gras, you'll get a chance to do just that while sitting comfortably in your seat (not the same but it's as close as you can get). Anyway, I caught a lot of beads that day. I love Mardi Gras! Hopefully I'll never miss one (and if I do it'll be for Carnival in Italy).

Never tire of the view

If there's one thing in the world I will never tire of is the view I get to see on my way to work: New Orleans. I love this city. On Tuesday was another beautiful sight to be had. I had just gotten onto the causeway bridge and I could already see the buildings of downtown. They seemed to shimmer in the rising sun, kind of like in the movie The Mummy when the city of the dead appeared. It's weird to compare those two but that's the best way I can describe it. The lake was somewhat docile, I guess she wasn't awake yet since I could see the lake bed on shore (low tide). Yesterday morning on my way to work, the sky was a little cloudy but a few rays of sunshine came through. I wish I could've gotten a picture of it, but I was driving so that wasn't a good idea. The sun rays were over the city of New Orleans. It was beautiful. That image will stay with me forever. And the lake? well let's just say that it was very windy and she looked angry. As I drove home in the setting sun, I was a little saddened because I couldn't turn and look at New Orleans. I did steal a few glances in my rear view mirror when I knew I could see it so that's better than nothing. This morning I didn't get the chance to see the city from 24 miles away or in the rising sun, but at least the lake was docile. The ride home was only focused north, trying to see if I could see the shore from the first mile. Naturally I couldn't. We have mostly trees which made it harder to see. The sun had begun to set but it wasn't going into the lake yet. Just another reason why I love my hometown.

A day in the Quarter

It's one of those places that you can never forget. NOLA has a way of casting her spell on tourists and even us locals. The spell is simple: time stops, worries disappear, and your promise to return for another visit. You never know what you will see or when you'll see it. It's another photographers' paradise with money shots left and right all around the French Quarter. NOLA is a place that you can't stay away from...even if you leave the country for 11 months.
I had the joy to see the city I love again even though it had only been a couple weeks since my last visit. Even in the heat I enjoyed my time with my close friend and sister who just returned home from Germany. It was just like old times and like she never left. We talked with a woman we had never met in our life, my sister directed some people where to find some masks, and even helped a couple take their picture. We hit our favorite spots and visited a couple new places such as the Blue Nile. Of course we wanted to dance in the rain but we had sunshine all day...until we left then it rained. Oh well, just gives us another excuse to go visit NOLA another weekend.