Saturday, February 19, 2011

Krewe du Vieux

Here's where we'll be tonight! It's February 19th and it's time for me to see my very first Mardi Gras Parade! It takes place in the Marigny and Lower French Quarter (That's my neck of the woods!) I'm so excited. I'll be on Decatur eagerly awaiting the amazing bands and parade floats that will come down the street. Get excited! Photos to come.

So what is Krewe du Vieux you ask? Well I pulled up their page on the internet, it's so handy, and here's what they explained...


"The Krewe du Vieux is a New Orleans Mardi Gras or Carnival krewe, originally and more fully known as the Krewe du Vieux Carre (“Vieux Carre” being another term for the city’s French Quarter). It is one of the earliest parades of the New Orleans Carnival calendar, and is noted for wild satirical and adult themes, as well as for showcasing some of the best Brass and Jazz Bands in New Orleans."
 
You'll find more information here at Krewe du Vieux.
 
Add pictures asap!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Located in the CBD (Central Business District) is the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. One of my favorite places in New Orleans. There's just something magical about an aquarium. This one in particular has some really great features.
1. A white alligator.
2. You can take your picture inside of a giant shark mouth.
3. 30 foot tunnel in a tank to walk through.
4. The room where you have the view of this photo above. (Magical!)

We walked in from the French Quarter taking a detour along the Mississippi River walk through Woldenberg Park. It was a little chilly but the walk was nice and it gave Jackie a chance to see the muddy river. We looked left, we looked right and then went to the Aquarium.
Prices vary for tickets and ticket packages. But let's not forget that annoucing your a member of AAA will save you a buck here and there and if you're a card carying member of the military then you'll find a sweet little discount there too. We opted for the one day pass to just the aquarium this trip but did give that Imax some serious consideration.


Love this fountain! You'll find it in the entry way to the aquarium. Giant fishy scales, awesome. (As long as they are metal and on a fountain and not on a really giant scary fish!) This guy refused to sit with his family so I couldn't get a shot without the back of his head. Hey, you do what you can right?

This is the start to the 30ft tunnel. You can just start to see it there in the right side of the picutre. Jackie and Tyson were admiring the fish and it made for a cute little photo op.

Both this photo and the one below picture the tunnel and what you'll find while you're inside of it. We watched the divers feeding the ray's broccoli. Who knew? Not only is it a delicious green vegetable for humans but also a tastey snack for sea life too!

This is a jacknife fish. He just looked neat.
These giant guys are hanging in the atrium right when you walk in. Lifesized and full of awesomeness!

The White Alligator or Alligator Mississippiensis as it's known in the science world.

According to Crocsite.com Cajun lore says that if you stare into the eyes of a white alligator it brings good luck. Unfortunately he didn't turn around and spent the afternoon lazy and napping.

In this room we were able to check out all kinds of neat birds. Here's a great shot of one who was perched up high. He didn't move the entire time we were in the room. I don't even think he blinked!

I hope you enjoyed your trip to the Aquarium of the Americas! I especially love aqariums and though this one is relatively small and can be seen in just a few short hours they have some really neat sights. Here is a link to their website. This will take you to all parts of the Audubon Institute. Enjoy!