We survived Hurricane Dennis!

Mr. B and I went to New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday to visit friends and celebrate his completion of his PhD. Although a Hurricane was forecasted, we were lucky that it blew east, and we didn't see too much trouble from it. We had a great time in NOLA, spending time with our friends, walking around the French Quarter and the Faubourg Marigny, eating at fabulous restaurants, and sight-seeing some of the things that typical tourists don't get a chance to see.

Saturday, M&D picked us up at the airport, and we went out in the French Quarter for dinner and socializing. It was pretty hot, so we didn't stay outdoors too long. We ate at a great little place in the Quarter called "The Alpine" and enjoyed some delicious Louisiana seafood. We originally had planned to go to 2 other restaurants, but both were closed for their summer vacations. On Sunday, they took us on a tour of the Garden District, Audabon Park, and out to see Lake Pontchartrain.

The Lake is normally quite placid, but there were a few waves (5 foot waves to be exact!) The bridge you see stretches 26 miles across the lake, and I think is the longest bridge in the world, but I may be wrong. The police had blocked it off, so we couldn't go out on it that day. M and I got quite soaked by the waves that splashed up through the dock we stood on, and Dr. B and D noticed that our drinks in the restaurant were moving from the force of the waves hitting the posts that the restaurant sat on (it was built on the Dock and called "The Dock"). On the way back to their home, we stopped by to see a restaurant that had been removed from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, and brought to New Orleans before being reconstructed. This is a photo of the restaurant--all steel and glass.



We spent Monday morning walking around the French Quarter, and met D for lunch at Voodoo BBQ before hopping the plane back to Chicago. We were able to catch the 5.30 bus back to Madison, so were home by 8 PM. It was a great vacation, and Dr. B says he feels much more relaxed following his stressful work on his thesis and defense.