

This album contains a few collections of photographs that I took in New Orleans and the surrounding area. They were taken at different times. Since I used to live in New Orleans and my daughter and other relatives still live there, I go there every three months for a visit. Sometimes when I'm there I do some sightseeing and take photographs. So, check the dates of the photos to know when they were taken.
New Orleans is most famous for its French Quarter. This includes Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, and many homes and buildings constructed during the French and Spanish colonial days of the city. These photographs were taken with my new camera (Canon 400D) during my trip to New Orleans to visit my daughter in April 2007. She can be seen in many of the photos. A few of them include pictures of an Aunt and an Uncle of mine who happened to have been in the Quarter that day.
After the meeting in Orlando in which it was announced that Sun is buying MySQL, I made my way back to New Orleans to visit my daughter. Without realizing it, I came to town during the Mardi Gras season. Anxious to try out my new lenses, I couldn't resist going to the French Quarter to take pictures on Mardi Gras day.
West of New Orleans is the area of Metairie, located within Jefferson Parish. Metairie is a suburban area in which lived many years of my life. My daughter and other relatives live there. There's nothing significant about the area. However, these photos show a sampling of the neighborhoods and other aspects of life there.
These are photographs from when I'm in Metairie, where my daughter lives in the U.S.
In the north west corner of New Orleans is an area known as West End. Most of this neighborhood is located outside the levee, along the lake (Lake Pontchartrain). So during major hurricanes this neighborhood floods. However, the houses and other structures are built high above water level. It's mostly a marina and a couple of yacht clubs.
At the end of August and beginning of September 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans area where I lived most of my life. At the time of the storm, I was at my apartment in Metairie, Louisiana, just about a mile from where the city flooded. These photographs were taken from around my apartment and a couple from Lakeview, my old neighborhood in New Orleans. Some were taken during the storm and some a day or two afterwards.
The Laura Plantation is located outside New Orleans, up the Mississippi River on its west bank. It's a creole plantation in that it was designed and used by creoles, people who were among the original colonists of Louisiana. I've been there a few times. These photographs were taken after a fire destroyed the roof and top floor. It's since been restored. I have more recent pictures from after the restoration, but haven't uploaded them yet.
The Oak Alley Plantation is located near the Laura Plantation. Oak Alley was constructed in the American style of plantations and has a classic Greek revival look with its large white columns. It was used in many movies and television shows. I visited there and Laura with my daughter and Gregg Urlocker, the wife of Zack Urlocker (a co-worker at MySQL AB). Again, I have more photographs to upload from a more recent visit in January of 2007.