Fishing the flood

This is from the big flood on the Mississippi River in New Orleans in 2008.  The Bonne Carre Spillway was opened to alleviate the flooding and it made quite a site.  These were among the many who took advantage of the situation to do a little net fishing.

New Orleans's tall icons draw "close"

I was struck by the seeming juxtaposition of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans and a Carnival Cruise Line ship heading out of port and down the Mississippi River.  Of course, the two are far apart, but the long lens needed to capture this shot compresses the space and makes them appear as next door neighbors.

Notice all the waving people (if you can make them out) on the upper decks of the cruise ship.  The photo looks east across the French Quarter.  The ship is making its turn off of the short section of the Mississippi River from the Greater New Orleans Bridge to Canal Street where the river actually flows due north.

Mississippi River is imagination highway

The Carnival Cruise Line ship gets the right of way as it heads out of dock and heads from New Orleans downstream on the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and days of fun and leisure.  The Canal Street Ferry waits its turn to pass behind the huge ship.

New Orleans Night

This was the view out of our room at the W Hotel in New Orleans Sunday night after we survived the celebration in the French Quarter for the Saints Superbowl win.  Just minutes before I shot this, Poydras Street which is down below was circular parade of horn honkers and "Who Dat" cheerleaders.    You can see the Loews Hotel on the far right and next to it is the Harrah's Hotel.  Just across Poydras with the lighted purple emblem is Harrah's Casio.  You are looking out toward the Mississippi River.  The Hilton Hotel on the right looks out over the river.   The French Quarter is out of the picture, two blocks to the left. 

It's a few blocks heavy on the tourism.

By the way,  a little known fact, the Mississippi at this point is flowing directly North for a few miles.
--steve buser

New Orleans, Hotels, Superbowl, French Quarter

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Rolling on the river into New Orleans

One of my favorite things to do in New Orleans is to take the ferry ride across to the West Bank of the Mississippi River and then come right back -- you can do it in a car or as a pedestrian. For a buck you get an amazing view of downtown New Orleans rising up.   The large building in the center is the International Trade Mart. To the left of that are a couple downtown hotels. 

The dark building is, I believe the Pan American building, which only looks smaller because it is much further downtown.  Far on the right, the green glass is the entrance to the Aquarium of the Americas and behind it in bright white is Canal Place which houses the Westin Hotel, offices and a very upscale shopping center.  The ferry puts into dock at the foot of Canal Street.
--steve buser

New Orleans, Canal Street

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Sacked out

Sitting on the Canal Street ferry wharf,  these two Brown Pelicans wait for the ferry to come and whip up fish from underneath the rolling Mississippi River.  Notice the pelican on the left.  He has leaned his head so far back and opened his beak so wide that it has pushed his gular sack - usually hanging below his beak -- up through the top of the lower mandible -- a sight I have never seen before.

--steve buser

Brown Pelican, New Orleans, Mississippi River

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Lights off, sun up -- action!

The Creole Queen and Cajun Queen sit ready to offer tourist and residents a waterborne look at New Orleans and its extensive Port system along the Mississippi River. The early morning sun, in this picture I shot a couple years back, is starting to glint off of the glassy buildings. Lights will soon be going off and the street traffic will be picking up.

Good Morning, New Orleans.
--steve buser

New Orleans, tours, Louisiana, Mississippi River

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Stone and water mix

At the foot of Canal Street in New Orleans stands this edifice for the Aquairum of the Americas.  The bright tiles against the aquamarine glass really draw your attention.  The effect is to tell you "your time inside of here is not going to be your ordinary afternoon."

By the way,  in New Orleans parlance "the foot of (street name here)" always refers to where it intersects with the Mississippi River.
--steve buser

Aquarium of the Americas, Canal Street, Mississippi River, New ORleans

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Fade to gray

I shot this picture almost exactly one year ago.  It was a rainy day and looking out across the River from the foot of Canal Street, I could see these tug going around the bid in the Mississippi. The further they got away, the harder they were to see.  Over on the right, near the top, is the furtherest  -  almost invisible in the gray rain.
--steve buser

Mississippi River, New Orleans, Canal Street

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Pavement pounding in the park

Audubon Park is one of the urban oasis perfectly made for excercise. Located between historic St. Charles Avenue and the Misissippi River, the park offers plenty of space and scenery for the walker, jogger, biker etc. The scenery includes these Spanish moss draped oaks scatter about, the antique "street lights", bayou that is favored by huge herons and egrets and more.

--steve buser

Audubon Park, New Orleans, St. Charles Avenue, Mississippi River

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Poydras -- the power line up.

Good morning New Orleans!

The sun is trying to find a way to lighten up Poydras Street and steamily burn off the residue of an early morning sprinkle.

Poydras is not just a quick throroughfare into and out of the city, but links together many of the city's key business sector.

From where you are sitting here in your car, Harrah's Casino is to your right and behind and around you are some of the cities largest hotels, the Hilton, Loews, Harrahs, Doubletree. The Convention Center is off to the left. This is the tourism center. Canal Street is just a block to the right, and the French Quarter starts just the other side of Canal.

To the left, as you move away from the Convention Center, you pass into the Warehouse District with many of the newest Condo developments in the City. Mixed in there is the Arts District -- unique boutiques and art galleries abound.

Behind you, also, is the busy maritime traffic of the Mississippi River. Also, back there at the "foot of Poydras" is World Trade Center.

As you proceed up Poydras there will be more hotels, but to your right you will catch glimpses of the city's financial center. The Oil and Gas row of tall buildings will slowly blend in.

City Hall will be in that mix too.

Near the end of Poydras will be the Louisiana Superdome, home to the New Orleans Saints.

Then its a quick hop up onto the I-10.

But it is morning. Your supposed to be up by the Superdome coming into downtown.

Did you get up early?

--steve buser

Poydras Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, Casino, Hotel, Superdome
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Capture the Big Easy memory

You are in the Big Easy. Walking on the MoonWalk, along the mighty Mississippi River. The world famous French Quarter is to you back. Sure seems like the perfect time to stop and get someone to take a picture for your memory book.

-steve buser

New Orleans, Moon Walk, French Quarter, Mississippi River

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Flying the Moon Walk

Everyone enjoys doing their own thing along the Moon Walk in New Orleans. The French Quarter levee spot is a favorite walkers and flyers, including this brown pelican.

--steve buser

Moon Walk, Pelican, Mississippi River, New Orleans

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Out of the fog

Cleaning up my picture files and straightening out the files. I am finding several shots like this foggy day on the riverfront in the French Quarter -- shots I never got around to using.   I can't explain it.  It's just hard to keep things in order when you are posting at a rate of a picture a day -- that includes shooting, processing, filing and all.  

But, I keep it up.  It keeps me focused and observant.  Observant of all the things that go on around me that I never really noticed before.

--steve buser

Fog, Mississippi RIver, New Orleans, Louisiana

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Ride the muddy Mississippi

Things can get a little busy on the Mississippi River.  Oh, heck,who are we kidding, things can get a lot busy. This is the front of the Canal Street-Algiers ferry heading into downtown New Orleans.  You can see the wake just ahead of the gawkers from a tug boat that just passed with a massive load. 

Straight ahead is the World Trade Center. On the right (in green) is the Aquarium of the Americas and behind that One Canal Place with the Shops on Canal shopping center is located. 

The ferry ride is a great (and cheap) way to get a good look at down town.  Go across to Algiers, take in Mardi Gras World, or just spend some time on the levy. Then ride back.  No car needed.  The top of the ferry is for pedestrians.

--steve buser

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Night brights the lights

As night settles in, the lights take on a new brightness in downtown New Orleans. Like groomsmen surrounding a bridef (left to right The World Trade Center, the Hilton Hotel, the Crescent City Connection bridge, Harrah's Hotel and Loew's Hotel stand around Harrah's Casino (front) at the foot of Canal Street in New Orleans.

One interesting note about the Mississippi River here, which flows just out of site to the left -- for a few miles, from the Crescent City Connection, to just past the French Quarter, the river is flowing directly northward.

--steve buser

Harrah's Casino, New Orleans, Louisiana, Canal Street, Mississippi River

Theme Day -- passing into the French Quarter.

January 1 is Theme Day on City Daily Photo -- more than one hundred sites participate.  The theme for this start of the month is Paths and Passageways.  I chose this shot of St. Ann Street in the French Quarter.  It passes alongside Jackson Square.  It is a kind of passage way between the parking lots and Mississippi river venues  and the heart of the French Quarter along Royal and Bourbon Streets.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

-steve buser

French Quarter, St. Ann Street, Rue St. Ann, New Orleans, Lousiaiana

Pushing on the river

In case you thought that paddlewheel out there in the middle of the Mississippi River was just a decoration -- take a look at the massive cranks that pushes that thing around. After all, when you take a boat that big and put on a couple hundred people or more, you have to move a lot of water to push them around.

I got a real treat out of looking in the engine room.

--steve buser

boats, paddlewheelr, New Orleans, Louisiana

Dormez Vous?

This penquin was standing very still. He even appears to have his eyes shut.  Maybe he was sleeping on the job.  Nonetheless, the kids had a lot of fun seeing him at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans.  We thought wewould be in there for a couple hours -- it was almost five hours later before we emerged to head down into the French Quarter.

Oh, by the way.   When I said the kids enjoyed it, several of those were packing on the years, if you know what I mean.

--steve buser

penquin, birds, aquarium, Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans, French QUarter

Go ahead. Stretch your neck out

Feel like a little stretching this morning.   This Brown Pelican got his gumption up.  He is not stretching, though, because he is sleepy or just waking up.  The ferry boat from Canal Street in heart of New Orleans over to Algiers  (actually the other way around) is coming up to dock.  That means a good chance that it will stir up a few fish.  It is going to be a good meal.  Stretch that throat and get readdy.

-- steve buser

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