Back from the Big Easy

I had a really good time at the ASHA Convention in New Orleans! My brain got full!

Thursday I concentrated on aphasia during my sessions, while Friday was more of a dysphagia kind of day. I packed the sessions back-to-back and really got a lot of good learning in. I also walked miles and miles! The Ernest M. Morial Convention Center is long. Very long. It seemed that each class was at the opposite end of the facility from the other.

I decided to let Saturday be a little bit lighter, so I only did 3 hours of sessions plus some poster sessions, and I visited the vendor booths. I got to see my favorite grad school professor at her poster. I had prepared myself for an older woman (it's been over 20 years!), but she looked great. It was good to see her; she had really inspired me.

I ate as much Cajun food as I could, and ate some wonderful beignets from Cafe du Monde. Good stuff!

I didn't have a lot of time for sight-seeing. The closing party was held at Mardi Gras World, where they build the floats. Here are some pictures from there. (Note that my pictures are in a different format. Clicking them will enlarge, and clicking that image will enlarge again.)

Between my hotel and the French Quarter there is a nice walkway by the river. Along the way, I got to stop and contemplate with Yaacov Agam's Holocaust Memorial. Mike enjoys his Agam piece that he acquired on one of our cruises. Agam's work is--literally--dynamic. Here are a few photos of the sculpture. You can see more photographs and an explanation here.








On Sunday I had some time before my flight, so I wandered through the French Market and then did a walking tour of the French Quarter. Cool architecture.

The Saint Louis Cathedral

Cornstalk Fence surrounding the Cornstalk Hotel

Someone's balcony decked out for the holidays.

The Eighth District Police Station.

I didn't get a chance to explore the cemeteries, nor did I go to the many museums of the area. The insect museum was tempting. Next time!

Some notes about NOLA:

• Apparently people there drink a lot of soda. Tea, hot and iced, was non-existent. Booze was not non-existent.
  
• The people are friendly, but they seem gruff at first. Then you'll get a joke, a smile, or a big thank you.
• They hose down the streets in the French Quarter every morning. Yuk!
• I saw no evidence of Katrina in the parts I visited and was driven through. I remember the news reports saying that the French Quarter was at higher elevation than most of the city, so I guess that helped to spare it.
• I want to go back, because there is a lot more to see and to do!